Young: Resilient Reds Did Homework On Arsenal

Ashley Young says Manchester United had to be resilient – and were a little fortunate – to be in a position to reap the rewards of a second-half counter-attacking plan at Arsenal.

En route to securing a first away win of the season, the Reds endured an early barrage from the Gunners and were thankful to David De Gea for a string of fine saves in the first period. Consequently confidence swelled after the interval and United were able to inflict a smash-and-grab 2-1 win.

"When you come to the Emirates you know it’s going to be a tough game and you’ve got to be resilient,” Young told MUTV. “We’re playing against an Arsenal team that play one-twos around the box but every man in our team defended well, from the forwards to the back line. When you get three points at Arsenal it’s a fantastic feeling, the dressing room was so happy.

“I think [resilience] is going to have to be [the key word]. Players like Paddy [McNair] and Tyler [Blackett] at the back were fantastic, and Chris [Smalling] as well. It's new for Tyler and Paddy to come to the Emirates but I thought they were great from the word go and it's not an easy job.

“Every man had to defend at some point and, in truth, we felt we were lucky to go in at half-time at 0-0. We came out in the second half and started to play, we got the goal and I didn't think Arsenal would score after that. We played on the counter-attack and got the second and might have got a third. We set out to get the three points and it's a great result.”

Attention to detail is vital on Louis van Gaal’s watch and United’s breakaway plans, cultivated beautifully in Wayne Rooney’s late goal, were not a spur of the moment thing. “We watched videos on Arsenal and you can see that you can hit them on the counter attack,” said Young. “That's why it was important to get the first goal. Once we got that goal there were chances to get even more. To get the win was brilliant.”

Rooney’s goal capped a great eight-day period for the United captain, after earning his 100th England cap and scoring three times on international duty.

"It's been a fantastic week for Wayne," added Ash. "I don't think he could have asked for a better week. It's always nice to see him going through on goal as you always fancy him to score and thankfully he did that. He was fantastic for the team but so were all the 11 players and the subs too.

"It was nerve-wracking towards the end and we were hoping to get the third goal. When you see Angel go through and miss, then Arsenal get one back, you start questioning the fourth official [for his timekeeping]! Thankfully we were resilient and made sure we won."

Ashley’s relatives were in the stadium, but as their allegiances lie with the Gunners, United's victory might not make him popular in the Young household for a while. "My family were up in the stands today, in the Arsenal end. But I'm not too bothered if they're not talking to me! They can talk to me tomorrow. It was brilliant to be involved. I didn't expect to be involved so early. We've got the three points and I'm happy with that."