Cunha’s Stunning Strike Shatters Arsenal’s Title Dream as Carrick’s Perfect Record Endures

Well, here’s a twist that no Arsenal fan wanted to see last Sunday — their seven-point cushion at the Premier League summit stumbled after a rollercoaster 3-2 defeat at home, courtesy of a Manchester United squad that refused to back down. Matheus Cunha, stepping in like a secret weapon off the bench, delivered a late knockout blow, proving once again how unpredictable footie can be. You could almost feel the pressure mounting on Mikel Arteta’s side as rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa notched wins, tightening the race and exposing a few uneasy nerves on the pitch. Arsenal’s early luck—starting with an own goal gifted by Lisandro Martinez—wasn’t enough to hold off United’s precision and punishing errors that shifted the momentum decisively. It’s a match packed with drama, errors, and brilliance — all shaping what’s quickly becoming one of the liveliest title chases we’ve seen in ages. LEARN MORE

Arsenal failed to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Matheus Cunha played the role of super sub in Manchester United’s 3-2 win at Emirates Stadium.

Wins for title rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa put the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s team, and they appeared nervous throughout Sunday’s game. Ultimately, they were punished by some masterful finishing from United.

Arsenal did strike first in the 29th minute, albeit in fortuitous fashion as Lisandro Martinez sliced his attempted clearance from Martin Odegaard’s shot into his own net.

However, mistakes crept into Arsenal’s game from there and in the 37th minute, Martin Zubimendi’s ill-advised pass was intercepted by Bryan Mbeumo, who rounded David Raya to score his 50th Premier League goal.

3 – Bryan Mbeumo is the first @ManUtd player to score against Arsenal, Man City & Liverpool in a Premier League season since Marcus Rashford in 2022-23, and first to do so in his debut campaign at the club since Robin van Persie in 2012-13. Primetime. pic.twitter.com/5PdFrzWWe3

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 25, 2026

Patrick Dorgu then put United ahead five minutes into the second half, linking up brilliantly with Fernandes before the ball sat up nicely for him to send a sensational strike swerving off the underside of the crossbar and in.

Arteta made a quadruple change as Arsenal attempted to dial up the pressure, and after Senne Lammens turned Bukayo Saka’s drive wide, the resulting corner led to substitute Mikel Merino prodding home.

It was Cunha that failed to clear Merino’s effort off the line, but he had the final say in the 87th minute, curling a wonderful finish into the bottom-right corner from distance.

While United remain perfect in Michael Carrick’s second spell in charge and climb to fourth in the table, Arsenal’s lead at the summit remains at four points.

2 – Arsenal have conceded 2+ goals from outside the box in a Premier League game for only the second time at the Emirates:

v Spurs, October 2008 (4-4)
v Man Utd, January 2026 (2-3)

Surprised. pic.twitter.com/Ogdtegzfbv

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 25, 2026

Data Debrief: Title nerves leading to Arsenal errors?

Arsenal conceded three goals in a match for the first time since December 2023 (in a 4-3 victory over Luton Town), ending a run of 121 matches in all competitions without conceding more than twice.

The Gunners were expected to take control when they went 1-0 up, but Zubimendi’s error allowed United a foothold, and scorching strikes from Dorgu and Cunha sealed their victory.

Arsenal have now made an error leading to an opposition goal in two of their last four Premier League matches, more than they did in their first 19 games of the campaign.

United, meanwhile, became the first visiting team to score two or more goals from outside the box at Arsenal in the Premier League since Tottenham in October 2008 (Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley), with those matches representing the only instances of the Gunners conceding two such goals at the Emirates.

The Red Devils owed much to their accuracy from range as they fired off 10 shots to Arsenal’s 15, with their 0.73 expected goals (xG) falling short of the Gunners’ 1.2.