Manchester United moved above Arsenal in the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-1 victory over their old rivals at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.

Kieran Gibbs turned the ball into his own net to open the scoring 10 minutes after the restart, while Wayne Rooney added a second for the visitors with five minutes left of normal time.

Olivier Giroud pulled a goal back in the fifth of eight minutes added time, but the Gunners could not find an equaliser in the closing stages as they slumped to a second consecutive defeat.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at an entertaining clash in North London.

Match statistics

Arsenal
Shots: 23
On target: 9
Possession: 61%
Corners: 11
Fouls: 12

Man Utd
Shots: 12
On target: 2
Possession: 39%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 8

Was the result fair?

Arsenal only really have themselves to blame for not winning this match, but even so defeat is very harsh on the Gunners. They could have feasibly been three goals up at half time and, while recent results suggest that may not be a watertight lead for Arsene Wenger's side, it would have left United with a monumental task and forced them into more risks.

As it was, the Red Devils scored in fortuitous circumstances against the run of play as Antonio Valencia's drilled effort bounced off Gibbs and in, and from that point on they could sit back and look to hit on the break. Arsenal always looked as if they would be susceptible to a counter as they poured men forward, and that was exactly how the second goal came.

Giroud's strike came out of the blue as he lashed a magnificent effort into the top corner, but the hosts could not find a second despite a lengthy period of injury time. Arsenal certainly had the chances to win this game, but their lack of cutting edge - in addition to some inspired goalkeeping - saw them miss out on another three points.

Arsenal's performance

Arsenal came out firing in this match, making a bright start to the game and dominating the opening half an hour or so. They had United on the back foot almost relentlessly, and the only thing missing from their performance was a goal. They had the chances, with Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez among those to have shooting opportunities in that time.

However, they were wasteful in front of goal and, while their pressing off the ball and passing were good, it all fell apart in the final third. They started the second half brightly too, but the Gibbs own goal changed things and Arsenal struggled to find a way through as United contented themselves with sitting back and protecting the lead.

The Gunners had to take risks and in the end were fortunate not to lose by more than a goal after they allowed United the freedom of their half on the break. There were positives for the hosts - such as a goalscoring return from injury for Giroud - but the negatives far outweigh them today. It is another defeat in a big game and now their worst start to a season since 1982.

Man Utd's performance

Quite how United reached half time still in the match, yet alone still goalless, Louis van Gaal will still be trying to work out. Arsenal were carving through the visitors' defence almost at will in the opening half an hour or so, with United's back three struggling to deal with the Gunners' high-tempo start to the match.

However, hold out they did, thanks largely to David de Gea, and they got the slice of luck that they perhaps needed with the opening goal. That enabled Van Gaal to invite the pressure from Arsenal and hit them on the break, which ultimately led to the winning goal. It could have even been more late on as Angel di Maria missed a sitter, but, once Giroud halved the deficit, they saw out the game professionally.

Having been swept aside by many of the big teams last season, a victory away to one of their top-four rivals is a huge result for United. They certainly rode their luck at times this afternoon, but they emerged with a first away three points under Van Gaal and will be delighted with that.

Sports Mole's man of the match

David de Gea: Rooney may have clinched what proved to be the winning goal, but United may well have been dead and buried by half time if it was not for De Gea. The Spaniard made one fine stop to deny Wilshere in the first half, although the Arsenal man should have scored, while he also made a string of fairly routine but still important saves to keep his side in it. He was denied a clean sheet late on and perhaps could have done better with Giroud's effort having got a hand to it, but even with that it was a match-winning performance from the keeper.

Biggest gaffe

Di Maria deserves a mention for fluffing a glorious chance to make it 3-0 late on, but Wilshere was guilty of an even worse miss in the first half. The England man burst into the box and only had De Gea to beat from close range, but the keeper guessed the right way and saved it. Credit should go to the Spaniard, but Wilshere really should have scored.

Referee performance

These matches perhaps lack the spice that they once had, with Mike Dean only having to dish out three yellow cards this afternoon. He did, however, choose to ignore an apparent Wilshere headbutt on Marouane Fellaini in the first half, which could have easily been a red card.

What next?

Arsenal: A tricky week gets even harder for the Gunners on Wednesday as they host Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates.

Man Utd: United, meanwhile, will look to make it three wins on the bounce at home to Hull City on Saturday.