Late Drama at the Emirates: Saka's Arsenal Slip as United Turn the Tie in a 3-2 Thriller
25 January 2026
Match Recap
No time to dwell on the result.
Bukayo Saka, Arsenal's star, voiced disappointment with the performance in the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium in the 23rd round of the Premier League.
Arsenal opened the scoring early via an own goal credited to Lisandro Martínez in the 29th minute, and United then hit back with two strikes in the 37th and 50th minutes.
Arsenal managed to level through a late strike from Mikel Merino in the 84th minute, but Matheus Konya clinched the winner in the 87th, giving United a precious away win at the league leaders' ground.
Despite the loss, Arsenal remain top with 50 points, four clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa, while United sit fourth on 38.
Saka told the club's official site that they did not show their best on the night and that the game was important. Emirates Stadium has been a strong home ground for them this season, but they could not defend that edge this time.
He added that the defeat is hard, but the team must unite and try to bounce back next week.
He also stressed that in football you can score and be scored on, but the reaction matters. They had hoped for a 2-0 lead but could not deliver, and overall the performance was not entirely satisfactory.
Arsenal have no time to dwell as the Champions League resumes on Wednesday and there is another league trip away to Leeds United at the weekend; Saka said the response will be decisive.
He concluded that the journey will have ups and downs and that showing character next week is crucial. That is the focus now, and the result cannot be changed.
Punchlines: Arsenal’s defense seems to believe in plot twists more than clean sheets, and the Emirates crowd learned that even a home game can become a thriller when United bring the late drama. Sniper-style precision would be nice, but tonight Arsenal will settle for regrouping and retrying next week.
