Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson aimed a brutal jibe at Manchester United’s fans following the Red Devils’ 3-2 victory against Arsenal.
On Sunday (January 25), Mikel Arteta’s side saw the gap between themselves, Manchester City and Aston Villa reduced to four points after a shock home defeat to Michael Carrick’s Manchester United.
Arsenal took the lead just before the half-hour mark when Lisandro Martinez cleared Martin Odegaard’s strike into his own net.
But United levelled things just eight minutes later when the composed Bryan Mbeumo finished past David Raya to register his ninth goal since arriving from Brentford in the summer.
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The away side then took the lead on 50 minutes when Patrick Dorgu unleashed a powerful left-footed strike from outside the box, leaving the Emirates stunned.
However, the league leaders hit back through Mikel Merino, who scrambled the ball home, making it 2-2 with six minutes left to play.
And many would’ve expected Arsenal to be the likely winner given their league position, but against all odds, second-half substitute Matheus Cunha curled a powerful shot home with three minutes of normal time to play to secure an important three points for Carrick’s side.
United went fourth ahead of fifth-place Chelsea by one point, while Arsenal remain top, four points ahead of City and Villa, who both won their respective matches against Wolves and Newcastle over the course of game week 23.
Several fans and pundits - including Gary Neville and Roy Keane - were critical of Arteta’s approach, with the former United right-back describing Arsenal’s in-game management as “terrible” when speaking on Sky Sports after the match.
Keane homed in on the fact that home fans inside the Emirates seemed “nervous” and focused on “not losing” rather than going for the victory.
"It's a bit like the Liverpool game here a few weeks ago,” Keane said.
“The fans seem nervous, as if they're afraid to embrace the challenge. They're more concentrating on not losing the game."
But it was the away fans who caught the brunt of well-known broadcaster Clarkson’s joke on X.
Shortly after the fixture, Clarkson posted: “Incredible home support for Man U.”
Of course, there is a running joke among fans that many residents of London support United due to their historical success rather than following a club based in the capital such as Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs.
United return to action at home against Marco Silva’s Fulham on February 1, while Arsenal face Kairat in their final fixture of the Champions League league phase at the Emirates on January 28.
Topics: Manchester United, Arsenal, Football, Premier League
Luke Davies