Manchester United always seem to find a way to beat Arsenal in the Premier League in recent years and it really is an easy thing that United do every time they play Arsenal especially away from home to beat them.
United and Arsenal dominated the Premier League in the early 2000s
Arsenal and United were the two big teams in the early 2000's that were the only two teams that would be fighting for the Premier League, but nowadays it's usually a four-way fight and that has seen Arsenal fall off the rails nearly by coming close to winning it but falling in the big games.
Arsenal last beat United at home back in the Premier League in 2011 when they won the match 1-0, but since then United have won two and drawn two. United always play the same way against Arsenal because the counter attack is a massive weapon against Arsenal and it seems to always catch Arsenal out.
United's record at home to Arsenal as well is very good and haven't lost to Arsenal since 2007 in the Premier League at Old Trafford. Arsenal come to Old Trafford but seem to freeze and were even beating 8-2 by United in 2011, a result you would think should never happen between these two big clubs, but it did and ever since Arsenal don't seem to have gotten that result out of their minds.
United counter attack Arsenal all the time
United adopt the tactic of soaking up all the pressure while Arsenal pile all the pressure on them and then catch them out with a counter-attack at real speed and score. Arsenal players then go all out for the goal to get back in the game which again will leave even more space for teams to counter and something just is not right and Arsene Wenger never changes anything.
Last year everyone saw the lineups with United having players like Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair in defence at the Emirates last season and thought Arsenal we're going to walk the game easily, but United won the game 2-1 in a game really Arsenal will still be kicking themselves from to this day. The dominance in which United have over Arsenal currently is frightening and unless something changes then it will continue this weekend.
United players also seem to get very fired up when they have a game against Arsenal and put in that extra effort and stick to the tactics they are given and exploit them every time. Arsenal, though, to their credit, did beat United finally at Old Trafford in the FA Cup back in March which stopped a terrible run for them at Old Trafford.
Arsenal need to win in the Premier League, not just the FA Cup
It's all good that Arsenal are winning the FA Cup matches against United, but they need to step up and see what they can do in the Premier League. United, on the other hand, seem to really struggle in the FA Cup but seem to step it up in the league. It's an interesting battle that will always be one of he biggest matches of the Premier League season, and if anyone else says otherwise that is just not right at all.
Another big reason why United have a good record against Arsenal is because of Arsenal not investing in the squad where they need to. A big example of this was this summer when Arsenal needed a central defensive midfielder, and Morgan Schneiderlin was there for the taking, but they would not pay up for him and United ended up signing one of the best in that position in the league.
It will always be asked of Arsenal why do they not turn up in big games and why do their big players not turn up especially. Arsenal need their big players to turn up in the big games, but they don't and it ends up being United's bigger players that know how to beat Arsenal and this causes the problems in the players mentality's.
Arsenal create loads of chances in this kind of game, but miss the killer instinct to score the chances. On the other hand a United only have a few and score, and a big example of this was last season when United only had one shot on target but scored two goals, as one of the goals was an own goal, while Arsenal had ten shots on target but scored only one. Therefore, this shows that Arsenal need to learn to be more clinical.
The game this weekend will show where the two teams are at regarding a title challenge
The game this weekend takes on an extra significance because of the fact both teams want to make a real statement of intent to say that they are going to fight for the Premier League title. Arsenal have gone years without it and their fans are getting fed up while United have gone two years without and are looking to get back to the top under Louis van Gaal.
Overall this weekend's game at the Emirates will be a stern test for United and Arsenal, and whoever comes out on top will get the bragging rights over one another, and also take a big step in showing their intentions that they intend on fighting right to the end for the Premier League title.