Arsenal star Leandro Trossard was on target in the Gunners' 1-0 victory vs Fulham - and the Belgium forward aimed a cheeky dig at a certain pundit after his goal.
Man Utd great Gary Neville on Sky Sports.
Leandro Trossard has fired a cheeky dig at Man Utd icon Gary Neville after his Arsenal criticism last season.
View Image
Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard has taken a playful swipe at Gary Neville after his match-winning goal against Fulham on Saturday night.
The Gunners had failed to secure victory at Craven Cottage in their previous two meetings, but the Belgian's far-post strike meant that Mikel Arteta's squad would retain their position at the summit irrespective of today's clash between Liverpool and Manchester United.
Arteta's outfit have established a formidable reputation for set-piece situations in recent campaigns and are broadly regarded as the most effective team in the Premier League, if not across Europe - both in attack and defence.
Nevertheless, this success has attracted criticism. Last season, the Gunners were accused of putting too much emphasis on the dead-ball aspect of their play while Liverpool surged to Premier League glory.
United icon Neville was amongst those who questioned the Gunners' tactics last term - although he did recognise their injury difficulties at that point.
He thought that Arsenal had become overly dependent on set-pieces during their title challenge against Liverpool. The Gunners surrendered vital points against West Ham, squandering a crucial chance to narrow the deficit to Arne Slot's eventual title winners.
The Sky Sports pundit said: "Questions will start to be asked, because it was that type of season where you think it was up for grabs. Arne Slot has come in as the new manager, [Jurgen] Klopp's left.
"I certainly felt there would be a drop-off at Liverpool, but Slot has been such a cool customer from day one. He's in complete control.
"Arsenal have become quite rigid, they've become quite turgid at times to watch. This obsession with set-pieces, which was overtaking their whole game - exacerbated by this presence of their set-piece coach on the touchline which puts more focus on set-pieces. It's like... no. The freedom's gone a little bit from them.
"I know that they've lost Saka, and I know that they've lost Jesus, and I know they've lost Havertz, which are big blows. I mean, let's be clear, that is a big problem for Arsenal... But I still think you've got to do that job yesterday against West Ham at home."
After scoring the decisive goal against Marco Silva's side, Trossard then cheekily responded to his critics on social media, posting: "Everyone loves a good set-piece, right? [winking emoji]."
United meet Arsenal's title rivals Liverpool on Sunday afternoon at Anfield.
Ruben Amorim's men can make it two wins on the bounce for the first time under the Portuguese head coach on the proviso that they pick up a win against their arch rivals.
---
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.