Manchester United cut Arsenal’s Premier League advantage to four points with a 3-2 comeback win at Emirates Stadium, as Matheus Cunha struck late from distance. Arsenal missed the chance to move seven
points clear after earlier victories for Manchester City and Aston Villa had increased the strain on Mikel Arteta’s league leaders.
The result maintains United’s perfect record under Michael Carrick’s second spell in charge and lifts United to fourth place. Arsenal, who had appeared in control after taking the lead, struggled with errors in key moments and allowed United’s clinical finishing from range to decide a tense contest.
Arsenal went ahead on 29 minutes through a fortunate own goal. Martin Odegaard’s effort was not cleared cleanly by Lisandro Martinez, whose sliced attempt diverted the ball past Senne Lammens. At that stage, Arsenal were expected to calm the game, yet the advantage instead seemed to increase the tension in Arteta’s team.
The mood changed eight minutes later when Arsenal lost possession deep in their own half. Martin Zubimendi tried a risky pass, which Bryan Mbeumo read and intercepted. Mbeumo rounded David Raya before finishing for United’s equaliser, claiming a 50th Premier League goal and giving the visitors renewed belief before half-time.
3 - Bryan Mbeumo is the first @ManUtd player to score against Arsenal, Man City & Liverpool in a Premier League season since Marcus Rashford in 2022-23, and first to do so in his debut campaign at the club since Robin van Persie in 2012-13. Primetime. pic.twitter.com/5PdFrzWWe3OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 25, 2026
United moved in front five minutes after the restart with one of two long-range strikes that beat Raya. Patrick Dorgu combined sharply with Fernandes on the left, continued his run, then met the return with a swerving shot. The ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar and bounced over the line.
That goal left Arsenal chasing the game and prompted a bold response from Arteta. A quadruple substitution followed as Arsenal tried to increase attacking pressure. Bukayo Saka went close when Senne Lammens pushed a driven effort wide, and from the resulting corner substitute Mikel Merino reacted quickest to prod the loose ball home.
Cunha was the player on the line who could not clear Merino’s finish, but the Brazilian forward recovered to deliver the decisive moment. With three minutes of normal time left, Cunha stepped into space and curled a precise strike from distance into the bottom-right corner, beating Raya and silencing most of Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal Manchester United Premier League statistical analysis
The match broke a long defensive sequence for Arsenal. Arteta’s side conceded three goals in a single fixture for the first time since a 4-3 win over Luton Town in December 2023, ending a run of 121 games in all competitions without allowing more than two goals in one match.
Recent league form shows more errors are creeping into Arsenal’s play. Arsenal have now made an error leading to an opposition goal in two of their last four Premier League fixtures, compared with only one such mistake across the first 19 league matches of the current campaign under Arteta.
United’s success owed much to the accuracy of strikes from outside the penalty area, despite creating fewer opportunities overall. Arsenal attempted 15 shots to United’s 10 and posted an expected goals figure of 1.2 compared with United’s 0.73. Yet United converted from range twice, while Arsenal struggled to match that level of finishing.
2 - Arsenal have conceded 2+ goals from outside the box in a Premier League game for only the second time at the Emirates: v Spurs, October 2008 (4-4) v Man Utd, January 2026 (2-3) Surprised. pic.twitter.com/OgdtegzfbvOptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 25, 2026
Historical records at Emirates Stadium underline how rare United’s shooting display was. United became the first visiting team in a Premier League game at Arsenal to score at least twice from outside the area since Tottenham in October 2008, when Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley both scored from long range in a 4-4 draw.
| Statistic | Arsenal | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 3 |
| Shots | 15 | 10 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.2 | 0.73 |
| Goals from outside box | 0 | 2 |
The defeat keeps the title race tight, with Manchester City and Aston Villa closing the gap and adding pressure in the Middle East and beyond. Arsenal still lead the Premier League but must respond after a display marked by costly errors, while Manchester United carry momentum from Carrick’s perfect run and ruthless long-range finishing.
