WHAT DID MATHEUS CUNHA SHOUT INTO THE CAMERA AFTER HIS 87TH-MINUTE WINNER?
Matheus Cunha hails Arsenal as the world’s best despite scoring the winner in Manchester United’s 3-2 thriller at the Emirates.
Matheus Cunha didn’t hold back after Manchester United’s dramatic win over Arsenal—he called the Gunners the “best team in the world.” United, still buzzing from their turnaround under Michael Carrick, managed to shock the Premier League leaders at the Emirates with a wild 3-2 victory.
Arsenal actually started strong. They even grabbed the lead thanks to Lisandro Martinez accidentally putting the ball in his own net. But before halftime, Bryan Mbeumo squared things up. Then the game went back and forth—Patrick Dorgu smashed in a stunner for United, but Mikel Merino bundled in an equaliser for Arsenal late in the match. At that point, it looked like Arsenal had the momentum. Instead, United went right down the pitch, and Cunha sealed it with a beautiful curling shot—one he’ll remember for a while.
The win cuts Arsenal’s lead at the top to just four points. Meanwhile, Manchester United leapfrog Liverpool and Chelsea into the Champions League spots.
Cunha was pretty proud of how United fought. “We showed real character and strength as a group,” he told BBC Sport. “Coming here, you know you’re facing the best team in the world right now. They’ve worked with Mikel [Arteta] for so long; they know every detail of his tactics. It’s always tough, but we’re united, and we play to win. That’s it.”
He also had a few words about Carrick’s influence since stepping in as caretaker. “He gets it. He’s been here and played here for years. He knows what Manchester United is supposed to feel like. He keeps telling us, ‘Everyone is against us,’ and that just pulls us tighter together.”
Carrick made a real impact fast. United beat Manchester City in their first game, and now they’ve taken down title favourites Arsenal. After the match, Carrick said, “It was a good day. We put everything into that game—really had to dig deep, especially early on. The boys deserve a lot of credit. We had setbacks, but we kept bouncing back. There’s a lot to like about how we played, even though we’re still new together. Against a team like Arsenal, you take every positive you can get and build from there.”
He finished with a nod to his players: “They’ve been fantastic. You can see what it means to them. The Emirates is a tough place to come, but we stuck with it, and, honestly, it feels amazing.”
STOPPAGE TIME SAVER: BENJAMIN SESKO RESCUES MICHAEL CARRICK’S UNBEATEN STREAK AT WEST HAM
Benjamin Sesko saved Manchester United with a 96th-minute flick after Tomas Soucek put West Ham ahead. Read the full 2026 report.
Manchester United left it late, grabbing a dramatic draw against West Ham at the London Stadium. Tomas Soucek seemed to have won it for the Hammers with his second-half goal, but Benjamin Sesko popped up in stoppage time with a clever finish to snatch a point for United, who’ve been on a good run. The first half really dragged. United couldn’t break West Ham down at all. Everyone in a claret shirt just sat deep. Luke Shaw came closest, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared his shot off the line.
After the break, things actually got interesting. Four minutes in, Soucek bundled one in from close range. Casemiro thought he’d levelled things up after an hour, but VAR ruled his header out for offside. Both teams had chances as the clock ran down, but it was Sesko who finally found the net deep into stoppage time, saving United right at the end.
Man United player ratings vs West Ham
Senne Lammens – 6
Came up big early to deny Summerville from a distance. No chance with Soucek’s goal.
Diogo Dalot – 4
Had a tough time with Summerville’s pace and kept giving the ball away. Picked up a needless yellow.
Lisandro Martínez – 6
Easily the most composed passer at the back, breaking lines a few times. Solid defensively for the most part.
Luke Shaw – 5
Almost scored in the first half, but his shot was cleared off the line. Then stepped out of position before Soucek’s goal, which cost United.
Casemiro – 7
Pretty solid in midfield—broke up play and timed his tackles well. Scored with a header, but it didn’t count.
Kobbie Mainoo – 6
Kept things ticking in the middle but couldn’t really hurt West Ham. Lost Soucek for the goal.
Amad – 5
Had a decent look before halftime but hit the side netting. Didn’t offer his usual spark.
Matheus Cunha – 4
Barely got involved. Dropped deep to get on the ball but didn’t do anything with it.
Bryan Mbeumo – 5
Ran hard, tracked back, and helped defensively, but didn’t threaten much in attack.
Joshua Zirkzee – 6
Came on for Maguire for the last 20 minutes and made a couple of crucial blocks as West Ham pressed for another.
Benjamin Sesko – 7
Subbed in for Cunha in the second half and poked home in stoppage time to grab United a point.
DISCOVER WHICH MANCHESTER UNITED STARS WILL MISS THE WEST HAM CLASH
Michael Carrick confirms Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt will miss Manchester United’s clash with West Ham as the win streak nears 5.
Here’s the latest on Man United’s injury list and who’s likely to return when they take on West Ham.
Man United head to the London Stadium on Tuesday night without three key players. All of them are still recovering. Michael Carrick, who’s already chalked up four straight wins since taking over, is aiming to stretch that run to five. United are right in the mix for a Champions League spot now, just three points off third-placed Aston Villa.
They’ll want to keep racking up points, but after the West Ham game, there’s nearly a two-week gap before they play Everton. That’s not enough time for any of the injured guys to make it back for West Ham, though Carrick’s hoping at least one of them will be ready for the Everton trip later this month.
So, who’s out? The same trio that missed the weekend win over the Spurs. None of them will feature in East London. De Ligt hasn’t played since beating Crystal Palace at the end of November. Carrick says it’s still too soon to predict exactly when he’ll be fit again.
Dorgu is dealing with a hamstring injury from the Arsenal match last month. He’ll be out for about two months and probably won’t return until after the March international break. Mount has already missed the last two games after picking up a small knock in training. He won’t make it in time for West Ham, but Carrick expects him back to face Everton.
“Mason probably won’t be ready for Tuesday, probably after, but definitely by the Everton game, he’ll be back,” Carrick told reporters before the match. “Matta, we’ll see how he gets on… the Everton game still feels a way off, so we’ll just have to watch his progress. He’s doing well, heading in the right direction, but Mason’s a bit closer.”