Arsenal rang in the new year by giving boss Mikel Arteta his first victory as lacklustre Manchester United crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Arteta had watched Arsenal take only one point from his first two matches, with last weekend’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea especially painful after the Blues scored twice in the final minutes.
But Arsenal had played well for long periods in that London derby and they produced an even more sparkling display to put United to the sword at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners took the lead in the eighth minute when Sead Kolasinac’s cross ran through to Nicolas Pepe at the far post and the Ivory Coast winger beat David De Gea from close-range.
Arsenal, who last won in the league at West Ham on December 9, got a deserved second goal in the 43rd minute when De Gea kept out Alexandre Lacazette’s flick and Sokratis reacted quickest to lash home.
Arteta’s team are nine points adrift of the top four, but their second win in 16 matches in all competitions offers hope of a brighter future under the former Arsenal midfielder’s management.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Arsenal’s win against Manchester United on Wednesday:
Great start of the year. Let’s keep improving together #alltogether #arsenal 2-0 #arsenalvsmanutd pic.twitter.com/PWvqTSyMMm
— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) January 1, 2020
TOGETHER. 👊#WeAreTheArsenal 🔴 pic.twitter.com/JcBvMKX3ZO
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 2, 2020
That winnin' feeling 🙌🏼😀 #letskeepthisgoing #YaGunnersYa #M1Ö @arsenal pic.twitter.com/spMq7dx0BR
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) January 1, 2020
Mikel Arteta: "We need the fans big time." #AFC #Arsenal pic.twitter.com/153gemtqHw
— AFCMikel (@AFCPW) January 1, 2020
The way Aubameyang's put a shift in the last two games has been incredible. I've never seen him work this hard for Arsenal in a long time, and that can be said for the rest of our players. Arteta has really got our players working, and it's great to see.
— WorldwideArsenal™ (@WorldwideAFC) January 1, 2020
Pepe: "I had a discussion with the coach this morning & he told me I was going to start & asked if I felt ready. I told him I felt ready. I showed tonight I was ready. As well, today its my mother’s birthday, I scored today, so its only positive for me & the team" #Arsenal pic.twitter.com/DJZUBljumg
— Gurjit (@GurjitAFC) January 2, 2020
A moment he'll never forget 😍
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 2, 2020
👔 @m8arteta celebrates his first win as head coach of The Arsenal#ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/W81pJVL5LD
Leadership and Accountability written all over this post match reaction. Arteta is at the wheel ❤️ Proud to be a Gooner tonight #ARSMUN @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/BPWm0kGX5r
— Le African Gooner (@leafricangooner) January 1, 2020
I find Mikel Arteta quite impressive in the way he holds himself and speaks. A bit more reserved than Frank (maybe down to not being native English speaker) but he ideology might prove to be perfect for Arsenal.
— 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒 (@ChelseaYannick) January 2, 2020
Smart appointment?
I want Solskjær to be given a fair chance at United, but admittedly it’s a worry that within a matter of weeks Arteta’s Arsenal were already able to outwit us with such ease. Ole seems to be persisting with players who’ve hardly had a decent game during his year managing the club
— Jonathan Shrager (@JonathanShrager) January 1, 2020
RVP is right. Solskjaer CANNOT be coming out of a loss to a rival like Arsenal smiling and happy. And picking Lingard today was up there with Jose playing McTominay at CB at West Ham. Hard to see how much longer he'll last
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) January 1, 2020
"Arsenal were really sharp - they were brighter than us."#MOTD pic.twitter.com/mEDZ3WRfzm
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 1, 2020
