Jesse Lingard's brace helped Manchester United overcome a Paul Pogba's red card to seal a 3-1 win against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Jose Mourinho's side took the lead after just four minutes when Antonio Valencia took advantage of a poor Laurent Koscielny pass to slot an opening goal past Petr Cech.

The visitors doubled down on their fast start when Lingard took the ball off Shokdran Mustafi, linked up superbly with Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial before finishing the move off himself on 11 minutes.

An end-to-end first-half saw Arsenal create plenty of chances, but fail to beat an inspired David de Gea in the opposition goal.

Valencia fires his early opener (
Image:
Reuters)

Arsene Wenger's men did finally find a way past the Spaniard when Alexandre Lacazette scored shortly after the break, but Lingard scored a vital third just after the hour mark.

Paul Pogba was handed a straight red card after 74 minutes for a studs-up challenge on Hector Bellerin, but the visitors held on for the win in a thrilling contest.

The Pogba red was the only blot on the Red Devils' copybook, as the Frenchman will now miss next weekend's Manchester derby.

1. Lingard justifies his selection

United were ahead in the first five minutes (
Image:
AFP)

He was often Manchester United’s fall guy, but Jesse Lingard has proven his worth to his side.

This was without a doubt his best performance of the season - and completely justified his selection by Jose Mourinho.

Some fans were left baffled when Lingard was selected midweek against Watford, but a sterling performance justified his pick and he kept his place for the visit to Arsenal.

Lacazette puled one back for the Gunners after half-time (
Image:
REUTERS)

It will be hard to drop him for the derby next week, after a brilliant display in tough surroundings.

Two goals, adding to his midweek strike, was no less than he deserved from the No.10 role.

2. Pogba puts City on red alert

Pogba's studs land on Bellerin's leg (
Image:
Laurence Griffiths)
Pogba saw red for the challenge (
Image:
Julian Finney)
The Frenchman will miss the Manchester derby (
Image:
Julian Finney)

Paul Pogba saw a straight red card for a stud-high reckless challenge on Hector Bellerin.

Up until that point the Frenchman was having a good game, doing brilliantly to set up Jesse Lingard's second goal and Manchester United's third.

Following his dismissal Pogba walked away from the referee clapping, which could see him in further trouble. In the end the red card mattered little to the game's outcome, but it matters a lot for United's next three games.

United's star midfielder will now miss the Manchester derby next weekend as well as subsequent clashes against Bournemouth and West Brom.

3. Koscielny endures night of horrors

Lingard celebrates his first (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

Laurent Koscielny has distinguished himself as one of the Premier League's most outstanding defenders but tonight he showed an alarming inability to make the correct decision. An atrocious night stemmed from a woeful cross-field pass that was picked off before a neat move culminated in Antonio Valencia smashing in the opener.

Lingard celebrates his second goal (
Image:
AFP)

Manchester United regularly dragged the France centre-back out of position to hurry him before ruthlessly exposing his ill-judged positioning. The Gunners stood little hope with Koscielny exposed once again by defending too tight to Paul Pogba, who casually rolled him inside the box before squaring to Jesse Lingard for his second of the night.

4. De Gea steals show with superhuman saves

De Gea made a series of key saves (
Image:
AFP)

Lingard was awarded BT's man of the match award but it was David De Gea who really stole the show. Even by the Spaniard's own exceptionally high standards, this performance left fans of both sides open-mouthed.

His double save in the second half from Lacazette and then Sanchez was the equivalent of a goal from the halfway line. De Gea kept Arsenal at bay throughout the crucial periods - this win would not have been possible without him.

5. Familiar feeling for Arsenal fans

Arsenal squandered a series of chances (
Image:
REUTERS)

The atmosphere at the Emirates, so often criticised, was sensational on Saturday.

They carried their team when they were two goals down and brought them back into the game. Unfortunately for the Gooners, though, the exceptional atmosphere did not lead to an exceptional result. Another game against a top six team, another defeat.

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