HAVING opened their season with five straight wins, Arsenal went to Old Trafford last September with the media tentatively tipping them for a title challenge. This was considered the first real test of their credentials.

A 3-1 defeat saw the doubters roll their eyes and claim little had changed for a side long perceived to have a soft underbelly, but the manner in which the Gunners responded to their setback was revealing.

First Tottenham were bested in a North London Derby, and impressively so, before Liverpool succumbed at the Emirates, and we all know where this mixture of resilience, solid shaping and attacking fluidity has taken Mikel Arteta’s side. They are presently eight points clear at the top and in the best collective form of their lives.

Over 2.5 shots by Eddie Nketiah vs United is a solid shout at 49/50

Still, it is pertinent to revisit their only loss of the season to date, not least because this weekend United – themselves on a vertigo-inducing upward curve – head to the capital for the most keenly awaited Premier League clash of 2023 so far.

That Erik Ten Hag was content to cede much of the possession to their opponents last autumn says a great deal, the Reds ultimately seeing 11% less of the ball to their seasonal average at home.

Instead, traps were laid with the Reds hitting on the counter, and with Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen instrumental throughout, the pace of Rashford, Sancho and Antony proved decisive, found via quick, precise passes. On the night, a debut goal for Antony grabbed the headlines but it was a brace for Marcus Rashford – his first double for nearly two years – that was the biggest indicator of what was to come under the Dutchman. Should he be fit and available on Sunday, the rejuvenated forward is an obvious threat to the Gunners, scoring eight in seven post-Qatar.

Rashford is 13/5 to extend his streak but it’s Antony who offers the best value in the goal-scoring market, the Brazilian impressing in the derby. He is 22/5 to notch anytime

So will Ten Hag seek to counter again at the weekend? It’s highly pertinent that United have bagged seven using the strategy this term, which is three more than any other side. It’s also pertinent however who is second on the list. That would be Arsenal.

Yet there was certainly no evidence of Arsenal rope-a-doping at Old Trafford. Indeed, their open adventure led to charges of naivety and it was intriguing to hear what Arteta said after the game, insisting that a ‘big lesson’ had been learnt, declining to elaborate further.

Whatever that lesson was, the Gunners have gained a footballing doctorate from it, immediately reclaiming momentum, and going 12 unbeaten to this juncture. They have scored 2.3 goals-per-90, a ratio maintained even in recent weeks, despite the stakes getting ever-higher and unquestionably this has been the most notable aspect to their remarkable rise, an ability to handle the greater expectation. In beating Spurs last Sunday, Arsenal were as controlled, and confident, and rhythmic as they were in the first few weeks of the campaign and those waiting to say ‘I told you so’ may be advised to make up a flask and get comfy.

They’re not going anywhere. Not for the foreseeable, at least.

The Gunners have averaged 4.6 corners per game against the ‘top six’ this term. Under 5.5 corners at 19/20 therefore is tempting

It is a trajectory mirrored to a large extent by United, who also got the better of a neighbour this week, a defining victory that means they have lost just one from their previous 19 outings.

It is a transformation that has inevitably resulted in hyperbole, and rightfully led to key players being lauded, and maybe amidst all of the excitement an important detail has been overlooked in that United are fantastic front-runners.

On 12 occasions they have fashioned a lead this season, winning each and every game and what really fascinates here is that Arsenal are also formidably decent at sustaining an advantage.

For their part, Arteta’s men have gone in front 16 times, only drawing once, and winning the rest.

It is a crucial factor therefore who scores first and though, granted, this is always a crucial factor, it is especially true this weekend.

The hosts are 7/5 to be ahead at half-time

Elsewhere, United’s impervious defence has been mentioned in dispatches but in terms of column inches it pales to the praise reserved for Casemiro and Rashford and perhaps this is unfair given their vital role in the team’s development.

Last Sunday, a brilliantly organized back-four restricted Manchester City – Erling Haaland and all – to just a single shot on target and though they may be the only side to ever concede to a Jack Grealish header, the bigger picture still shows 11 clean sheets in their last 18 ahead of their visit to Selhurst Park midweek. That is a fine return.

And yet, for all the positivity, a potential weakness nags away. Because only four teams have been breached more often in first halves this season, and with Arsenal scoring once or more in 66.6% of their fixtures before the break in 2022/23, we are reminded of how critical the first goal will be.

That alone is what separates these two free-flowing, high-flying sides. That alone is why Arsenal should be backed to quieten their doubters for another week.

No doubt tasked with shackling Odegaard, back Fred to commit over 1.5 fouls at 19/20