Declan Rice gestures towards the Stretford End after putting Arsenal level against Manchester United at Old TraffordGetty Images

Declan Rice put Arsenal level against Manchester United at Old Trafford

Phil McNulty at Old Trafford
Chief football writer

Declan Rice's powerful strike gave Arsenal a point at Manchester United but did little to help their pursuit of Premier League pacesetters Liverpool.

Arsenal dominated the opening 45 minutes at Old Trafford but lacked any cutting edge and were punished in first-half stoppage time when United captain Bruno Fernandes curled a 25-yard free-kick past a badly positioned David Raya in goal.

Raya made amends with fine second-half saves from Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee before Arsenal finally found the end product with 16 minutes left.

United failed to clear and Rice sent a superb rising drive past Andre Onana at the Stretford End to give Arsenal a point - but it did little to dent Liverpool's seemingly unassailable lead at the top of the table as they stand 15 points clear of the Gunners, having played a game more.

It could have been worse for Arsenal as it took a miraculous double stop from Raya to keep out Fernandes in the dying seconds to prevent United taking all three points.

Fernandes inspires spirited Man Utd

'In every situation of the game we were competitive' - Amorim on Arsenal draw

Manchester United's mediocrity is clear for all to see - but while they have Fernandes there is hope as the captain once again led from the front.

It was the Portuguese who gave United something to protect with that trademark free-kick seconds before half-time, and he almost won it at the end when he arrived in the penalty area only to see his effort blocked by Raya, who somehow regained his ground to claw the ball off the line as it look destined to be the winner.

Fernandes is United's leading Premier League scorer with seven goals and also leads the combined goals and assists chart with 14.

In among the struggles under head coach Ruben Amorim, Fernandes has been the shining light and was the inspiration again here.

United were desperately poor in the first half, but Amorim will be heartened by what he saw in the second half, when United mounted a spirited response as Raya - at fault for Fernandes' goal - became the hero with stops from Mazraoui and Zirkzee to deny the home side a victory that seemed unlikely for long periods.

It was a draw that moved United to 14th place in the Premier League, the most obvious measure of their current reduced status.

Toothless Arsenal come up short again

Arteta 'very frustrated' at result against Man Utd

Arsenal's failings in front of goal and the lack of recognised striker have holed their Premier League title challenge below the waterline. In reality, they are only playing to ensure a place in the top four while training their sights on the Champions League.

And they were in evidence again here as Arsenal dominated possession - which was 68.2% to 31.8% in their favour - but failed to apply any sustained, serious pressure on a United side short of quality and shorn of confidence.

Utilising midfield man Mikel Merino as an emergency striker, Arsenal had 17 shots but only six on target - the same as United. Too often pointless passing in front of the home side's defence fizzled out on the edge of the penalty area.

They ended up relying on Raya, who must take his share of responsibility for United's goal, to avoid defeat with those three crucial second-half saves to make amends for the error of judgement in the first half.

Arsenal surely know in their heart of hearts that the title pursuit is over and the Premier League is Liverpool's, but they must somehow find a way to repeat the potency of the stunning 7-1 win at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in midweek rather than the blunt instrument they were here.

The Gunners got a point in the end, but it is a meaningless one in title terms.

Player of the match

Bruno Fernandes
7.09
8 Bruno Fernandes
7.09
3 N. Mazraoui
6.67
17 A. Garnacho
6.54
26 A. Heaven
6.45
4 M. de Ligt
6.27
43 T. Collyer
6.05
2 V. Lindelöf
5.82
11 J. Zirkzee
5.82
15 L. Yoro
5.70
18 Casemiro
5.63
14 C. Eriksen
5.51
24 A. Onana
5.47
20 Diogo Dalot
5.45
9 R. Højlund
4.89
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