Arsenal, nicknamed "The Gunners," faced various crucial moments and challenges in a key match of the 23rd round of the 2025/26 Premier League season, ultimately losing 2-3 to Manchester United. Despite the defeat, Arteta believes that a positive attitude will help the team achieve outstanding results in the future.

In the 28th minute, Odegaard received a lobbed pass from Saka and fired a shot that deflected off Lisandro's foot and into the net, giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead. In the 37th minute, Mbomo intercepted the ball and slotted it home to equalize for Manchester United at 1-1.

In the 50th minute of the second half, Patrick Dougher received a pass from Bruno Fernandes and scored, giving Manchester United a 2-1 lead over Arsenal. In the 84th minute, Merino scored in a goalmouth scramble, leveling the score at 2-2 for Arsenal.

Just three minutes later, Kobe Menu passed the ball to Cunha, who then scored with a long-range shot. Ultimately, Arsenal lost 2-3 to Manchester United at home. After suffering their third defeat of the season, Arsenal currently sits atop the league table with 50 points, four points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, "First of all, congratulations to Manchester United on their victory. It was a game decided by moments, that's how I would define it. For the first 30 minutes, we completely dominated the areas where we wanted to score, and besides the goal, we had two other excellent chances that could have extended our lead. But then we conceded a very unusual goal, which gave the opponent hope and changed the energy and momentum of the game. In a game of this level, we didn't meet the standard we should have, especially in some very simple ball handling."

“We hesitated a bit at the start of the second half and then conceded another goal. When it comes to what we call a magic moment, Patrick Dogu’s performance was an incredible one. We quickly adjusted and tried to change the game and score in different ways. When the score was 2-2, we could immediately feel the game reignite, the energy and belief were changing, and we regained the upper hand.”

Arteta pointed out, "But in the subsequent attack, Maduk had a one-on-one opportunity in the penalty area and had a chance to create a threat. But then the ball went out of bounds, the opponent took the goal kick, they quickly tightened their formation, and through long passes and combinations, Cunha put the ball into the net in a magical moment, that was very fatal. After that, it was difficult for us to respond quickly, because that kind of blow was very heavy."

“In some ways, we could have done better, but more importantly, we need to stick together. These great players have brought us joy almost every three days over the past seven months and fought hard in all competitions to get us to where we are today. So we must make sure that the importance of these achievements far outweighs the pain of this defeat.”

Furthermore, Arteta stated, "In the title race, it's impossible for a team to avoid losses and draws; the key is how they respond. Now, we have another opportunity, and the best way is always on the pitch. In a few days, we will be playing in the Champions League again."

"As long as everyone, including the coaching staff, myself, the players, and especially our fans, is surrounded by positive energy, we will play more freely and smoothly, and we will definitely continue to win many games."

Image source: Internet