Arsene Wenger beats Jose Mourinho as Arsenal expose negative Manchester United to keep top four hopes alive

Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0: The Gunners ended United's odd 25-game unbeaten league run which almost certainly ended their chances of finishing in the top four, while energising their own

Arsenal ended Manchester United's unbeaten run to remain in the hunt for fourth place (Getty)

It was an Arsenal-Manchester United match that felt very different to so much of its fiery history, and one that fittingly ended with a different result. Arsene Wenger at last got his first competitive win over Jose Mourinho thanks to this 2-0 victory, and has thereby ended United's odd 25-game unbeaten league run which almost certainly ended their chances of finishing in the top four, while energising their own.

The Portuguese may well argue that this match was not truly representative of a Mourinho team at its best, and he seemed to be pre-emptively conditioning the discussion around it with the way he spoke of both his changed team and how he was prioritising the Europa League, but it’s still difficult not to think this was a disappointingly meek waste of an opportunity.

The stumbles of Liverpool had changed the complexion of the race for the top four, and it was still a strong United team, who also set up the way Mourinho has in most of his matches against Arsenal and in all of the matches away to the top six this season.

Perhaps that’s the fairer discussion and more relevant theme here. While Wenger finally has his win over Mourinho, United still haven’t scored a goal away to any of that top six this season in five games including a cup tie against Chelsea. There is only one left, away to Tottenham for the last match at the old White Hart Lane. That was actually where a Mourinho side last scored in a game away to the top six, back on 1 January 2015, a match many close to that Chelsea squad believe was key in him greatly reining in previously more expansive tactics in that campaign's title charge. This, again, was anything but expansive.

Whatever about the different players in the line-up, Mourinho took the same approach to such a game that he always does, with United often having 10 men around their own by the 20th minute. They may say they have greater priorities, but that doesn’t excuse how easily Arsenal snapped into them, and looked the better team.

Arsenal also looked a much, much better team than they were in their own disappointingly meek defeat to Spurs last week, and it did feel as if that sparked them into a response here.

There was no great tactical explanation for this result, then. Arsenal were merely the livelier and more intense side, more willing to try and create, against a United that just sat back bar the odd break led by Anthony Martial.

It wasn’t like this was a sturdy United rearguard, either, as Chris Smalling was often talking 19-year-old Axel Tuanzebe through the game. From the start, Arsenal were finding a lot of gaps, and repeatedly getting in behind the United backline.

Welbeck scored Arsenal's second against his old club (Getty) (Getty Images)

Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain forced fine saves from David De Gea in the first half, while Wenger’s side twice played the same type of dangerous ball across the United box that only needed a different bounce to go in.

That’s the other thing when you play this defensively, too. You leave yourself hostage to such bounces, and so it was for the game-breaking goal. Granit Xhaka tried a speculative shot from distance on 54 minutes, and the ball took a huge deflection off the back of Ander Herrera to loop over De Gea and in.

It might have been different had the starkly ponderous Wayne Rooney scored a good first-half chance, of course, but that was all United could really look to. Their defenders were soon looking at each other, as the excellent Oxlade-Chamberlain played in yet another fine cross and former United forward Danny Welbeck was left to power in a header.

That was that, and that may be that for United’s chances of the top four too. Mourinho had said he already felt last week’s 1-1 draw with Swansea City was their “last chance” but, given that Arsenal were behind them at that point and are now very fairly looking to try and overtake Liverpool, that just doesn’t wash.

United should really win the Europa League, given their semi-final lead over Celta Vigo and the fact a younger and much lesser-resourced Ajax are likely to be in the final, but it is still something of a risk to so openly prioritise the competition at the expense of games like this against a very beatable Arsenal.

United maybe should take a bit more of a risk in matches like this against the rest of the top six. They might have actually scored a goal in them, and might be higher up the table.

Mourinho will perhaps fairly dismiss this game as he looks to Europe, but it does not excuse Arsenal so easily dismissing them.

As ever, meanwhile, Wenger himself is not to be dismissed just yet. After all that, he could yet end the season with a Champions League place and a trophy. He is already set to end it with a win many thought would never come.