Harry Maguire admits Manchester United were not good enough at Arsenal

 

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has admitted that the Red Devils were not good enough as they suffered a disappointing 2-0 league defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day. The Red Devils went into the game as the favourites with the Gunners struggling for form but it was the north London side which dominated the proceedings at the Emirates.

United managed to initially test the Gunners goalkeeper on a couple of occasions but barring that, they struggled to gain any stranglehold on the game with the hosts enjoying the better chances on goal. The Capital outfit managed to score only twice during the course of the encounter but they could have quite easily doubled that advantage with the chances conceded by the Red Devils.

Maguire was one of those, who had a tough evening at the Emirates and speaking after the game, the centre-back acknowledged that the Red Devils were outsmarted by a team, who played with more aggression and pressed them better, he told MUTV: “We started the game well. In the first 10 minutes we created two good opportunities where we should have been a little bit more clinical.

“And then from there until the half-time whistle they were on top. They played with more aggression, more intensity and they pressed us better. So we’ve got to go back, work hard, improve. In the second half, we huffed and puffed and created some chances, but the key period was from the 15th minute until the half-time whistle and we weren’t good enough.”

With the result, United have dropped five points behind Chelsea in the race for the final Champions League spot. On the other hand, the Gunners have jumped to the top half of the standings with the result and they are now within nine points off the top four. United have an away FA Cup third round tie against Wolves over the weekend. Arsenal, meanwhile, host Leeds United in the Cup competition at the Emirates.