Arsenal and Manchester United met at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and the first-half of the gripping contest was filled with its fair share of drama - goals coming from Lisandro Martinez and Bryan Mbeumo
Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter
17:22, 25 Jan 2026Updated 17:41, 25 Jan 2026
Bryan Mbeumo scores a goal
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Bryan Mbeumo levelled the match for Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
Gary Neville lambasted Mikel Arteta's approach after taking the lead against Manchester United on Sunday, dubbing Arsenal's match control as "terrible."
The Gunners played host to the Red Devils at the Emirates Stadium with hopes of expanding their lead at the top of the Premier League table. After an incredibly bright start from the hosts, United slipped 1-0 down as a result of an own goal from Lisandro Martinez in his own six-yard box with 29 minutes played.
However, Arsenal were unable to hold the lead for long, with Bryan Mbeumo levelling matters eight minutes later after rounding David Raya and tucking the ball into an open goal. And in the aftermath of his finish, Neville - who was on Sky Sports co-commentary duties - wasted little time in lambasting Arsenal's tactical approach after going a goal up.
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He said: "Well you have to say Arsenal’s management and control of the game since going one up has been terrible. They’ve really gifted United two or three moments and that one is the biggest gift."
Meanwhile, dissecting United's goal at half-time, Roy Keane said: "It looked like the goal kind of set Arsenal back a little bit. They definitely look tentative, they look nervous.
"It's a bit like the Liverpool game here a few weeks ago. The fans seem nervous, as if they're afraid to embrace the challenge. They're more concentrating on not losing the game.
"I don't know where Declan [Rice] is going there, the ball goes back to [Martin] Zubimendi a bit too quickly really. He's got to do better. A bit of calmness, a bit of composure.
"And United obviously have had a lot of encouragement. You can see it here again, Arsenal, just even trying to keep it at the back. They looked a bit nervous at the back.
Lisandro Martinez scores an own goal
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Lisandro Martinez scored an own goal(Image: Getty Images)
"Lovely, lovely finish and United deserved that. There's definitely tension in the air and they're not dealing with it."
Meanwhile, Patrick Vieira urged his former club to show a bit more bravery in the second-half. He said: "It feels tense.
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"You can see that both teams losing the ball, they really try to get back 10 players plus the goalkeeper behind the ball. The feeling is that there is no risk.
"There's too many passes going backwards and not forward. I want them to be a little bit more brave, to take a little bit more risk, to play a little bit more forward and try to find those players between the line."
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