Mikel Arteta has already learned from the mistake against Micahel Carrick in December 2021 which cost Arsenal millions
12:00, 21 Jan 2026
Mikel Arteta manager / head coach of Arsenal applauds after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on December 30, 2025 in London, England
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Mikel Arteta will be keen to set the record straight this weekend (Image: Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta will be determined to exact revenge on Michael Carrick when Arsenal host Manchester United this weekend. The two managers will lock horns for the first time since December 2021 when the Gunners host the Red Devils at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Just over five years ago, Carrick dented Arteta's chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. United came from behind to defeat Arsenal at Old Trafford in a five-goal thriller.
Emile Smith Rowe broke the deadlock inside the opening quarter of an hour in bizarre circumstances. The Hale End graduate found the net from range while David De Gea lay injured between the sticks, having been trodden on by Fred a few moments earlier.
Bruno Fernandes levelled proceedings just before half-time. Cristiano Ronaldo gave the Red Devils the lead seven minutes after the break, but the Gunners didn't go down without a fight, with Martin Odegaard pulling one back a couple of minutes later.
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Then, midway through the second half, Ronaldo found the net again, beating Aaron Ramsdale from the spot. Carrick denied Arteta's side the chance to leapfrog West Ham and climb into the top four.
The result proved decisive by May, with Arsenal missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification and its prize money by just two points to Tottenham Hotspur. Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta claimed that his side let United off the hook.
Pinpointing exactly how the Gunners lost to Carrick's side, the Spaniard said: "We scored the first, and after that we had perfect control of the game, but we started to give some very simple balls away in very dangerous areas.
Michael Carrick
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Michael Carrick had a three-game spell as United caretaker manager in 2021(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
"We gave them so much space, they gained some momentum, and we had some difficulties there. We conceded the goal. We started the second half well and had total control, but then conceded again.
"We dominated again and scored the second one, but after that, we need to have the maturity to go on and score the third one. We didn’t manage it, and they scored again.
"But being realistic, conceding three goals at Old Trafford makes it very difficult to get something from the game."
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Arsenal in December 2021
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Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Arsenal in December 2021(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Meanwhile, Carrick suggested that an 'end-to-end' game played into United's hands. The former, and now newly-appointed, interim Red Devils boss said: "All today, I'd had a feeling it was going to be an old-school classic in many ways.
"Even getting to the game tonight, coming on the pitch an hour before, I could feel there was a certain atmosphere about the place and an energy. It just panned out like that. It was probably the ideal game, really, a perfect night.
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"A bit of a ding-dong of a game, end to end, not sure what's going to happen next. To win the game like that was terrific. I think, for everyone, it was good, for the fans to see that, for the players to sample that and experience that again was great."
So, if Arteta is to exact his revenge on Carrick and take United down a peg, Arsenal will need to ensure they're not dragged into a 'ding-dong of a game' and remain patient. Otherwise, the caretaker United boss could run riot... again.
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