Sheffield United defeated Arsenal one-nil at Bramall Lane, moving the side up to 9th in the Premier League table. The Gunners move back to 5th instead of hopping back into third.
Here are 5 things we took away from the Monday night matchup.
1. Chris Wilder is a top coach
Chris Wilder has earned 79 league victories since becoming Sheffield United manager in May 2016. Only Jurgen Klopp (81) and Pep Guardiola (93) have more.
His United, Sheffield United, is the best in the Premier League right now, outperforming the giants Manchester United and West Ham.
Respect.
2. Unai Emery refuses to play his best team
“We didn’t deserve to lose. We deserved more,” said Unai Emery after tonight’s match. If so, the Spaniard ought to think about fielding players that create more scoring opportunities.
Emery once again left playmaker Mesut Ozil at home while Ceballos, Kieran Tierney, Torreira and Lacazatte all started the game on the bench. Bellerin was declared unfit although he played against Crystal Palace last Thursday.
Emery has yet to paint a consistent identity for the club for the past 15 months. And his refusal to play his best players, along with his fickle tactics, is odd.
How much more time does Emery deserve?
3. Ozil is still an outcast
Mesut Ozil was once again a noticeable omission from Emery’s squad in tonight’s match. While the 31-year-old German playmaker is known for his mercurial play on the pitch, dropping him entirely is starting to look way foolish.
20-year-old Joe Willock appears to have a bright future but playing him at the number 10 over the experienced Ozil makes little sense.
4. Arsenal have never won at Bramall Lane
It doesn’t matter which decade the game is played in, Arsenal have never won a match under the lights at Bramall Lane.
- September 1992: 1-1
- April 1994: 1-1
- December 2006: 1-0
- October 2019: 1-0
The Blades move three points behind the Gunners after their impressive win.
While Arsenal may have expected Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to bail them out of a torrid performance, Even expect Auabrayanetm to bail ARsenal out.
5. Nicolas Pepe needs to do a lot better
Sure, Nicolas Pepe was one of the bright points on the pitch against Sheffield United. And perhaps Emery should’ve left him in instead of going defensive.
But Pepe’s inability to finish — evinced with the missed sitter in the 20th minute — is becoming a theme on a weekly basis and it’s costing Arsenal points.
Arsenal’s most expensive transfer ever has yet to score a goal from active play in 638 minutes played. Ouch.
