Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1: Aubameyang’s equaliser given by VAR in scrappy clash at wet and windy Old Trafford
STANDING 6ft 4ins and weighing in at 100kg, Harry Maguire is hard to miss.
Assistant referee Scott Ledger somehow did, mistakenly raising his flag for offside with Manchester United’s £85m defender right in front of him. Oops.
Arsenal played to the whistle, slicing through the empty spaces in Manchester United’s defence to merrily score the equaliser.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who admitted he was amazed to see the flag raised, finally got to celebrate his 58th minute strike after a VAR check.
His goal stood, rightly so after Arsenal came back into this game with a strong, competitive second half showing.
They had fallen behind, switching off when Scott McTominay put United in front after 45 minutes.
Aubameyang, with his remarkable early season form continuing with another quality finish, changed the storyline.
Arsenal kid Bukayo Saka suddenly turned into Kaka, releasing a lovely little ball for Auba to equalise 58 minutes in.
It stayed that way, no matter how ragged and heavy-legged they got towards the end of this chaotic fixture.
Whatever United and Arsenal lack in class these days, the spitefulness and rivalry that exists between them remains.
They are trying to rattle each other, trying desperately to evoke memories of those famous battles between these two clubs.
Not going to happen any time soon.
Anybody watching, Roy Keane for one, will readily tell you that Ole and Unai Emery are miles away from competing for titles.
United (last Premier League title win in 2013) and Arsenal (way back in 2004) will not be troubling the trophy engraver any time soon.
These two were once giants of the game, but they have been overtaken by better recruitment and better ideas elsewhere.
Even Arsenal’s legendary Vieira song is no longer belted out with the same ear-splitting conviction of yesteryear.
They are trying to live up to something intoxicating, falling back on the special memories of Keano and Vieira snapping and snarling at each other in the centre of midfield.
McTominay, despite his fine goal, versus Matteo Guendouzi in the boiler room all feels a bit under-whelming.
It took 27 minute before this fixture finally spluttered into life.
Rashford was yellow carded after flying through the air to catch Sokratis ankle high. It was a spiky, vicious, challenge.
There were a few skirmishes, with Andreas Periera, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard all booked for reducers on Matteo Guendouzi.
United were suddenly up for it, with Pereira taking the first shot of the game just before the half hour.
He ran and ran, finally getting an effort away that was saved by Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno.
The Gunners responded.
Saka had the vision to set up the Nicholas Pepe chance out on the right after 30 minutes.
Pepe, with the big chance to put Arsenal in front, spooned this one over.
Saka was finding his way into the game, forcing a save out of David De Gea that was followed up by the arrival of Guendouzi inside the area.
De Gea, reviving memories of his match-winning performances of the past, saved again.
Finally, this bang-average game of football was crackling into life.
United took the lead, scoring just before half-time when Daniel James drifted towards Arsenal’s penalty area.
Rashford could not meet his cross, but the United forward chased it down to lay off a pass into the feet of McTominay.
The United midfielder took a touch and then pinged his effort beyond Leno with his next.
He was helped by captain Granit Xhaka ducking, lowering his head instead of brazening it out on the edge of the area.
Got to stand there and take it full in the face in a fixture with a rivalry supposedly as fierce as this one, apparently.
Still, Arsenal came back for more in the second half.
Lucas Torreira’s last touch was his failure to connect with a cross when he was in front of goal.
Dani Ceballos, to the delight of Arsenal’s travelling fans, came on to replace him 54 minutes in.
Soon enough they were level, with Maguire playing these Arsenal boys onside in the chaotic scenes leading to the equaliser.
Saka spotted Aubameyang’s run and this clever Arsenal forward stretched his goalscoring streak with the equaliser.
With Auba hanging around, Arsenal have the luxurious advantage of a proper goal threat.
United, for all their approach work outside the penalty area, do not possess a player of his standing.
They have to do it differently, relying on set-pieces or chances created from other areas.
Young’s corners are still dangerous, whipped in from the right towards the towering figures of McTominay, Maguire or Victor Lindelof.
McTominay really should have scored with one of them, but he sent a free header over the bar.
Leno tipped over a Maguire effort and Paul Pogba’s chance, his first and only meaningful contribution, went wide.
It was yet more confirmation, as if it was needed, that these two famous clubs are long way from challenging for the title.
Based on this, they have raised the flag – a white one.