Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal did suffer a defeat at Old Trafford but that is what results bias in football comes in. While the winner is the one who scores more goals, long-term building shines through by underlying performances. And that is where Arteta’s Gunners stood out, as they created a fair amount of chances, controlled the game for a majority of the tie and also managed to earn a high xG than Erik ten Hag’s side.

While the Dutchman’s side did adapt and win, it was largely similar to what Arteta had done when he had initially joined Arsenal and won the FA Cup. Without his flexibility and adaptability, Arsenal would not have used a Plan B to win the FA Cup. Ten Hag has used a similar approach and while he will take time to move on, Arteta is already in phase 3 of the project.

And regardless of the defeat, Arsenal remain at the top of the league. With Tottenham and Man City set to play at the weekend, they could yet remain at the top depending on whether they win their fixture or not. While it is still very much early in the season and Arsenal would probably not win the league, but the underlying stats and performances show that things are definitely going in the right direction.