Manchester United vs. Arsenal score: Ronaldo nets 800th goal as Michael Carrick resigns from club after win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 800th goal as Michael Carrick's lame duck role ends in success

Manchester United picked up a 3-2 victory in an absolute belter that featured Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 800th goal for club and country and Michael Carrick leaving the club immediately after the final whistle following his lame duck caretaker managerial spell as Ralf Rangnick prepares to take over. For Arsenal, it was a missed opportunity to break into the top four after West Ham's draw with Brighton but they put up quite the fight. 

Arsenal opened the scoring early via a strike from Emile Smith Rowe in the 13th minute. With David De Gea down in net, Smith Rowe fired and didn't miss. The goal initially wasn't given because Martin Atkinson thought De Gea was fouled but after VAR review it was clear that Fred stepped on his foot causing him to go down. Arsenal pushed the pace for most of the half but weren't able to take control of things and it came back to bite them right on halftime. 

Fred taketh away and he giveth. His no-look backheel gave Bruno Fernandes an easy finish for the equalizer. This ended a 15-match scoreless streak in all competitions for Fernandes after his goal against Newcastle in Matchday 4. While he has assisted plenty of goals since then, Ralf Rangnick will want him to be dangerous shooting again as well. 

After the half, things really took off as Ronaldo was played in by Marcus Rashford taking advantage of Nuno Tavares being caught up field in the 52nd minute. Arsenal answered back only two minutes later as the United defense wasn't tracking Martin Odegaard who didn't miss when Gabriel Martinelli found him in space. Ronaldo got another from the spot in the 70th as Odegaard fouled Fred in the box and a penalty was awarded after going to VAR again. Ronaldo smashed it down the middle leading to the final scoreline.

Now, Michael Carrick can ride into the sunset and exit the club with his head held high knowing that he defeated Villarreal and Arsenal whole also drawing Chelsea to avoid a disastrous slide for United before Rangnick takes over this weekend. Mikel Arteta will want to drill the defense but it was also good for Arsenal to be competitive in this match as it shows growth.

Here are three takeaways from the match:

1. Has Carrick heard whispers of new opportunities?

While Carrick has said that his decision to leave the club is because he wants to spend time with his family, considering how he has done in the role, it is only natural to speculate what may be next for him. With Everton slide to 15th place in the league, it would be natural to suspect that there may have been whispers if Rafa Benitez doesn't turn things around. In his post-match interview, Carrick reiterated that the decision is his own and that he doesn't have future plans lined up yet but that could change quickly. While this does give Ralf Rangnick a clean slate taking over, the loss of Carrick due to his relationship with the club and players could mean that he will take more time settling in than expected.

2. What to make of the Arsenal midfield?

Whenever Mikel Arteta starts a conservative midfield pairing, things don't go well for Arsenal. The issue earlier in the season was playing Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey together, but on Thursday Mohamed Elneny was Partey's partner as Albert Sambi Lokonga was rested. The two combined for 163 touches between them creating one chance and shooting twice with none being on target. Even if they were brought in for defensive purposes, things don't look much better with only 10 ball recoveries and United scoring three goals. It would've been a good day to try Odegaard in a deeper role as Arsenal were unable to move the ball through the middle of the pitch being so conservative. 

3. United have a mountain to climb but that'll do

The battle for top four is a serious one with four teams being three points or fewer off of West Ham. With a loss to Arsenal, United would've been further off the pace. Instead, they can now begin their charge as the schedule opens up in a big way. Over the next five matchdays, United will play Crystal Palace, Norwich, Brentford, Brighton, and Newcastle. Don't blink because the new manager bounce could put United in the top four before we know it if the players perform to their potential. They're off the pace for getting into the title race but thanks to astute management from Carrick, top four is very much within reach.

[Dec 2, 2021 at 4:46 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Ronaldo from the spot 3-2 United!

That's three for United as VAR gives a penalty for a foul on Fred in the box.

[Dec 2, 2021 at 4:41 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Aubameyang delivers a shot on target but he had better options in attack there.