Winners and losers as Man Utd end Arsenal's perfect start in brutal style

Arsenal's perfect start to the season came to a brutal halt as they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday evening.

Having won their first five games of the campaign thus far, they came unstuck at Old Trafford as a Marcus Rashford brace as well as a debut goal from former Ajax star Antony saw the Gunners drop their first points of the season.

In the meantime, the result saw Man Utd continue their impressive turnaround under Erik ten Hag as they notch their fourth consecutive win following their horrendous start to the season. Here are Mirror Football's winners and losers from what was an encapsulating showdown.

Winners

Antony

It is fair to say that there was plenty of expectation placed on Antony's shoulders after he completed his £86m move to Old Trafford and that only cranked up when he was selected to make a debut against Arsenal.

He instantly became a Stretford End hero as he polished off a swift move to score with a cool, left-footed finish. He lasted just under an hour before being replaced by fellow forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is certainly a promising start for the Brazilian as a Man Utd player and he will no doubt be keen to build on his bright debut as he attempts to repay the considerable fee that the Red Devils have forked out for his services.

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Marcus Rashford

Following a tricky season last time out in which he scored just five goals in all competitions, Rashford really needed to show a reaction under Ten Hag. He has done that and potentially more.

His assist for Jadon Sancho against Leicester last time out was followed by another for debutant Antony for United's opening strike. He then went from provider to scorer as he got on the end of Bruno Fernandes ' clever ball to slot past Aaron Ramsdale. The England man then doubled his afternoon's work by rounding off another break.

Tasked with replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at the sharp end of United's attack, Rashford is certainly in the best form and confidence in which to do that.

Christian Eriksen

Whilst Rashford's outing against Arsenal saw him bolster his own personal statistics, Danish playmaker Eriksen went about his business in somewhat more quiet circumstances.

Much like his outing against Leicester, the former Spurs man represented an excellent option in the heart of the United midfield. He had the most touches of the ball, the most successful passes and indeed created the most chances of all of his teammates.

His display was so impressive that he was named Gary Neville's man-of-the-match. His gamble to move to Old Trafford despite the presence of Fernandes looks to be a master-stroke.

Losers

Ben White

Looking specifically at the Arsenal line-up, the man who struggled the most was Ben White. A more orthodox central defender, the former Brighton and Leeds star was deployed on the right-side of Arsenal's backline.

That decision appears to have paid off so far this season with William Saliba in stunning form but White had a tricky evening at Old Trafford. He dropped off far too often when United countered, whilst he also struggled to get back to halt Rashford for both of his goals. The 24-year-old was also non-existent on an attacking front.

He was replaced late on by Takehiro Tomiyasu so it will be interesting to see if White stays in the side for their Europa League opener against FC Zurich on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta

The Arsenal boss has justifiably earned plaudits for the Gunners' start to the season having led the North Londoners to five consecutive victories and top of the table. Whilst one defeat does not take away from the exhilarating start, Arteta 's decisions certainly contributed to their reverse at Old Trafford.

Less than ten minutes after his side had gone 2-1 down, the Spaniard elected to make three substitutions with Fabio Vieira, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe all being introduced. That appeared to be a naive decision and left Arsenal far too susceptible to conceding another goal.

That is exactly what happened as less than a minute later Rashford rounded off the scoring with his second of the game. Whether Arteta regrets the triple substitution remains to be seen but it was certainly a contributing factor to the loss.

VAR

It goes without saying that it has not been a good weekend for VAR - or more specifically the officials utilising the technology. The questionable decisions started at St James' Park and Stamford Bridge as the likes of Newcastle United and West Ham were denied crucial goals.

That theme continued at Old Trafford as Arsenal were denied an opener at Old Trafford as Gabriel Martinelli tucked home. However, VAR intervened to rule out the strike due to a Martin Odegaard foul on Eriksen earlier in the move.

Whilst the decision was technically correct, the vitriol built-up against the system over the weekend coupled with another borderline call sees its legitimacy in the Premier League called into question.

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