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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 4
Arsenal v Manchester United
Emirates Stadium
London, England
Sunday, 3 September 2023
Kick-off is at 17h30
One of the greatest rivalries in the
Premier League era headlines the matchday 4 action as Arsenal host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 3.
The Gunners were United's main challengers in the first decade since the Premier League's inception, with the two clubs winning the title 11 times between them.
However, neither team has managed to lift the coveted league trophy in the last 10 years, although the North Londoners came close last season before a meltdown in the final two months saw them lose out to Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta's side are unbeaten in the new campaign, although their 100 per cent record came to an end on August 26 when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Fulham.
Arsenal are in a four-way tie with West Ham, Tottenham and Liverpool on seven points, with the quartet two behind league leaders City after three games.
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The Red Devils have largely been poor thus far, playing well in patches against Spurs but ultimately suffering a 2-0 defeat before staging a stunning comeback to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 on August 26 after conceding twice within the opening four minutes at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag's side find themselves just one point adrift of the Gunners in eighth place and it's hard to tell who'll be favoured in the north of the capital, although United will be buoyed by their fightback against Forest.
Bakayo Saka was one of Arsenal's standout players in 2022-23, racking up an impressive 14 goals and 11 assists in 38 appearances - his best return for a single season at the Emirates Stadium. The 21-year-old winger has already found the back of the net twice this term, bagging the winner against Forest before opening the scoring from the penalty spot against the Cottagers.
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Bruno Fernandes was the catalyst in United's comeback win over the Reds, teeing up Casemiro for the equaliser on 52 minutes before scoring the winner from the penalty spot 24 minutes later. Since making his top-flight debut in February 2020, the Portuguese midfielder has registered more goals and assists than any other player in different games in the league.
Arteta admitted that only picking up a point against Fulham was a hard pill to swallow given the chances the hosts created, although he was pleased with the response from his players after conceding the early goal.
"It is really difficult to accept that we haven't won the game," the Spaniard said. "Obviously we made life really hard for ourselves giving the goal away in the first minute, but after that, the team had the response that we all expected.
"Everything is so positive from the start to the finish, apart from the two goals that they scored. With the chances we generated, we should have scored six or seven goals but we haven't."
Ten Hag paid tribute to Fernandes, who managed to keep his emotions in check against Forest after going a bit off the boil at Tottenham in the previous game.
"I think in almost all aspects he played very good game of the highest level. Keeping calm, keeping his emotions under control and at the right moment using his emotions," the Dutchman said.
"He was brilliant in attack, making the difference. I was very pleased with his performance."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Arsenal - 2
Man United - 2
Draws - 1
Matchday 4 fixtures:
Friday, September 1
21h00: Luton Town v West Ham United
Saturday, September 2
13h30: Sheffield United v Everton
16h00: Brentford v Bournemouth
16h00: Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur
16h00: Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
16h00: Manchester City v Fulham
18h30: Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United
Sunday, September 3
15h00: Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers
15h00: Liverpool v Aston Villa
17h30: Arsenal v Manchester United
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