Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta left fuming after Man Utd loss

Arsenal started strongly and went ahead when Lisandro Martinez turned the ball into his own net. Arteta's side controlled the opening half hour and created two clear chances to extend their lead, but a costly mistake shifted the momentum.

United responded and, by the 50th minute, Michael Carrick's team had turned the game around to lead 2-1.

The setback allowed title rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa to close to within four points of Arsenal, adding further frustration for the home crowd.

Arteta's men showed character late on. Mikel Merino headed home from a corner to level the score with just three minutes remaining, and the Emirates sensed a late winner. However, that optimism was short-lived as Matheus Cunha struck decisively, curling home after a long ball to secure the points for United.

Speaking after the match, Arteta did not hide his disappointment. "First of all you have to congratulate Man United for the victory," he said. "We were so dominant in the first half an hour, scored the goal, had another two brilliant chances, and then we give them a goal, which is very unusual from our side."

He added: "After that we dropped the standards with the ball and the game wasn't in our control. They had two magic moments. At 2-2 you could feel it was game on, but then one long ball, one pass, and Cunha scored. A very painful one."

Arteta insisted the focus must now be on learning from the defeat. "Defeats are part of winning," he said. "The players need to be reminded how good they are."