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Premier League | Gameweek 21

Jan 22, 2023 at 4.30pm UK

Emirates Stadium

Arsenal
3 - 2
Man Utd

Nketiah (24', 90'), Saka (53')
White (19'), Arteta (34')

FT(HT: 1-1)

Rashford (17'), Martinez (59')
Antony (47'), Shaw (83')

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka joins exclusive club with Manchester United goal

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 22 January 2023

Bukayo Saka joins exclusive club with Man United goal

Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka becomes the third Gunners player to score in three successive Premier League games against Manchester United in Sunday's 3-2 victory.

Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has joined an exclusive club of Gunners players with his sensational strike against Manchester United in Sunday's 3-2 Premier League win.

The 21-year-old played his part in a magnificent Gunners victory at the Emirates, where Mikel Arteta's side had to respond to an early Marcus Rashford wonder strike.

Eddie Nketiah headed the Premier League leaders level before the break, and Arsenal kept up the intensity early in the second half, getting their reward in the 53rd minute.

Having been allowed to cut inside on his left foot out wide, Saka unleashed a spectacular strike which found the far corner of the net, earning his place in an elite handful of players by doing so.

Saka had already netted in Arsenal's defeat to Erik ten Hag's side at Old Trafford earlier in the season, and he scored a penalty in the Gunners' 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium in the 2021-22 season.

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring against Manchester United on January 22, 2023 © Reuters

The Hale End starlet has now become only the third Arsenal player to score in three successive Premier League games against Man United, following in the footsteps of Freddie Ljungberg and Thierry Henry.

Ljungberg was the first Gunners player to achieve the feat between 1998 and 2000, while the club's all-time top goalscorer Henry haunted Man United three times in a row between 2000 and 2001.

Saka almost made it two for himself on the day with a carbon copy of his first strike, which took a nick off Christian Eriksen onto the post, but the England international was delighted with his contribution nonetheless.

"Hello Freddie, hello Thierry - I'm happy. I was so close to get getting two but I'm just so happy I got that first one and it gave me confidence to keep shooting," Saka showed Sky Sports News.

Following Saka's effort, Arsenal were pegged back again through Lisandro Martinez's header, but Nketiah flicked home his second of the game with 90 minutes on the clock to spark jubilant scenes in the home crowd.

"You can see how much it means to everyone. They're the only team that have beaten us this season so we really wanted to beat them for the fans," Saka added.

BUKAYO SAKA. WHAT A TALENT 🌟🔥 pic.twitter.com/0qKwbHrd95
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2023

"We know how win this win is for us. It wasn't easy and it definitely wasn't our best start to the game but we showed a lot of character to come back and get the win."

While Saka equalled one of Henry's records on the night, Nketiah also matched one of the Frenchman's feats, becoming just the second Arsenal player to score a winner against Man United in the 90th minute or later.

Henry had headed home a late winner for the Gunners against the Red Devils in January 2007, but Nketiah admitted that his heart was in his mouth when the VAR review began.

"I saw Martinez next to me so I thought I was onside but when you see that purple (VAR) screen come up, your heart always goes a bit," Nketiah added.

"You could see how much we wanted to win and how bad we wanted it for ourselves and our fans. We kept pushing and pushing and thankfully we found the goal."

Arsenal have now accumulated 50 points from their opening 19 games of the season to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table over Manchester City, who have played a game more.