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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Arsenal v Manchester United, Premier League

Two of the Premier League’s heavyweights met in north London this afternoon.

By now, that groove on the couch should be coming along nicely and you should be making a dent in that pack of biscuits. This is one of those Sundays best spent with your feet up.

You may have watched Liverpool’s game at Goodison Park and the FAI Cup semi-final and now attention turns to north London for this traditionally great Premier League clashes: Arsenal v Man Utd.

Then of course, we have the rugby, the NFL, der Klassiker, the Madrid Derby and Le Classique. What a time to be alive.

Let’s have those teams then. Cech has been recalled after David Ospina’s midweek antics, as expected, while Tony Marshall — as the Stretford End have christened him — leads the lien for the vistors.

Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez; Walcott.

Subs: Ospina, Debuchy, Gibbs, Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chambers, Campbell.

Manchester United: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Blind, Darmian; Carrick, Schweinsteiger; Mata, Rooney, Depay; Martial.

Subs: Jones, Wilson, Romero, Valencia, Fellaini, McNair, Schneiderlin.

Referee: A Taylor.

Let’s have those predictions then? Will Man Utd leapfrog City again this evening or can Arsene Wenger ease the pressure with a home win?

Louis van Gaal has been talking about claims that his side’s playing style isn’t particularly attractive at the moment: ”No, it doesn’t bother me when people say we are boring. Because I think we are in transition.

“I have asked for three years. We communicated that when I presented myself, so everybody knows it is like that. Everybody sees the progression we have developed already. At all of my clubs, I have had bad matches and fantastic matches, so it’s a part of football.”

LVG and Arsene Wenger have just been chatting to Sky but neither gave much away. ‘We come to win,’ says Van Gaal.

And we’re off. Arsenal play from left to right, in — as they say– they’re familiar red and white strip.  We may have a lot or rugby-watching The42 fans dipping in to keep track of the football, so let’s all try to get along.

The Gunners start well; they  win a corner through good Sánchez work, with Rooney defending. They look up for this, as do the Emirates crowd.

GOAL! Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0 Alexis Sanchez

GOAL! Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0 Ozil 7 minutes

This is nuts.

First Sanchez scores with a Zola-like backheel at the front post. Then, moments later, Walcott cuts into the box and lays the ball back for Ozil who places it beyond De Gea, who didn’t budge.

United are all over the place!

Been there:

This is the position from which Sanchez flicked that ball in. David de Gea bought everything that the Chilean was sellling.

IMG_0407

Good news for my Fantasy Football team, you’ll be glad to hear. Andre Ayew has opened the scoring for Swansea against Spurs.

GOAL! Arsenal 3 Man Utd 0, Sanchez 19 minutes

Sanchez might have had a relatively slow start to his season until last week’s treble but he’s looking red hot now.

Arsenal have three inside 20 minutes and the Chilean forward has two. His second was a rasper form outside the box into the top corner. This could be a mad score.

Ashley Young has been booked for diving in and he looks well out of his depth at left back.

Van Gaal really needs to look to his bench now or at least shuffle the players he has on the pitch. They look massively exposes, to state the obvious.

United have at last found some rhythm and Arsenal are sitting back a bit. They really don’t need to do much now and could still pick off a few more goals.

In Swansea meanwhile, Christian Eriksen has equalised for Spurs.

Matteo Darmian may be the Italian Dinny Irwin but he’s not having a good day out in London.

He’s been booked, joining his fellow full back Ashley Young, in the referee’s notebook.

https://vine.co/v/OdUM9m6zpJb

Oooh! That could’ve — and probably should have — been four.

Sanchez clipped a lovely ball to the back post but Aaron Ramsey side footed it wide rather than drill it home with his laces.

In the other game, Harry Kane has scored but it’s in the wrong goal; Swansea lead 2-1.

Schweinsteiger gets mugged by Walcott of all people in the centre of the park. That sums it up.

Soccer - Barclays Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium Mesut Ozil scores Arsenal's second goal at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon. PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

Don’t forget the rugby’s about to kick off over here. There might be a few Man Utd fans more interested in that than another 45 minutes of this, admittedly.

Petr Cech makes a good save from Anthony Martial who turned on the penalty spot and shot tamely enough.

That would’ve been really important going in at half-time.

Half-time! Arsenal 3 Man Utd 0 

We’re back up and running at the Emirates and Van Gaal has responded.

Depay and Darmian are off, Fellaini and Valencia have come on. Let’s see how that works out.

Arsenal are the only team in Premier League history to have lost a four-goal lead. Remember that Newcastle game?

Michael Carrick is booked for taking down Aaron Ramsey and we might see Morgan Schneiderlin introduced at some stage. Ozil pings the free kick off the wall and then drills the rebound behind via a deflection.

As I type, Rooney is the latest to pick up a yellow card for a cynical push on the German playmaker.

Very half-hearted shouts for a peno form United fans and players. Ramsey got the ball caught under his feet and he has his pocket picked by Carrick. He feed Anthony Martial and the Frenchman drives goalwards before the ball gets away from him and he ends up on his backside.

No way was that a spotter.

Soccer - Barclays Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium Arsenal and Manchester United fans protest outside the ground at the price of match day tickets before the game. PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

The game in Swansea looks a good one. Eriksen has scored his second of the day to level it up.

What a chance that was for Schweini! The ball was played in diagonally on the ground. Rooney and Mata dummied it and it fell to the German in front of Cech but he couldn’t control it.

This game is no craic at the moment it must be said.

United are knocking at the door and if they can get one back we might have an enjoyable last 20 minutes.

Ozil has a shot at goal from the edge of the box after a crisp Monreal pass from the flank. The former Real Madrid man drives it at De Gea however.

Olivier Giroud is on for Walcott and the Ox replaces Ozil. Job well done there.

Kieran Gibbs has been introduced for Alexis Sanchez, who has earned himself a massive ovation form the home support.

James Wilson is on for Juan Mata, who won’t have much to Instagram about tonight.

Giroud should have made his mark on the game there. Oxlade-Chamberlain squared for the French striker on the edge of the box, but Giroud shot straight at De Gea.

Roy Hodgson gets to sit next to Liamo for the afternoon:

IMG_0408

There will be two minutes of added time.

Off the bar! The Ox was played in, he lifted the ball over De Gea and it rebounds off the woodwork.

Full-time! Arsenal 3 Man Utd 0

Arsenal leapfrog Arsenal and the complexion of these sides’ respective seasons looks a lot different now.

What did you make of that?

Thanks for your company; we’ll have more from this game throughout the evening of course.

LIVE: Everton v Liverpool, Premier League

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