Declan Rice late strike earns Arsenal dramatic Manchester United victory

Despair to joy in the closing stages, this was some turnaround, some way for Arsenal to ignite their season. And some way for Manchester United’s away-day misery to continue. As the Emirates bellowed the name of their team, United’s pain knew no bounds.

Alejandro Garnacho thought that he had won it for the visitors, thought he had landed the most perfect of sucker punches. On as a substitute, the winger accelerated on to a Bruno Fernandes pass in the 89th minute to slide a cool finish past Aaron Ramsdale and into the Arsenal net.

Garnacho had struck late on at Fulham last season to secure Erik ten Hag’s only win in London with United. It continues to stand as such because of a wild sequence of events that had the Emirates breathless.

The atmosphere pulsed and it was Arsenal who settled the quicker, determined to play on the front foot. United struggled to get out in the early running, living on the end of their nerves when building from the back, wayward when going long.

Arsenal had the first big chance, Kai Havertz winning possession and getting his team moving only to miskick badly when the goal beckoned, United having made a mess of clearing a Gabriel Martinelli cross.

The opening goal appeared in the post for Arsenal. And yet United somehow scored it. It was their first meaningful thrust and, inevitably, it was about Marcus Rashford, slicing inside from the left, Ben White and William Saliba not close enough, the finish steered expertly inside the far post.

It took Arsenal all of 35 seconds to equalise – a bitter frustration for Ten Hag, United’s undeserved ascendency frittered away. The green-and-white stripes (yes, United) watched Arsenal ping a few passes, Martinelli playing the key one, a lovely cut back for Ødegaard, who swept home with the air of a man who knew exactly what was about to happen.

Every United fan knew that the team could conceivably have arrived at the Emirates with zero points, results having greatly outstripped performances. They badly needed something more cohesive here, an answer to the questions that seem to be everywhere – and that is before we get to the ongoing Glazer drain, the sapping torment of the owners’ tenure.

It felt as if the principal benefit of starting Anthony Martial up front was to enable Rashford to play in his favoured role off the left. Antony struggled on the right.

Victor Lindelöf spent a yellow card on a cynical foul on Eddie Ntekiah just before half-time, taking him out on the United right after being outstripped for pace – he was lucky that Lisandro Martínez had raced back in the middle.

Arsenal were laboured, too; their passing lacking zip and precision. It felt as if the game was there for them to seize in the second half, even as Ramsdale beat away a Martial shot and White blocked the rebound from Rashford. They still had to seize it.

Ten Hag’s injury worries deepened when Martínez hurt himself in the act of making a yellow-card challenge on Nketiah; on came Harry Maguire, to predictable derision from the home support. Ten Hag also introduced the £72m signing, Rasmus Højlund, for his debut, Martial making way.

Mikel Arteta made similarly like-for-like changes. Would there be a hero in the closing stages? Martinelli guided one shot just wide, Rashford menaced at the other end. Cue the drama.