Arsenal “could have scored a goal, three or four” against Manchester United

Declan Rice says Arsenal “could have scored three or four” from their corners against Manchester United in their 2-0 win at the Emirates.

The Gunners handed Ruben Amorim his first defeat as United manager during a dominant display at home, particularly from set pieces.

Both of Arsenal's goals came from corners, the first of which was taken by Rice, as Jurien Timber and William Saliba were on target, with the hosts going close from almost all 12 they had as the Red Devils struggled to cope their opponents. Air dominance.

Conceded goals have been a trend throughout Arsenal's season and midfielder Rice was delighted to see his side's tactics work so effectively.

The 25-year-old told Amazon Prime: “What a night. Manchester United have a new manager, so we knew it would be a test. We stuck to the game plan and could have had three or four.

“When you take a corner, it's a chance to score. If they hit both of them from the corner, (set-position coach) Nico (Jover) will be buzzing and I'm very happy.

“It's more just watching clips and knowing how much weight I need to put on the ball and it's just about repetition. “I put in some good balls and I was able to have a few assists, so it was nice to get one.”

Manchester United simply CANNOT deal with Arsenal's corners! 😯

The Gunners have the second goal thanks to William Saliba! ✌️#PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/N2JQ105S8Q

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2024

Amorim: “We have to be better”

United were second best in North London and Amorim tasted defeat for the first time in his fourth game as United boss.

The Portuguese manager said: “The settings changed the game. We could have been more aggressive towards Arsenal's box.

“Until the set pieces, the game didn't have too many opportunities for either side, the set pieces killed the game.

“They can put a lot of players near the goalkeeper and it's almost impossible to fight for the ball, but we have to manage to defend them and we already know we have to be better.

“We were committed and lost from set pieces. If Matthijs (de Ligt) manages to score at that moment, the momentum would be different.

“We tried to play but they are a very organized team and it is difficult to score. I felt the players controlled the game, the set pieces changed the game in the second half.

Rice in the race for the title: “We'll see what happens”

Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Newcastle closed the gap at the top of the table to seven points on Wednesday night at Arsenal.

A lackluster run, coupled with Liverpool's dominant form, has led many to write off the north Londoners in the title race, but Rice believes it is far from over.

He added: “When you have a flash in the league, you get written off. We're sticking together as a group and we knew the run of results wasn't good enough, now we're starting to see a turnaround in that.

“People get carried away. You just have to be around him in February time. “Liverpool dropped points, they have seven guests, so we'll see what happens.”