Man Utd won 3-2 against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday thanks to a late winner from Matheus Cunha.
Martin Odegaard emerged to speak to a handful of Arsenal correspondents after his side’s defeat. The general line of questioning was about whether the Gunners would bottle the Premier League title again.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe appeared from a lift shortly after Odegaard had spoken. The United co-owner was beaming as he walked into the dressing room area alongside Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.
Ratcliffe spoke to Michael Carrick, and then he disappeared back up the lift with the Ineos delegation. When he emerged again to leave the stadium, he was asked if he could speak to reporters. “No, no, no,” he said before adding, “just get the smile” and gesturing that his lips were sealed.
FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page
The British billionaire was asked whether he was happy with the result, and he responded: “Very, yeah.” Lisandro Martinez was walking a few yards behind Ratcliffe, and was given a warm embrace by Josh Thompson, an Ineos staffer who has worked at United since their investment into the club.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro strolled through together. A Portuguese-speaking journalist pleaded with the pair to speak, and Fernandes explained why they had declined to do so in his mother tongue.
Patrick Dorgu scored a stunning goal to fire United into a 2-1 lead at the Emirates. He came off in discomfort with nine minutes remaining, and Michael Carrick said in his press conference that Dorgu had suffered from cramp, but the in-form Denmark international left the stadium with a limp.
When Dorgu was asked how his injury was, he said: “We’ll see.” The 21-year-old’s confidence is flowing after an impressive few weeks in a United shirt, and fans will be hoping he was substituted due to cramp, as Carrick suggested, not because he’d picked up a knock.
Jonathan Woodgate chatted to a reporter who he recognised from his Real Madrid days, while Steve Holland took a minute to pause and check his phone before getting on the team bus.
A few minutes earlier, Arsenal defender Ben White had left the Emirates. White has not played for the Three Lions since his withdrawal from the England squad at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when Holland reportedly said that White, who does not watch football, wasn’t interested enough in the game.
Gareth Southgate insisted there had never been an issue, and White’s withdrawal from the England squad was put down to “personal reasons.” It would have been interesting if their exits from the Emirates had coincided, though. It feels most likely that there would have been no acknowledgement.
Holland lives and breathes football. He arrived at Carrington with bags of experience, and wins against Manchester City and Arsenal confirm he was a shrewd addition to Carrick’s backroom staff.
United’s communications department has undergone a recent change, leaving the head of football communications overstretched on matchdays over the last month. A new staff member is set to arrive, but the head of football communications has essentially been left to deal with the media on their own.
They were pushed for time to bring a player out to Manchester-correspondents in the mixed zone, to accompany players doing interviews with rights holders, and Michael Carrick at the press conference, but there is a ‘proper’ mixed zone at the Emirates, which means players must walk past journalists to leave.
That means there is a chance a player will stop. Senne Lammens was happy to oblige, and he spoke for three minutes, reacting to the result and discussing the impact of Carrick so far.
Lammens also took time to chat after the win at Anfield in October. He is mature beyond his years and speaks well. “It’s something I really look forward to – these big away games,” he smiled.
There was no comment from Gunnersaurus Rex, Arsenal’s mascot, when asked whether he could front up about his team’s performance. It’s starting to feel like Arsenal last won the title when dinosaurs roamed the land.
A disagreement erupted between two Arsenal fans beside the press box shortly after Dorgu’s goal. The club’s stewards were called to the incident, and the pair were prevented from exchanging blows.
The pair began to argue again when Matheus Cunha scored the match-winner. There were further signs of discontent after the final whistle when fans huddled outside the stadium to record reaction for AFTV.
AFTV is a well-known, fan-led Arsenal YouTube channel. The channel’s popularity soared during the final years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure, with personalities giving unfiltered – and often exaggerated – opinions.
The Gunners were heavy favourites to win, but United caused an upset. The meltdown in the stands and outside the ground showed how much the defeat hurt their supporters.
There were chants of “he’s Carrick, you know, you’ll never believe he’s not Scholes,” when arriving at London King’s Cross to begin the return journey to Manchester.
United returned to Carrington by coach, and the four-hour drive up the M6 should have gone quickly thanks to the result. Amad passed the time by tweeting an Arsenal fan from his official X account. “Your only hope are corners, be humble KID,” he wrote alongside laughing faces.
However, Carrick will not get carried away and he was back at Carrington on Monday, despite the players having been given a day off. The coaching staff’s attention has already turned to Fulham this weekend.
Read more on Manchester Evening News
