EPL: The run is over as Arsenal fall into Man Utd trap

• Marcus Rashford brace condemn Gunners to first Premier League defeat of the season

Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday. The Gunners dominated for large periods at Old Trafford, but were picked off by three counterattacking goals – including two from Marcus Rashford.

There would have been much for Mikel Arteta to like about his team’s performance, with the visitors controlling things for the majority of the contest with some slick attacking play. But some wasteful finishing and slack defending cost them dear, with their lead at the top of the table now cut to just one point.

Arsenal were left infuriated early on when VAR ruled out Gabriel Martinelli’s early goal for a foul in the build up by Martin Odegaard.

And their frustration deepened when United’s new signing Antony was left all alone to open the scoring on his debut before the break.

Bukayo Saka deservedly hauled Arsenal level on the hour mark, but just as they looked likely to go on and win the match, a quick fire brace from Rashford earned the hosts a fourth win in a row.

He may well have been frustrated when his first-half goal was ruled out by VAR, but this was another excellent performance from Martinelli.

Up against a club that rejected him as a youngster, the Brazilian was a constant menace down the left-hand side and didn’t deserve to be on the losing team.

Martinelli has gone up a level with his performances so far this season and this was yet more evidence as to why he is viewed as one of the brightest young talents playing in Europe.

Saka desperately needed a goal just to get himself up and running this season.

It may not have been the best goal he will ever score, but it could be an important one in terms of his campaign as a whole.

His equaliser was his first goal in open play since the 1-0 win at Aston Villa on March 19.

No one was thinking Arsenal were going to suddenly run away with the Premier League after their bright start to the season, but the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea will have enjoyed this result.

A win for Arsenal would have taken them nine points clear of Liverpool and eight points clear of the Blues.

Even at this early stage of the season, that is quite a large gap – so a United victory certainly suited them and it bunches things up nicely ahead of next weekend’s round of fixtures.

For the football fans, it was another day, another VAR controversy.

There is certainly an argument that referee Paul Tierney and VAR official Lee Mason were correct to rule out Gabriel Martinelli’s first-half goal by the letter of the law, but it was no surprise to see Arsenal angered by the incident.

There was contact between Martin Odegaard and Christian Eriksen, but it’s hard for there not to be when two players are challenging for the ball in the middle of the pitch.

The fact that Tierney, who was just a few yards away on the pitch, didn’t give it in real time really should have been enough for the goal to have stood.

Of course, things are going to look worse when they are slowed down and watched over and over again on a replay.

It’s hard enough to score a goal at this level, that it just seems a real shame that fans are seeing some many goals being ruled out nowadays for the smallest little things which are spotted on a TV screen.

-Goal.com