IAN LADYMAN: Are Manchester United any better than last season? They’re already six points adrift of City and STILL can’t win when it matters

• Manchester United suffered 3-1 defeat to Arsenal with two stoppage time goal
• Recap all the action from Arsenal’s 3-1 victory at the Emirates here 
• Declan Rice found the back of the net to secure the three points for his new club

Those Manchester United supporters of an optimistic persuasion – and they must be dwindling in number – could tell themselves they almost won this. 

With two minutes of normal time remaining, their young substitute Alejandro Garnacho had the ball in the net. An awful lot happened in the ten minutes or so that followed but had that marginal offside call not gone Arsenal’s way the outcome of this absorbing contest would in all likelihood have been very different.

However, the sobering statistics for United and their manager Erik ten Hag are as follows. For all that the Dutch coach continues to look like the right man to continue the rebuild of this football club, his team’s record away from home against traditional rivals is lamentable. 

Defeats in north London to Tottenham and now Arsenal already this season can be added to those against Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle last time round. The best it got in Ten Hag’s first season was draws at Spurs and Chelsea.

So what United need is real improvement and as we watched them here at the Emirates it was hard to see where that is going to come from. Everybody in the Premier League needs to get better of course. 

hristian Eriksen of Manchester United applauds the fans after being defeated 3-1 to Arsenal

That’s what £105million pays for! Declan Rice sealed the victory for the Gunners with a dramatic stoppage time winner, marking his first goal in a red shirt, making it 2-1

Rashford looked dejected after opener had put visitors ahead before eventually losing match

Arsenal fans and players celebrate as Declan Rice’s goal helps the Gunners beat Man United 

The battle to take ownership of Man United could be nearing its endgame as the two bidders prepare their final offers ahead of an expected decision on the preferred choice this week

New £72million signing Rasmus Hojlund failed to score on his debut for Manchester United

Mason Mount looking dejected after their defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

City are top already as we head towards the first international break and, despite injury problems and the loss of Ilkay Gundogan, do not look like taking many steps backwards any time soon. That leave everyone else needing to catch up and United have more to do than most.

Just a look at this United team at the start of play was enough to tell some of the story. Was it any better than the one that started last season’s game here, a 3-2 loss in January? No, not really.

They have a better goalkeeper, it seems. Andre Onana, the Cameroonian, has started well. He is not only good with his feet, he is better than some of those playing in front of him. The central defender Victor Lindelof, for a start.

But with injuries already tearing a bit of a hole in United’s spine, they were weaker across the back than they were last year and, with new signing Rasmus Hojlund starting on the bench, they had a familiar and rather predictable look about them further forward too.

Ten Hag will hope this changes. Mason Mount cost £60m and is injured. Hojlund cost slightly more and this second half appearance was his first action for the club. At 24 and 20, they are at good ages. So, yes, there is something to be hopeful about there.

But is that enough? United have not challenged for a Premier League title since last winning one more then ten years ago. That is supposed to be the club’s raison d’etre. 

Last season they finished fourteen points behind champions City so this season requires big steps forward, not baby ones.

They were competitive here. They were in the game. They even led, through Marcus Rashford, if only for a minute. Had they drawn 1-1 – that looked likely for a long time – they would have done so on the back of an equal amount of possession and clear chances. They probably would have deserved their point.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was rivalling Sheikh Jassim for majority control of the Old Trafford club 

Rice scores his goal deep into injury time to send the Emirates Stadium into bedlam 

United have already faced defeats away this season to Tottenham Hotspur

Nevertheless, this squad still looks too thin to enable United to go toe to toe with the better teams. So Ten Hag sends them out to play rope-a-dope. Stay in the game and try and get something on the break. It can work. It almost did here. Garnacho was indeed offside but not by much.

Tellingly, United’s personnel looked rather ‘make do and mend’ by the end of this game. With Rafael Varane injured and Lisandro Martinez taken off before he was booked for the second time, United ended the contest with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans at centre half. 

Those two used to do a very good job together for Leicester but that was five years ago. Maguire would have moved to West Ham last month had he not baulked at it while Evans, 35, is back at Old Trafford as cover on a one-year-deal. This was his first competitive appearance for United since 2015.

And this is indicative of the issue that stalks United now. They are unlikely to fall on their faces this season. They have enough good players to win their share of games, especially at home. 

The top four should not be beyond them. But a squad comprising players of the limitations of Aaaron Wan-Bissaka – who played well here – Diogo Dalot, Lindelof, Anthony and Anthony Martial can only realistically aim so high. More than ever, this is a squad game and yet again United look light.

As for Hojlund he looked game and quick when he came on. He also spent an awful lot of time being bundled over. Welcome to the Premier League. 

Off the field, meanwhile, the Glazer family still feel reluctant to sell. Stasis continues to hover over Old Trafford likes a Manchester cloud.

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