LONDON – Arsenal stepped up their pursuit of Premier League leaders Liverpool by securing a 2-0 win over Manchester United at the Emirates on Wednesday, once again demonstrating their unparalleled ability to score from set pieces.

Second-half goals from Jurriën Timber and William Saliba, both from corners, gave the Gunners a comfortable win and handed United manager Ruben Amorim their first defeat since taking over at Old Trafford last month.

While Liverpool lost two points after a dramatic 3-3 draw against Newcastle St. James’ Park, Arsenal reduced the gap between themselves and Arne Slot’s team to seven points with their win against United.

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First defeat for Amorim but Man United are showing progress

Amorim warned that a “storm” was coming ahead of Manchester United’s visit to Arsenal. The new United manager arrived at the Emirates unbeaten in three games since arriving last month, but defeat against Arsenal ended that flawless start.

Amorim said he expects United to go through a difficult period and that could come with a series of games in which his side face Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle before the end of the month. But although United were soundly beaten by the Gunners in the end, the players showed enough to suggest that Amorim’s influence was starting to take effect.

First of all, United played with purpose for most of this game and had a clear plan of what was expected of them. Amorim and his coaches have clearly trained the players on the training ground and the back three looks convincing and in midfield, captain Bruno Fernandes seems to be a solution in a deeper role. Mason Mount brought energy and tactical sense to his position further forward and Leny Yoro’s appearance as a second-half substitute was the French teenager’s first competitive appearance since arriving from Lille in the summer following a lengthy layoff with a foot injury.

However, the manner of United’s defeat – conceding two goals from two corners – and the way his team ran out of steam towards the end of the game will be a cause for concern. Amorim has already addressed the need to improve the team’s physical condition and that is a task that still needs to be done. But there are signs of progress. Amorim gives all his players the chance to succeed in their United careers and he sees them win and now lose, which will help him learn more about their abilities.

When United return to the Emirates for the third round of the FA Cup in January, expect the team to be even better and more likely to achieve a positive result. – Mark Ogden

Arsenal reduced Liverpool’s lead

Gunners coach Mikel Arteta warned Liverpool last week that a big lead at the top of the table was no guarantee of anything.

A 3-3 draw at Newcastle does not represent a defeat for Liverpool, but it did provide an opportunity for their pursuers to extend their nine-point lead. Chelsea and Manchester City did so in the slightly earlier kick-offs with wins against Southampton and Nottingham Forest respectively, increasing the pressure on the Gunners to follow suit.

They were just celebrating those victories when Timber opened the scoring in the 54th minute at the Emirates Stadium, noticeably calming the nerves in the stands after United had stifled their opponents well in the first half.

Arsenal held their nerve despite a first 45 minutes in which they never really got going and Arteta will be pleased with the maturity his team showed in keeping their composure and making the breakthrough. From the moment they took the lead, United never seriously threatened except for Matthijs De Ligt’s header in the 67th minute and after Saliba’s goal six minutes later, the Gunners were forced to eke out a relatively comfortable win, which boosted their confidence against Liverpool will strengthen can be caught.

A winnable run of league games awaits you between now and the new year: Fulham away, Everton at home, Crystal Palace away and Ipswich at home. Maximum points would put further pressure on Liverpool. –James Olley

Amorim gives Man United energy from the touchline

Manchester United’s new head coach is a bundle of energy on the touchline, and his passion and drive are rubbing off on his new team.

Erik ten Hag’s successor coached, berated and constantly berated his players from the technical area, with left-back Tyrell Malacia virtually receiving a one-on-one personal coaching session in the first half as he tried to get to grips with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.

Amorim organized his players, asked them to be more compact as a defensive unit and also urged them to attack Arsenal faster on the counterattack. His frustration also became evident whenever an attack failed because his strikers – usually Alejandro Garnacho – retreated and failed to act more directly.

Amorim’s actions on the touchline are reminiscent of Jürgen Klopp, even if he is not quite as critical of the officials as the former Liverpool coach. But compared to Ten Hag, who often stood motionless on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, Amorim is a much more animated character, and his players feed off this, knowing they will have to make an effort to please their new boss impress. –Ogden

No Gabriel, no problem from set pieces for Arsenal

When Thomas Partey embarrassingly botched a close-range header off the post in the eighth minute, it was tempting to speculate how much Arsenal would miss out on their biggest set-piece threat.

They scored 32 goals from dead balls in the Premier League last season – a league high – and the figure from corners is even higher. No Premier League team has scored more goals from corners than Arsenal’s 22 since the start of last season, and in the last three years no defender has scored more than Gabriel’s 15 goals.

In a reminder of the Brazilian’s continued threat, he scored in Arsenal’s last two games before missing out here with a hamstring injury – against Sporting CP in the Champions League last week and then the opening goal in the 5-2 win over West Ham on Saturday. Instrumental in this corner routine at the London Stadium was Timber, whose gentle push at the post by Lucas Paquetá allowed Gabriel to meet Bukayo Saka’s shot.

This time Timber got the decisive touch himself after a corner from Declan Rice and scored his first goal for the Gunners. They were back at it in the 73rd minute. Saka’s shot at the far post hit Partey unmarked and this time his header across goal hit Saliba and flew into the goal.

Arteta celebrated both goals with Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover – a familiar sight these days and Arsenal’s unparalleled dead-ball prowess tipped another contest in his favour. – Olley