well you can certainly feel the excitement tonight here at the theater of dreams old trafford
i'm derek ray and delighted to have stuart robson sharing commentary duties with me
and we've got premier league action coming right up it's manchester united
versus arsenal thanks derek as always this should be a good game great atmosphere inside
the stadium we've got two teams full of quality some interesting matchups and
two coaches that want to play an attractive brand of football what more could you ask for
you know when ronaldo is on the bench we tend to think he'll stamp as authority on the game stuart
what in particular do you expect to see from him this time around
well the best players are the ones that can play in tight areas and he can certainly play in tight
areas he wriggles out situations he can find that penetrative pass and he's such a good player when
he gets the ball out of his feet and gets shots away he could be the outstanding player today
this is the team manchester united will go with david de gea starts in goal rafael varan
plays alongside harry maguire in central defence paul pogba plays alongside nemanja matic in the
center of midfield as for the attackers edinson cavani starts together with cristiano ronaldo
and so they started 11 for arsenal bent leno begins in goal thomas party starts with granit
xhaka in the center of the pitch and the striker today is pierre-emerick aubameyang
and the match gets underway here at old trafford let's hope we're in for something special
good use of advantage in united's favor getting in there to intercept
and aubameyang making the move with the ball at his feet what's he going to do next
textbook closing down and now they're on the attack
oh he needs to clear it here and that's a straightforward stop
cavani
here's ronaldo shaw it might still be problematic this is nemanja matic
party and he's in an offside position
sancho now ronaldo
oh you have to categorize that as a missed opportunity
oh
they got away from jakka
the ball back with arsenal now
it's a good-looking ball in behind
oh a save of the highest order well he got his angles absolutely right what a good save that is
sancho and a tidy challenge
well it was a close call but the fans are not happy with that decision
i just couldn't keep the ball
cristiano ronaldo sancho
he could pick out a teammate real chance oh yes what a classy goal and make no mistake
there aren't many in the game who would have the confidence to even try it
well here it is again just look at the quality of the crosstalk it's inch perfect
and from there he never looked like missing that's a lovely goal
on they go again and arsenal know they need to wipe out that last goal
thomas granit xhaka obama yang and no way through
given away by manchester united and arsenal now find themselves
in potentially a dangerous position well just the tackle that was needed
cavani
well nicely cut out now what can they do with the ball
martin erdogan
aubameyang
the goal from aubameyang such a prolific scorer
well this is a brilliant strike as you can see he hits it with so much power
the keeper had no chance fantastic finish
back underway level pegging one girl a piece in this game
the referee has decided that two additional minutes are in order bruno fernandez sancho now
and that will do it for the first half here at the theater of dreams
pierre-emerick aubameyang a formidable striker no two ways about that and delivering here stuart
well it was a vital goal and at a crucial time you have to say certainly changed the complexion
of the game now but it's whether they can take the momentum into the second half as
they've struggled the two teams have switched around and are ready now for the second half
go back
and manchester united might be able to profit here corner it is
trying to pick out a teammate a no-nonsense defensive clearance
cavani using all his defensive acumen to cut it out
well let's see what they have in store for them on the break
granite jacker promising pass he has time to play us over
obama yang must take the lead here oh he's being denied and they remain locked together
well that's a good save but really he should have scored from there that's a big chance
can someone get on the end of this not away completely
but it looks so threatening but the danger averted united being afforded too much space
can he find the net
well they haven't created too much lately but the fans know this is a chance to take the lead here
who's going to get on the end of it and he read it really well fine save
can he deliver it with accuracy and touched on to the frame of the goal well clattered away
well you sense it's just a matter of time before they do score derek
they've been piling on the pressure now and really should be ahead in this one
party he read the situation defensively and did his job
aaron juan bisaka
cristiano ronaldo
terrific save well that's a top class save he read it so well
and over it comes well not quite the header he had in mind and the goalkeeper gobbling that one up
room to maneuver on the wing
martin erdogan
tierney now they haven't overcome all the difficulties
can they forge ahead well
would have done had it not been for the keeper well they should be ahead now
yes it was a good save derek but he should score from there
united have been getting two substitutes ready and both will come on to the pitch
how can they pick out not quite the clearance they were hoping for just can't get it past him
now sending it in well the clearance half-hearted
cross blocked a perfectly taken corner
could make all the difference in this game this one for arsenal still not clear
well they can keep possession of it now
and the counter attackers on options available will it be sufficiently imaginative must take the
lead here and they do and with so little time left that will surely be decisive astonishing drama
well let's see this again this is counter-attacking football at its very best and
it makes the striker's job so easy all he has to do is make the right connection it's a lovely goal
what a big moment in the dying embers will it prove decisive here
they have to show a commitment to attack arsenal in these trying circumstances
good players in only failed to get it away properly
and in the end no damage done
sure mason greenwood
this could be it he's well you've got to say he's been a bit unfortunate the post beating him to it
well he certainly is unlucky there he got plenty on it just lacking that bit of accuracy
bruno fernandez mason greenwood
can he find the net a celebratory moment
well as the replay shows us this is the way to beat tight marking
just look how he turns with the ball that's a fantastic goal you have to say
and the referee blows for full-time positives for manchester united three points for them what did
you make of it all well derek they were better than their opponents in all aspects of the game
they defended well enough they dominated midfield and they created chances as well
it was a great performance and on the back of this no doubt about it cristiano ronaldo
generating headlines well he should be happy with his goal and the win but he'd be slightly
annoyed that he hasn't scored a couple more overall though i thought he was excellent