On July 28th, Beijing time, the much-anticipated pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Arsenal was passionately staged, and the showdown between the two Premier League giants attracted the attention of fans around the world. In the first half, the game was full of gunpowder from the beginning, and both players showed a high level of athleticism.
Soon after the start, Arsenal took the lead, Hoylum, with his excellent individual ability and keen sense of goal, forced the opponent's defender to eat in a quick counterattack, and calmly shot the goal, which made a dream start for Arsenal. However, the good times didn't last long, Hoylum was unable to hold on due to injury shortly after the goal, and left the field in the 16th minute, which undoubtedly cast a shadow over Arsenal's attack.
The Manchester United side was not discouraged as they quickly adjusted their tactics and intensified their pressure on the Arsenal backline. Finally, with Nwaneri's exquisite assist, Jesus showed his excellent shooting skills in the penalty area and equalized the score with a single shot. The situation on the field instantly became stalemate, with both sides going back and forth, not giving way to each other.
However, the ripples of the match did not subside there. In the 35th minute, United's Jolo sustained a suspected injury in a scramble and was unable to continue the game, and was quickly replaced by the coaching staff. This substitution seemed to have an impact on United's morale, and they looked a bit passive in the following minutes.
In the second half, both sides continued to fight fiercely. Arsenal gradually found the rhythm of the game, and looked for a good chance to break through through constant passing and cutting. Finally, in the 81st minute of the match, Martinelli made use of a counter-attack opportunity to break into the penalty area and calmly shot the ball into the net, which helped Arsenal to realize the reversal and take a 2-1 lead over Manchester United.
Despite the scoreline, United did not give up and they continued to look for an equalizer in the final stages of the game. However, time eventually became an insurmountable obstacle and Arsenal managed to hold on to the lead, ending the pre-season friendly with a 2-1 victory, securing their first win of the pre-season.
After the match, in order to increase the interest of the game, the two sides also had a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, United's goalkeeper Onana played a heroic game and saved Havertz's penalty kick, while Kiviar and Wheatley's shots failed to hit the target. In the end, United won the penalty shootout with a score of 4-3, bringing the pre-season friendly match to a successful conclusion.
