Manchester United must learn how to beat the best if they want to be the best once more. Neither they nor Arsenal may be the force of old, but both are still members of the Premier League's "big six" and, with the Gunners depleted through absentees, a 0-0 draw represents another missed opportunity for United, classified alongside a stalemate with Liverpool earlier this month.
And while it would be tempting to highlight Wednesday's defeat to Sheffield United as evidence of their fallibility, a more sustained pattern for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's has come in matches against their closest rivals; in six matches against Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal this season, United have yet to win, with four draws and two defeats.