Match Report: Five things learnt from Arsenal’s crushing victory over United

Arsenal are now just two points off league leaders Manchester City after thrashing Manchester United 3-0 thanks to a first half brace from Alexis Sanchez either side of Mesut Ozil's first league goal of the season. WhoScored look at the five big talking points from the match at the Emirates on Sunday: 

 Carrick and Schweinsteiger can't play together

The glaring omission from Louis van Gaal's team selection was that summer signing Morgan Schneiderlin was to watch on from the substitutes' bench. The United manager instead opted to partner Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger together and it proved the luxury pairing that United cannot afford to continue with in the big games. Without Schneiderlin, a player who has completed a combined 42 tackles and interceptions so far this season, the visitors had no protection in front of their back four, which allowed Arsenal’s chief creators the time and space to reap havoc. By the time Van Gaal could warm to his seat in the dugout, his side were already 3-0 down. United’s central midfield pairing were dribbled past a combined seven times. In comparison, Arsenal’s two screeners, Santi Carzola and Francis Coquelin, were dribbled past just twice. To go with such a bold midfield was either naivety or over confidence, or perhaps a bit of both on Van Gaal's part.

Memphis' struggles in big games continue

What got lost in such a spectacular meltdown from United was the performance of Memphis. The 21-year-old was hooked at half-time following one of his worst performances in his short United career. Admittedly the frantic first half would have put most under pressure, but Memphis’ performance, in particular, would have been a concern. So much so, that Van Gaal replaced him with Marouane Fellaini at the interval. The former PSV starlet was like a rabbit caught in headlights and coughed up possession far to easily, often passing without even looking- his pass success rate was the lowest of any outfield on the pitch (75%). His WhoScored rating of 5.91 has only been lowered against Liverpool earlier in the season (5.81), where Van Gaal also took him out of the firing line at the break.

Arsenal frontline a gem in full flow 

Arsene Wenger was understandably gleaming in the wake of Arsenal's biggest win over United in 14 years. The Frenchman, who celebrated 19 years in charge of the Gunners last week, had just watched his team comprehensively destroy his old rival. Theo Walcott, one of the architects behind their victory, claimed no team would have been able to live with the way they started on Sunday. Within 20 minutes, Arsenal had raced into a 3-0 lead. Walcott, who again proved he is capable of playing through the middle, directly set up two of the goals. Alexis Sanchez, who now has five goals in his last two league outings, bullied Matteo Darmian into submission, picking up the WhoScored man of the match (9.6) with two goals, three dribbles, four tackles and two aerial duels won. Ozil was also unplayable at the Emirates, contributing a goal and assist to complete a trio of forwards that would have any defence quivering, let alone a backline as usually organised and structured as United’s.

Cech should never be 'rested'

The Arsenal manager was rightly criticised for his decision to rest Petr Cech in their midweek defeat to Olympiacos and the former Chelsea goalkeeper provided a reminder just how important he will be this season. Wenger's No.1 was merely a spectator for the majority of the game, but came up with two huge saves when his services were eventually called upon. United could have returned from the interval trailing by just two goals had it not been for Cech's awareness to shut down the space Anthony Martial have superbly carved himself on the stroke of half-time. He was also equally quick off his line to smoother Schweinsteiger, who found the ball in acres of space from 6 yards out, midway through the second half. Those moments are why Wenger brought Cech in over the summer, illustrated by his WhoScored rating (8.2).

Title Race swings again

Just as United look to take one step forward, it almost always results in a few steps in the other direction. Van Gaal admitted he was “amazed” with the way his team started, in a period that ultimately decided the outcome of the game. United came into the weekend’s fixtures as league leaders for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Structurally, United have been sound this season but they were a mess against Arsenal and now have further questions about what progress they have actually made under the Dutchman. In truth, the defeat was not the end of the world for United, but the manner of it was. Arsenal, on the other hand, will now be considered genuine contenders having dispatched United with such ease. They are now two points behind Manchester City, like United, but even then you sense there is still another slip up around the corner that will undo Wenger’s men and lead to the #WengerOut campaign to come back out the closet.

What were the main talking points from Arsenal's 3-0 win over United? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below