Manchester United were denied a victory against Arsenal after Olivier Giroud scored a last minute equaliser to ensure the two English rivals shared the spoils on the day.
The Red Devils, despite being underdogs prior to kick off, went into the game blooming with confidence and were the better team from start to end. Letting Arsenal have the lion’s share of the ball, Jose Mourinho’s men looked like the more clinical of the two sides and created the better chances on the day.
After a goalless first half, Juan Mata scored just past the hour mark to send Old Trafford in a state of euphoria. It seemed that the goal would be enough to see the hosts make it past the finishing line, but Giroud decided to play spoilsport as he net a late equaliser to level things up.
After the full-time whistle, Mourinho was left fuming as United were denied a penalty in the first half after Nacho Monreal appeared to tug down Antonio Valencia in the box. Both men had an equal chance of getting to the ball, but the Spaniard appeared to use his arms to bring down the Ecuadorian.
Referee Andre Marriner waved off shouts for a spot-kick in the 35th-minute despite protestations from an animated Jose Mourinho on the touchline.
But, speaking after the game, the Special One decided to keep mum about bad-mouthing the officials and gave a relatively benign response to the questions posed about the penalty decision. According to the Sun, he said:
“I don’t want to speak about it. I have a very good feeling with Andre Mariner.
“He is the kind of referee who if he make mistakes against my team there is no intention. He doesn’t want to be the star of the game, he is a good referee.”
Mourinho also reflected on his side’s performances by saying they were the better team and were unlucky not to come away with three points.
“Of course it is two points dropped. We were the best team by far. They had no chances to win. They could not be Arsenal the way they normally play football. We were phenomenal defensively.
“The team played very well. This team at the moment is the unluckiest team in the Premier League. That is the reality. The team is playing well.”
