I saw Manchester United plan for Arsenal threat - it turned out to be a waste of time

Manchester United suffered their first defeat under Ruben Amorim as Arsenal's second-half onslaught proved too much for them at the Emirates.

United had defended solidly in the first half and had looked relatively untroubled in a goalless 45 minutes, but as Arsenal raised the intensity levels in the second half they couldn't cope.

Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock from a corner, and William Saliba added another from a set-piece, with Arsenal's corners proving a constant threat to United's weary defence.

The defeat leaves United 11th in the Premier League ahead of this weekend's clash with Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.

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United spent a good portion of their pre-match warm-up practicing defensive set-pieces, which should always be a wise move against Arsenal, who are the most threatening team in the league from dead-ball situations.

The fact Arsenal almost scored from their first corner wasn't ideal, with Thomas Partey missing his header from four yards out, the ball hitting his shoulder and going wide. It was a sign of things to come.

You could argue there is almost no point working on set-piece defending against Arsenal, because they are almost impossible to stop. Every routine is identical, with five or six players rushing from the back post to the front, with the delivery on the money every time. It almost always ends in a high-value chance.

For all the effort United put into defending them pre-match, they still conceded from two corners, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba scoring. Two or three big chances from corners came the way of the hosts.

Carlos Fernandes was on the edge of the technical area