After 84 minutes at the Emirates, it looked like Arsenal had managed to salvage a point after Mikel Merino buried home an equaliser to make it 2-2.

Maintaining their seven-point lead at the top looked like a real possibility. However, substitute Matheus Cunha produced a moment of magic to give United an unlikely 3-2 win.

The Brazilian curled a 25-yard thunderbolt past David Raya in the 87th minute to secure victory.

It was a statement of intent from interim coach Michael Carrick, who has now masterminded back-to-back victories over Manchester City and Arsenal in his first eight days in charge.

It also makes it the second time Carrick has stunned Mikel Arteta, as he beat Arsenal by the same scoreline in December 2021 during his first spell as Manchester United's caretaker boss.

The result now means Arsenal are just four points ahead of second-placed Man City. The Citizens beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday to get back to winning ways.

During the first three months of the season, Arsenal looked invincible, as they were quite hard to penetrate. Since their clash against Sunderland, they have been wobbly defensively. Their performance against United on Sunday epitomised their lapses.

Michael Carrick has gone back to basics with the United team since taking over from Ruben Amorim earlier this month.

By switching back to a fluid counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 setup, certain individuals have thrived, most notably Patrick Dorgu.

Dorgu tended to be inconsistent under Amorim, playing as a left wingback in his rigid 3-4-1-2 setup. However, he looks like a man reborn in a left-wing role.

His ferocious strike in the 50th minute following a neat one-two with Bruno Fernandes was his second goal in two games.

Dorgu’s impact demonstrates that Carrick is keeping things simple by utilizing players in roles that suit them. 

He has also revived Kobbie Mainoo, who provided composure in tight spaces, which allowed United to survive Arsenal's early 30-minute onslaught.

Arsenal looked in control for the opening 20 minutes of the game, and their pressure resulted in Lisandro Martinez scoring an own goal.

However, a rare lapse from Martin Zubimendi led to a goal from Bryan Mbeumo, who pounced upon a careless backpass to finish with composure. It was Mbeumo’s 50th Premier League goal and eighth for United.

This now means Arsenal have gone three league matches without a win. They drew with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, and have now lost against Man United.

Speaking of Mbeumo, the former Brentford man became the first Man United player since Marcus Rashford to score against Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool in a single league season.

He is also the first to do it in a debut campaign since Robin Van Persie in 2012/13.

Arsenal still maintain a four-point lead at the top of the table, and cannot afford any more slip-ups. Otherwise, the ghosts of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 will come back to haunt them.

Their next clash is a game against Kairat in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, after which they travel to Elland Road to take on Leeds United.

Manchester United, meanwhile, will look to continue their resurgence under Carrick as they take on high-flying Fulham next.