Manchester United loyalists may claim they had their shadow XI out, but it still contained enough quality to get a result. Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, David de Gea — and Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard after the second went in, by which time it was too late.
Inescapably, though, the best team won. United had good chances in the first half, but Arsenal dominated the second, even if the goal that broke the deadlock came from a fortuitous deflection.
The second was quality — Danny Welbeck’s third goal in consecutive games against his former club. Do you think he might bear the tiniest grudge?
True, they still need to win all their games in hand, and even then would be a point short of what is needed — but Liverpool are losing momentum at the wrong time and Arsenal’s remaining fixtures are relatively benign. Southampton and Stoke away. Sunderland and Everton at home. Build on this, exert a little pressure and who knows? Hope springs eternal.
Mourinho has been talking down United’s hopes of reaching the Champions League by domestic standing and, however self-serving that stance may be, this result seems to endorse it. They should still be in the mix, even after this, but if he perseveres in prioritising the Europa League matches, they won’t be.