Arteta has to offload Arsenal star, who was just as bad as Zvimendi vs Man Utd

The Premier League title cannot be won in January. We haven’t lost in January either. But for Arsenal, this could have been a pivotal weekend in the title race.

They may be top of the league in England and top of the league in Europe, but they have not won their last three league games. They only scored twice. This was their chance to deal the final blow to Manchester City. They haven’t done that.

Manchester United were in town again, buoyed by their win over Arsenal’s title rivals a week ago, this time defeating the Gunners 3-2.

It was the first time in 121 games that Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded three goals in a game. The last time they delivered in such numbers was against Luton Town in December 2023, when they needed a late Declan Rice goal for a 4-3 win at Kenilworth Road.

There was no heroic performance this time. Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium booed the players off the pitch, and perhaps that was justifiable.

The performance lacked creativity and originality. Gary Neville yelled at Arteta to take off the handbrake and tried to do so in the process of making his fourth sub an hour earlier. In the end, Arsenal’s efforts were in vain.

After taking the lead through an own goal, Michael Carrick’s side hit back with a strike from Brian Mbeumo and a stunning goal from Patrick Daugu. Mbeumo pounced on Martin Zvimendi’s terrible mistake, but there was no stopping Dorg’s attack. So was Matheus Cunha’s late winner.

Arsenal thought they had saved a point with Mikel Merino’s goal from a corner kick, but the Brazilian’s curling effort from distance left the Emirates stunned. United are rejuvenated. But Arsenal look down and out. They can be thankful there’s still plenty of football left to play this season.

Martin Zvimendi’s performance against Man United

Since signing from Real Sociedad in the summer, Zvimendi has proven to be a sensational signing by the likes of Andrea Berta.

He quickly became one of the best midfielders not only in the Premier League, but in all of Europe.

His passing range is exceptional, he directs play beautifully and has proven to be a strong partner for the more attacking Declan Rice in the middle of the park.

Just a few weeks ago, Rice said of his colleague: “He was unbelievable. He played a lot of minutes for us, the way he approached the ball, obviously he’s Spain’s No. 6 at the moment and obviously you can see the quality, calmness, composure and mindset that he brings.”

However, against Manchester United, Zvimendi’s performance was unrealistic. He was far from it.

Supporters may recall the moment the Spaniard was stripped when Richarlison scored a long-range screamer against Spurs last year. Well, he had a similar problem against United, but it was worse this time.

Zvimendi received the ball in his own half and tried to put the ball into the front of the goal without any pressure. No one knows who he was targeting. David Raya was nearby, as well as Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba.

The ball didn’t reach anyone. Mbemo cut it out and, with his customary finish, fired it past the goalkeeper and into the empty net.

United had not offered much up until that point, but Zvimendi’s moment of madness opened the door and Carrick’s side took advantage.

It wouldn’t be extreme to think this was the 26-year-old’s worst game in Arsenal colors. Sadly for Arteta, he wasn’t the only one to disappoint on the Emirates flight on Sunday.

Arsenal star was just as bad as Zvimendi vs Man United

Much has been made of Martin Odegaard’s form this season. He was plagued by injuries last season and found the back of the net just three times in the Premier League.

Although he has returned to full fitness this term, his performances once again leave something to be desired. The club captain’s performance against the Red Devils showed not only his own struggles, but those of his team as well.

Odegaard has often been criticized for lacking the will and purpose to play. Sure, he has incredible vision, but he gets bullied and pushed around too often and is too afraid to play dangerous passes.

That was evident against United. The Norwegian was sent off after 58 minutes after completing a dismal 67% of his passes, his worst performance so far in the 2025/26 season.

Many of his numbers paint an ugly picture. He won only two of his five duels, failed to provide a single significant pass or cross, and failed in his only dribble attempt. To make matters worse, he had just 27 touches, 11 fewer than Raya between the sticks.

As the Standard’s Matt Veli wrote in his post-match review, Arsenal “need more from their captain” after another “anonymous” performance in an important match.

Eberechi Eze goes in and out after scoring. that Despite scoring a hat-trick against Tottenham, he has not played a single minute in the Premier League in the last month.

But now is the time to be more creative. The time has come for someone who has a little more confidence in his own play to join the team. The fact that Arsenal captain Odegaard was sent off with less than an hour remaining is a damning indictment of his current form.

He will have to be off next weekend’s game against Leeds.