Manchester United vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Leandro Trossard goal earns crucial victory for Gunners

Erik ten Hag has admitted that the FA Cup final at the end of May is on his mind but insists that he has been preparing his team to win today’s match against Arsenal.

He said: “We always go in a game to win and not preparing for next game. Of course it [the cup final] is at the back of my mind but we want to put out a team that is competitive for Sunday and a team that is eager to win and produce the best team for Sunday to win that game.”

Having lost four of their first nine home Premier League games this season, Man Utd have since lost just one of their last eight at Old Trafford.

Across the last three Premier League seasons, the Red Devils have won just two of their 10 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top two.

With Manchester United facing an continuing injury crisis Erik ten Hag may have felt the urge to rush some of his key men back onto the pitch but the manager insisted he would not risk any player’s welfare in such a way.

“Some players, they are really fighting to be available and that is so amazing. They all try. They are all desperate to play,” said Ten Hag,

“Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof. Luke Shaw had a setback in his process as well, but there is still a hope and he will fight to be available for the final.

“I will never gamble with a player. Never. It is about them, about their futures. That is the most important. About their careers.

“I have to take responsibility for it and of course, the club is the most important. But the safety of the player, the health of the player, is also always a high level [of importance].”

This fixture is one filled with history, bite and competitiveness that the state of this season’s Premier League title race only adds too. United will not want to lose to Arsenal while the Gunners must win to keep up their threat to Man City.

Mikel Arteta said: “I don’t think about it, every game has a different context. We know the difficulty and the history when you look at what we’ve done over there, so we’re going to have to be at our best to earn the right to win the game.

“We know what we need to do but first of all we have to perform at a really high level to deserve to win the match. That’s what the focus is.”

Arsenal haven’t lost a single game in the north-west this season, winning two of their four visits, as many wins as in their previous 19 such games.

They also haven’t trailed for a single minute in any of their last eight Premier League away games. Only between December 1998–May 1999 have they gone longer without trailing on the road in the competition’s history.

Mikel Arteta has been asked a variation of this question in most of his recent press conferences and this one was the same. He was asked if challenging for the title is harder when the Gunners are not in control of their own destiny and he replied:

“It’s literally a very clear situation that you have to focus and be determined to do what you have to do to be in the best possible position. That’s very simple and clear, and that’s what we are doing.

“We have to think that it’s going to work. We try to be better than our opponents and beat them. The final outcome is something else. At the moment it’s not in our control.”

One game closer for Manchester City, one match down as they seek to not just retain the Premier League but end the campaign with a domestic double. The reigning champions, looking for a fourth title in a row, kicked off one point behind Arsenal with a game in hand; they might end the day instead wondering if perhaps they could cruise to both trophies in second gear.

It is usual to suggest after title candidates pick up three points in this manner, where they dominate entirely and their hosts barely raise a hand in protest, that they will have more difficult tests ahead. Yet this time, will that really be true?

Arsenal have won seven of their eight away league games in 2024, scoring 27 goals and conceding just three (the most goals scored and the fewest conceded away from home in that time).

They have also scored in their last nine league visits to Old Trafford while United have won just two of their last 11 games versus the Gunners in the Premier League.

“I think there are no questions about his contribution to a team, the way he feels about his teammates, about the club and the way we play,” said Mikel Arteta when asked about extending Jorginho’s contract.

“He’s someone who makes everybody better - that’s his main quality. He’s still hungry, he wants to win, he wants to win with us, he’s happy here and his family is happy here, so for us it was a really easy decision.

“He is a very important player for all the coaches because his game understanding and the way he communicates and coaches people is excellent. You need those types of players but on top of that I think as a role model, it’s very difficult to find somebody better than him.

“When he needs to be at it and serious and drive people with him he does it, and when it needs fun and a relaxing atmosphere, he is one of the best. It’s a good combination.”

During his pre-match press conference on Friday Mikel Arteta was asked if Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bukayo Saka were both available to play today and the manager replied:

“We have a few doubts that tomorrow can resolve because we have another training session so we will have to wait and see. There are doubts over the names that you discussed.”