Fellaini header condemns Wenger to Old Trafford defeat

Jose Mourinho conceded Manchester United were fortunate to score such a late victor against Arsenal on Sunday, but insisted it was just reward for their intent.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in his post-match comments said that his young team gave a good account of themselves, adding that they deserved a little more.

That fierce history was fittingly remembered by United managers past and present before kick-off, with Jose Mourinho – who had insisted his old foe would receive a suitable send-off – warmly greeting Wenger on the touchline before leading him towards a surprise gift presentation from former nemesis Sir Alex Ferguson.

There was no stopping United in added time, though, Fellaini glancing in an excellent header from Young’s flawless centre to ensure Wenger would only leave Old Trafford with his present from Ferguson.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan levelled the score in the second-half after Paul Pogba found the net in the first-half. Alexis Sanchez met the striker’s cross and saw a close-range header superbly blocked by former team-mate Hector Bellerin, only for the ball to rebound off the post for Pogba to tuck in.

With the Gunners resting Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg with Atletico Madrid, it was assumed Rob Holding would start against United.

The man who went the other way in the January swap deal had played a part in United’s opener.

Pep Guardiola’s side now have 30 wins this term, matching the record set by Chelsea last season, and will take sole possession of the milestone with one more success in their last three games. We had chances and on the counter we did not use our opportunites as well as we could have.

They defended poorly for both of United’s goals in the defeat.

Arsenal remains sixth in the EPL standing with 57 points from 35 games.

There were some handsome scenes at Old Trafford prior to Arsenal vs Manchester United.

Manchester United fans expressed their delight after Marouane Fellaini’s performance vs Arsenal that saw him grab the victor.

United thought they had scored a late victor when Rashford bundled in on the line after Fellaini’s header rebounded off the post, but the offside flag cut short their celebrations. The Old Trafford faithful thought their side had taken the lead, but the goal was rightly disallowed for offside.

The victor came after a second-half strike by Henrikh Mkhitaryan had cancelled out a Paul Pogba header from the opening 45 minutes.

My story with Mr Wenger in United is just a couple of years.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger walks on the pitch at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Arsenal at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, April 29, 2018.