Beaten 3–2 at home by a heroic Manchester United, Arsenal showed some alarming weaknesses that could have serious consequences.
Dominating doesn’t mean winning, and Arsenal learned that lesson the hard way. While Arsenal controlled possession, their dominance proved pointless. Lacking sharpness and creativity, Arsenal almost played into Manchester United’s hands. And just when the sky seemed to hand them the opening goal through a Martínez own goal, Arsenal once again tried to overplay. Thinking he was Sergio Busquets, Zubimendi forgot that this 2025–2026 Arsenal side is not the fluid, movement-heavy machine that the great Barça once was, and he lost the ball with a disastrous pass. The excellent Mbeumo took advantage, and Arsenal conceded the equalizer.
This also highlighted the weakness of Arsenal’s defensive line. While their organization helps avoid individual mistakes and chaotic initiatives, it also puts players under serious strain against teams that rely on pace. In that respect, Dorgu was a nightmare for Arsenal to deal with. Repositioned as a right midfielder, Dorgu acted both as a fifth defender and a counterattacker with an excellent strike on the ball.
The final weakness of the Gunners lies in their lack of attacking efficiency. While Saka has an unbalancing profile thanks to his dribbling, he is also fairly ineffective in the execution of his final actions, whether passes or shots. Jesus looks short of sharpness and is clearly still coming back from his ACL injury, while Gyökeres’ confidence seems to have vanished just as quickly as his 90th-minute shot sailed into the London sky.
By trying to anticipate everything, Arsenal have lost their ability to react to the unexpected—and an entire house of cards could collapse before the end of the season.