The Manchester United versus Arsenal Premier League fixture lived up to the hype with the Gunners losing 3-1 at Old Trafford, to end their undefeated streak. Erik ten Hag and boys, on the other hand, continued their string of victories that now include Mikel Arteta’s side, apart from Liverpool, Southampton, and Leicester City.

The high-octane football game saw tempers flaring but the former Ajax manager wasn’t ready to throw in the hat, when Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka equalized in the second half, following Antony’s debut Manchester United goal in the first part of the game. 

However, the Marcus Rashford brace – eight minutes apart- gave United a comfortable margin, which is when the Dutchman took the call to dig in his heels and defend the score. His double substitution saw Real Madrid transfer, Casemiro, and English defender Harry Maguire, take the field. 

The move came in the 80th minute, and Maguire even got the captain’s armband. Then, a minute after going on to play, his foul on Gabriel Jesus got him a yellow. 

“You should be looking for another club by yourself now! You came in last night and in seconds you got YELLOW CARD! BRO YOU NEED TO ALWAYS RELAX YOUR HEAD AND MIND WHILE ON PITCH”, one fan said on Twitter, while another quipped, “First touch first yellow card the original Maguire”. 

Commentators noted that Maguire’s foul was all too sloppy even though he stopped Jesus in his tracks. The 29-year-old centre-back has been getting a lot of flak from United fans due to his past performances, and ten Hag has even benched Maguire for the last couple of games since the Brentford debacle, where the Reds lost 4-0. 

However, as some fans noted in yesterday’s game, Maguire’s yellow wasn’t entirely his fault. Teammate Casemiro was the first to lose the ball in a potentially dangerous situation, giving Maguire very little time to react.

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One fan commented, “smart yellow card” adding, “Casemiro’s mistake was causing a confusing goal for the team”, and continued, “So smart move from Harry Maguire”. They concluded, “Even if we don’t like watching Harry on the field but it’s the truth”.

A little before Maguire came on, Scott McTominay – United’s central defensive midfielder – earned a yellow for another desperate foul on Jesus, after the Scotsman’s mistake gave the ball away to the former Manchester City forward. 

While Maguire’s decision-making under pressure does leave something to be desired, the quick yellow did stop Arsenal from building the opportunity to put a second goal past David de Gea. 

Having played only ten minutes of the game, Maguire didn’t get a lot of other chances to prove his continuing place on the squad but did manage to get some other decisions correct. 

In the 84th minute, a pass from Jesus made its way to Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah. Maguire effectively used his body to block the player, neutralizing any threat that might have come from his shot. A few moments later, in the game, when he received the ball near the penalty box area, Maguire was quick to pass it to the safe feet of de Gea, allowing the Spanish goalkeeper to distribute the ball as he saw fit. 

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After the game, ten Hag noted that there’s still a lot of scope for “improvement” overall, and the team needs to show better “composure”. While it is likely the Dutchman will stick to the Raphael Varane–Lisandro Martinez combo as his first choice, Maguire’s performances, if they remain consistent, could see the former Leicester player gradually eased back into the Old Trafford squad. 

United travel next for their game against Crystal Palace and then host Leeds at home.

The Sun also reported England national team coach, Gareth Southgate assuring Maguire that his position in the English squad is safe, based on his past performances. There’ve been some concerns about whether Maguire’s current play time with United would impact his position in the upcoming World Cup, but those appear to have been allayed for now.