The warning signals were there for Manchester United before Arsenal struck.
While the ball flies to an Arsenal corner, Diogo Dalot sprints to quickly remedy the situation and give a throw-in instead. “That is very important as how well arsenal comes from the corners,” said Sky Sports' Gary Neville about co-commentary obligation.
But only 22 seconds later Dalot could do nothing but admit a corner -and give Arsenal their first set of the Premier League season. And they finally scored in a classic way.
It was almost inevitable. Just like last season, the delivery of Declan Rice was on the money. Just like last season, Altay Bayindir was not convincing in releasing under his own bar. Riccardo Calafiori could not miss on the line.
It is a common face. Since the 2023/24 campaign, the Gunners have scored 31 goals from the corners, on average every 16 attempts.
And given that on average they are slightly fewer than seven corners per match, this means that the chances of finding it from a corner once every two or three games – if you're lucky.
Arsenal has been considered to score for about 18 months as set experts from their first set piece of this Premier League season is a message to their rivals: Place enough time and focus on this trying to stop, or they will hurt you.
So how can their Premier League rivals even start thinking to stop them?
Split their timing
The corner routine of Arsenal starts like any other – with the towel, normally rice or bukayo Saka, so that their arm is put in the air, so that the players in the middle know when they have to start their combinations.
But what those players are going to do in the middle is more unpredictable. Arsenal has had several routines, but also several starting positions. Sometimes the Gunners players group together on the back post, but at Old Trafford on Sunday they all gathered on the edge of the box.
The reason why is to make short runs in the box and create Momentum for when the ball arrives in the danger zone. But it also creates a bit of chaos, where opposition players are blocked to defend the ball.
“They have done it for a long time in terms of the timing – when they start moving, how they move, when they come to the dangerous area, whether it is the front or the rear post,” coach Marc Orti Esteban told Sky Sports.
Until last season, Orti Esteban was a set piece analyst at Brentford before he left to supervise the Dead-Ball Department of New England Revolution. Working under Keith Andrews, he was instructed to try to find out how he could stop Arsenal from Set pieces.
And his best advice to try to stop Arsenal -Chaos? Control it.
“It's all about breaking their timing and what they do – they are very good at that,” said Esteban.
“If you can stop that with physicality, stop their runs, making it difficult for them to move the way they want, then you have a better chance of defending that situation.
“It's about being smart and knowing that they can deliver at the front or the rear mail. So you have to be covered in those areas.”
Teams have tried that in the past and have set a big focus on trying to stop Gabriel's run to the penalty box. The Brazilian defender – who has had 17 goals from Set pieces in the last five years – can sometimes be seen in the middle of the penalty area, before he attacks the ball with a run of deep.
The only problem with the use of physicality is that Premier League referees clamp this season. There will be stricter penalties to withdraw players in the penalty area. “I would expect this time next year that a few fines have been given to keep offenses than what we have seen this year,” said Howard Webb before this season started.
Arsenal will also have to concentrate on that, because their 'blocking' of defenders will be investigated much more. So it shows the importance of street-qua when the Gunners get corners.
The importance of a strong keeper
One of those 'street -way' moments that Arsenal and their opponents have to control is how Gunners players influence the goalkeeper of the opposition – a factor that Manchester United discovered Sunday.
Goalkeeper Bayindir was considered a mistake for the goal of Calafiori, but there was also a smart game involving William Saliba, where the Arsenal defender leaned in the United Shot stopper.
Although the PGMOL is looking for holding in the box, the VAR considered the Saliba intervention on Bayindir as “normal football contact”.
With Arsenal who wants to benefit from any marginal win that a corner entails, this was a different rule that they managed to bend to their advantage – especially seen how they want to attack the six -Yard box during the corners.
It is not the first time that Arsenal has tried and benefits from that tactic.
In the 3-2 Noord -London Derby victory at Spurs, Ben White saw a similar trick doing on Guglielmo Vicario – which gave the Italian keeper a push – a bouncing of the shoulder – so that he was unable to claim the cross, so that Kai Havertz from nearby.
It has not always worked, especially with white. The International of England tried a similar tactic in a 1-0 win in Leicester in 2023 – with goalkeeper Danny Ward's glove in the hope that VAR would not catch it. But when Leandro Trossard thought it was spotted.
Bend the rules? Yes – but it is something that is seen a lot in the corner routines of Arsenal. So a strong keeper is a must.
Does cleaning up the penalty area work?
Last season, some teams tried a new defensive fangs against Arsenal to help their defenders get the ball and make it free, including their goalkeeper.
Crystal Palace, Brighton, Monaco and Spurs all left two or three players on the half line, which means that Arsenal was forced to let a few players back. This not only reduces the number of players in and around the penalty box, but also creates room for keepers to claim the ball.
“They usually come with six that run into the six-year box, which causes a lot of noise and problems,” said Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner last season. “They block, push and then it seems that every ball comes where they expect it.
“The man utd match against Arsenal [where Arsenal scored twice from corners in a 2-0 win]United had eight players in the six-year box to defend, and I think they could have admitted five.
“We wanted the box to be clearer. That was it.”
The only problem? Arsenal still managed to score from a corner against Palace via Havertz. That was because there were fewer defenders at the hand to respond to the German score after the ball came off the post. “We defended the first ball, but we didn't defend the second ball, the rebound,” said Glasner.
“I think it wasn't a problem to have three players, it was just that we had to be so sharp in every situation.”
After Palace had tried that tactic, Spurs came to the Emirates and tried something similar – but eventually gave a goal from a corner itself while Gabriel forced a goal of Dominic Solanke. It is no longer seen.
So whatever teams think about bypassing Arsenal, the Gunners keep score. Leeds are their next visitors to the Emirates, where Daniel Farke's side focuses on set pieces itself this summer.
All summer signs of Leeds are 5FT 11 and higher. “It's no coincidence,” Farke said – because of the importance of set pieces in their survival fight. Will they have an answer to one of the largest individual weapons in the Premier League?
View Arsenal vs Live on Sky Sports Premier League this Saturday from 5 pm; kick -off 5.30 pm