Arsenal have only lost one match all season, and they have just avenged that lone defeat. In September, Manchester United bested Arsenal 3-1 at home, with the Gunners taking the reverse fixture, 3-2 on Sunday.
It was a match that lived up to the pregame hype, and then some, with plenty of scoring and momentum swings. It even had high drama in the end, with Man of the Match Eddie Nketiah scoring the game-winner in extra time.
NKETIAH IS THE MAN OF THE MOMENT! ?
Arsenal make it 3-2! pic.twitter.com/jn0cvKvWdY
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2023
And when we mean high drama, we truly mean high drama, as the game winning goal had to survive a VAR check before being granted as good to go.
There was no offsides, but the margin was very close. Nketiah bagged a brace today, as he also scored in the 24′ on the day. He’s Arsenal’s top scorer for a reason this season.
Bukayo Saka scored the other Gunners goal, and in the process, he joined Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg as the only players to score in three-straight Premier League matches against United.
Oh and he did the same goal scoring celebration at Marcus Rashford did earlier in the contest.
Bukayo Saka really hit Marcus Rashford’s celebration after scoring against United ? pic.twitter.com/FRjw0ArF8u
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 22, 2023
At the halfway point of the season, Arsenal remain top of the table, and with a game in hand on second place Manchester City. Leading the league by five points, they are no longer just title contenders, they are title favorites.
But how do they stack up against the famous Invincibles team of Arsene Wenger?
At this halfway point of the season, Arsenal have a W-D-L of 16-2-1.
The undefeated side, of ’03-’04 was 13-6-0 at this juncture. The current team has 50 points to the Invincibles 45, and a +29 goal differential to their +23 at this point in the season.
So there you have it, this Gunners squad compares pretty favorably actually.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.