Gary Neville says Mikel Arteta made a decision during Man Utd game that actually made Arsenal a lot worse

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Gary Neville believes Mikel Arteta made a poor decision during Arsenal’s game against Manchester United on Sunday that made his team worse.

Arsenal beat United 1-0 at Old Trafford, with Riccardo Calafiori’s 13th-minute close-range header the difference between the two sides.

Despite claiming all three points, the Gunners struggled for long periods in the north-west, failing to control possession or territory.

United had 22 shots to Arsenal’s nine, prompting fans to be concerned about the manner of the performance heading into the rest of the season.

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Gary Neville says he was ‘surprised’ by Viktor Gyokeres substitution in Man Utd vs Arsenal

Gyokeres made his competitive Arsenal debut against United, selected to lead the line for the Gunners alongside Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

The Swede struggled to make an impact, taking no shots, creating no chances and completing just four passes.

This inability to influence the game prompted Arteta to hook Gyokeres on the hour mark, replacing him with Kai Havertz.

The Gunners settled somewhat after the German came on and ultimately saw the game out to secure the points.

Despite this, Gary Neville has revealed his belief that Arteta’s decision to take Gyokeres off derailed Arsenal from an offensive standpoint.

“I thought Gyokeres actually looked a handful,” he said on the Gary Neville podcast.

“I thought he did some good things. I was actually surprised he came off. I thought Arsenal didn’t change defensively when the substitutes were made, but they lost their attacking threat completely I felt, when Gyokeres went off.

“So things to work on, although the good thing for Arteta is that he has a very resilient bunch and they’re good at set pieces.”

There were green shoots in Viktor Gyokeres’ performance vs Man Utd

Arsenal didn’t get worse offensively after Gyokeres came off.

The Gunners looked meek as an attacking team throughout the 90 minutes, struggling to create many chances of note.

Havertz actually provided Arsenal with a focal point in the final half an hour, holding the ball up effectively and helping to bring players into the game.

That said, there were a handful of positives to Gyokeres’ debut, which Neville was right to point out.

While the Swede wasn’t as sharp as he normally is in and around the box, his movement was exceptional at times, as he constantly made smart runs in behind.

The Gunners’ midfield didn’t always find the striker, but if they do become familiar with the types of runs he’s able to make, then they should have some joy moving forward.