Arsenal will be hoping for a repeat of their reverse fixture against Manchester United when they lock horns on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Mikel Arteta’s side left it late and scored two stoppage-time goals – Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus – to down their old rivals in September.
Fast forward to the present and all the pressure is on Arsenal as they push to win the Premier League title.
By the time they kick off, Manchester City would have already played Fulham, so they could be top and turning up the pressure levels.
When you look at the Arsenal squad, there are players across the board that Manchester United fans would just dream of having.
Their ice-cool centre-back William Saliba, starboy Bukayo Saka, midfield machine Declan Rice and captain fantastic Martin Odegaard, just to name a few.
All are key reasons why the London club, for the second season running, are pushing Pep Guardiola’s side to the limit.
One man who Owen Hargreaves thinks is playing beyond his limit is Rice following his club-record transfer in the summer.
The former Bayern Munich player has labelled the 25-year-old as ‘world-class’ and someone who is ‘maximising the attributes he has’, as he told Premier League Productions (06/05/24 at 5:50 pm).
Many would argue that if it wasn’t for Rice, then this title race would already be celebrated by Manchester City because he has taken his team up a level.
Declan Rice’s ability
‘A world-class number six,” said Hargreaves. “They seem to have him as a number eight because of Jorginho and Partey in there. We are seeing goals and assists. At West Ham, he was way deeper.
“But I think in this Arsenal team that are so dominant, we are getting to see his physical traits and how he can get box-to-box. He has been one of the signings of the season. He cost them £100 million.
“I don’t think people realise Declan is as good as a finisher as he has been this season. Look at the fact that he is all the way back there. It’s quite amazing really and how quickly he gets up the pitch – I think Declan has done an amazing job in maximising the attributes that he has because he is smart. Declan gives you everything. Goals, assists and leadership. He has everything.”
Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United
In years gone by, when Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson were in charge, this was the fixture.
These top-of-the-table matches would always be hard-hitting, aggressive, passionate and full of high quality.
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Unfortunately, only one side can bring the quality to the table now and this Sunday’s game should be a walk in the park for Arsenal.
Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday night is a prime example of how this scoreline could get messy if the away team scores early.