Man Utd ‘as good as Arsenal’ in mind-boggling area – Amorim would be doomed if they weren’t | OneFootball

A stat that almost beggars belief proves Manchester United are just as good as Arsenal in one critical aspect of gameplay this season, but without it, Ruben Amorim would be in serious trouble.

Arsenal lead the way in the Premier League this term in most of the metrics that matter. Wins, points, goal difference, goals conceded… it’s the Gunners who reign supreme.

Unsurprisingly, the end result is Arsenal are five points clear at the summit, with many pointing to their set-piece prowess as a fundamental reason why.

Arsenal are fearsome from corners and provide more threat than most from indirect free-kicks too. Just 13 games into the Premier League season, Arsenal have already broken double figures for goals from set pieces with 10, and that doesn’t include penalties.

Yet it may surprise more than a few of you to discover Man Utd – heavily criticised for the vast bulk of the campaign – have scored just as many non-penalty set-piece goals as Arsenal this season.

Both of the Red Devils’ goals in the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday came from dead-ball situations. Joshua Zirkzee latched onto Bruno Fernandes’ free kick before firing home from an acute angle. Fernandes again picked up an assist when rolling the ball to Mason Mount from another free kick before the Englishman rifled home.

United’s set-piece proficiency has now been hailed and detailed by The Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler – who primarily covers Man Utd.

But while Arsenal would still be a force to be reckoned with without set-piece goals, Wheeler explained why Man Utd and Amorim would be in the doldrums if their own set-piece prowess dries up.

Wheeler wrote: ‘Amorim admitted afterwards to ‘stealing’ set-piece ideas from his rivals, and United leaned heavily on them [vs Crystal Palace] in the absence of a greater attacking threat from his team.

‘They moved level with Arsenal on 10 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, which is just as well because United were so toothless in the first half that their xG (expected goals) from open play was an almost non-existent 0.01.

‘Their two best efforts came from Casemiro off a long throw and a free kick, and it was no surprise that both goals in the second half came from Fernandes set-pieces as well.

‘They took the United captain to 56 Premier League assists for the club, lifting him ahead of Paul Scholes in the rankings. Only Ryan Giggs (162), Wayne Rooney (93) and David Beckham (80) have more.’

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