Chaos at the Emirates: United topple Arsenal in a rollercoaster Premier League duel
25 January 2026
Match snapshot
Arsenal's Spanish coach Mikel Arteta lamented a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates to Manchester United in the 23rd round of the Premier League.
Turning points and figures
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 29th minute via an own goal from Lisandro Martínez, while United answered with goals in the 37th and 50th minutes.
Arsenal equalized in the 84th minute, but a 87th-minute winner by United handed them a precious victory at the leaders’ expense.
Despite the defeat, Arsenal remain top on 50 points, four ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa, while United sit fourth on 38.
Arteta's assessment and the road ahead
Arteta told BBC that Manchester United deserve credit for turning the game and that Arsenal were not at their best.
His analysis continued: in the first 30 minutes Arsenal controlled the match and scored, but then they lost the ball in key areas, and the game spiraled into chaos.
He added that the players deserve credit for their consistency and that he bears responsibility for the defeat. He argued that to win you must go through difficult moments and that it is unrealistic to expect victory in every game.
According to him the margins were tiny and have to react and see what they are capable of. The next match is a Champions League game against Kaïrat Almaty on Wednesday; today Arsenal were not at their usual level and paid the price.
Punchlines aside, chaos may have its perks, but tonight it only spilled three goals into United’s favor.
Punchline 2: If Arsenal ever figure out how to budget for chaos, their spreadsheets would finally balance themselves, right before the next counterattack.
