The first at home loss this season for Arsenal has me wondering if it could be the beginning of the end for them this season? Their home match against historic rivals Manchester United resulted in a 3-2 loss, dropping points when Manchester City follow them close behind.

Is this match the first of many to inevitably lose them the title, and does it signify why Arsenal will always be known as ‘Bottle Jobs’?

Arsenal, top of the table as of January 29th, have been undefeated in all but one of their first twelve home fixtures, falling short only to Manchester United who sat fifteen points behind them.

Going into the match, Arsenal were clear favourites and in the first thirty minutes of the game proved that, with unwavering energy, chemistry, and securing the lead after only twenty-nine minutes. However, their lead didn’t last, with Martin Zubimendi gifting Bryan Mbeumo the ball in the box, allowing him to easily pass it through David Raya.

Then five minutes into the second half, abysmal defending by Arsenal’s back line and a powerful strike by Patrick Dorgu into net from off the crossbar put them ahead. A desperate Arteta tried to restore order and control with a quadruple change in the fifty-eighth minute, which did admittedly allow Mikel Merino to slot the ball into the net after an infamous Arsenal corner. Yet the equaliser only lasted three minutes before substitute Matheus Cunha hammered the ball into the net from about twenty-five yards out, winning Manchester United the game.

The previous United manager, Ruben Amorim’s sacking after reportedly ‘receiving feedback badly’ from his Director of Football Jason Wilcox, drawing 1-1 to Wolves and Leeds, and publicly ranting against club bosses.

With 10 managers in 13 years since the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson, the future of Manchester United is once again uncertain. And with Amorim’s overall win percentage across all competitions from November 2024 to January 2026 being 38.1%, it isn’t exactly surprising.

So why did this team that beat the seemingly strong and dominating Arsenal on their home turf? This broken, managerless squad does not strike me as the sort of team that the Premier League and the Champions League frontrunners no less, should have been threatened by.

Does this prove that Arsenal, when it matters, cannot perform and win even against teams that they are strong favourites against? We have seen this story play out year after year despite Arteta claiming to be “competing for the top trophies of the game”.

As a Gunner myself I have to ask; is it Arsenal at fault, or is it Arteta? It has been six years since Arsenal’s last major trophy and after coming second in the Premier League for three years in a row perhaps this loss against Manchester United hints at a fourth.

Ultimately, when it matters most, Arsenal are inevitably doomed to crumble under the pressure and ‘bottle’ the league.

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