Arsenal moved within seven points of leaders Liverpool when Jurrien Timber and William Saliba scored from corners to inflict Ruben Amorim's first defeat as Manchester United boss.
Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Newcastle opened the door for Arsenal to close the gap and after a frustrating first half against Amorim's well-drilled side, their set-piece skills proved decisive.
In the absence of the injured Gabriel Magalhaes, it was Timber who made the breakthrough after half-time when he fired home Declan Rice's poor throw at the near post for his first Arsenal goal.
Saliba doubled the lead when Saka directed a delivery from the other end to the back post, where Thomas Partey headed the ball across goal and bounced in off the back of his teammate.
Saliba's second goal took Arsenal's tally of goals this season to seven, the most in the Premier League, and they could have had more, with a succession of goals causing chaos in the Manchester United box and Mikel Merino headed narrowly wide as he was unmarked. another Saka center.
Arsenal were indebted to David Raya for an excellent one-handed save on a Matthijs de Ligt header before Saliba's goal. The Gunners goalkeeper later made a sharp stop from substitute Antony after a clever set-piece routine from Manchester United to prevent a nervous finale for the hosts.
Amorim, who made six changes to the team that defeated Everton last time out, had successfully demolished the Gunners in the first half but his side could not withstand the hosts' pressure after the break as Arsenal capitalized on the dropped points of Liverpool at St James' Park. to boost their title hopes.
Chelsea's 5-1 win over Southampton means Arsenal drop below the Blues on goal difference, in third place, but they are closer to Arne Slot's side. The defeat leaves Manchester United in eleventh place.
Arteta: We can hurt teams from all angles
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in his press conference:
“Very happy. It was a very special evening, celebrating 500 games in this incredible stadium against an opponent with so much history between the two teams.
“Very happy with the way we played, having adjusted a few things in the second half, and how dominant we were, so lots of positives.”
On Arsenal's threat: “We need that. We want to be very dangerous and effective from every angle and every phase of the game.
“We could have scored from open play, as we did against West Ham and Sporting. The team is confident. We have the ability to threaten the opponent from every angle.”
Rice: People wrote us off, but we stuck together
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice to Amazon Prime:
“It's a huge result. What a night. We knew there was a new manager at Manchester United and he looked really good.
“We knew it would be a test, we stuck to our game plan, stuck to what we knew and in the end we could have had three or four.
“You have to believe in your process. We believe in our process. We kept going. When you go out for a corner it's a chance to score a goal, not a chance to relax, and we scored again. We're so happy for the boys.
“If you have a dip in the competition you are written off. We stayed together as a group. We knew the run of results was not good enough. We came together as a group, we knew we could do better and now we are We' I see a twist in that.”
Amorim: Set pieces were the difference
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim in his press conference:
“We have worked a lot on the construction. You can see the structure and the idea. But in the last part, in the last third, you can see that we have to improve, be more aggressive and have more ideas.
“I evaluate the match regardless of the result. As I said with the 4-0 against Everton: you can take positive things, but you have to improve.
“In the first half, especially at the end of the first half, you felt that they were not comfortable. You felt it in the stadium.
“We managed to control the right side very well. I think the difference today was the set pieces. After the first goal the momentum changed and it was very difficult for us to take full control of the match. We tried , but it didn't work out.” were the set pieces.”
On his team selection: “It's not because I like to change all the time. We need to have the whole squad fit. Harry Maguire has a time limit. Tyrell Malacia has a time limit. Mason Mount has a time limit. Leny Yoro has a time limit.
“We have to manage winning games, with a different methodology, press more meters, and tomorrow we will assess them. The boys who have an injury risk will not play.”
Analysis: Arsenal's corners have become a form of psychological warfare
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
Even in the first half, before Timber's breakthrough goal, you could hear the home fans at Emirates Stadium celebrating corners as if they were goals. Arsenal's opponents know what's coming. Stopping it is another matter.
Arsenal's tally of 22 goals from corners since the start of last season is the most of any Premier League side. Manchester United had not conceded two in one game for a decade and yet they were lucky to only concede two as the deliveries rained in.
Timber's goal came during a series of near-post deliveries that caused utter chaos in the Manchester United box, as Arsenal repeated the method employed by West Ham on Saturday, with players gathering at the far post and charging across the goal.
When Amorim's beleaguered players then expected Saka to follow Rice's example and direct his delivery to the same spot, he instead outwitted Manchester United by directing one to the far post, where Partey waited to cross the goal until Saliba would score.
It is a testament to the quality of the routines devised by their specialist coach Nicolas Jover, and the deliveries from Saka and Rice, that Arsenal could do so much damage without their most dangerous set-piece weapon in Gabriel.
Amorim even claimed afterwards that their wingers, Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, like to force corners because they know what the team is capable of. They have become a form of psychological warfare, with tension heightened by carefully orchestrated delays that overtake them. Manchester United were just their latest victim. There will be more.
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