Arsenal were able to put their set-piece mastery to good use once again vs Manchester United on Wednesday night.
The Gunners scored both their goals from corners as they recorded a vital 2-0 win against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
Declan Rice was able to shine as his deliveries from corners caused constant problems for the visitors’ defence. The England international picked out Jurrien Timber with such a cross for Arsenal’s first goal.
Bukayo Saka’s corners from the opposite flank also caused problems, and ultimately led to William Saliba’s strike.
No matter how his side found the net, Mikel Arteta will just be delighted that his side were able to secure all three points.
Mikel Arteta responds to Stoke City comparison
Arsenal are very much the set-piece experts in the Premier League. Even with Gabriel Magalhaes missing due to injury, they were still able to be devastatingly effective from corners against Manchester United.
This has given rise to comparisons between the Gunners and the Stoke City side that Tony Pulis took charge of in the Premier League between 2008 and 2013.
Pulis’ Potters had a reputation as bruisers. They were a powerful team who excelled in the air and created chaos in the opposition box during set-piece scenarios. It was not always pretty, but it was effective.
Journalist Alex Crook, reporting for talkSPORT and writing on X, recently asked Arteta to respond to the allegations that his Arsenal side are simply Stoke City 2.0.
The Spanish coach replied, saying: “I think scoring from every situation is what we want to do. Obviously when you are able to create 13 corners, you have to take the opportunity to score from them.”
Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover comes under fire
It is worth remembering that the true mastermind behind the Gunners’ set-piece prowess is not Arteta. Nicolas Jover is Arsenal’s secret weapon in this regard.
The French coach is trusted to design and orchestrate the team’s approach to set-pieces. Jover even addresses the Arsenal players at half-time on this subject, such is his status within the club.
However, as undeniably successful as the 43-year-old has been in North London, he is not a popular figure everywhere.
After the Arsenal coach was seen celebrating Timber’s goal against Manchester United, Gary Neville called Jover the most “annoying” man in football.
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