Why Manchester United are playing Arsenal at the perfect time

Manchester United are facing an Arsenal side that have won every Premier League game so far this season - and they couldn't be playing them at a better time.

When the full-time whistle went at Brentford, eyes glanced to United's fixture list and a sense of dread creeped in. Liverpool at home, Southampton and Leicester away, and then Arsenal back at Old Trafford - and fear was that things could get ugly.

Fast forward two-and-a-half weeks, and United have picked up all nine points - with only an 81st-minute Mohamed Salah header preventing three clean sheets in a row. Erik ten Hag will be delighted with the reaction he has got from his team as they start to understand their manager's demands with every passing training session.

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Despite United's good run of form, they face their toughest test of the season on Sunday afternoon when they welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford. Mikel Arteta's process finally appears to be paying dividends this season, his side have performed with a certain swagger as their youthful set-up start to show their maturity.

However, things might not be as easy for Arsenal as they appear on the surface. Their five Premier League wins have come against Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa - the Foxes are the only one of those five sides who finished in the top-half of the league last season (8th), with Bournemouth and Fulham both being promoted from the Championship.

There is of course an argument that you can only beat the teams in front of you, which Arteta's side have done with some aplomb, but they are yet to be truly tested this season. Furthermore, their last two matches against Fulham and Villa (both at home)