The corner from Ashley Young was flat, with good pace, and into a dangerous area. Harry Maguire was occupying two Arsenal defenders close in, Paul Pogba was easily winning his duel with Sead Kolasinac and Matteo Guendouzi was busy tugging back Axel Tuanzebe.



Nobody had spotted 6ft 3in Scott McTominay jogging into space late, so he had a free header six yards out. As McTominay rose, the ball seemed destined to go in. But he got his connection slightly wrong and it flew over.



And with that, the lengthiest run in the Premier League without a goal from a corner or indirect free-kick went on. It is now 218 days since United last scored from a set-piece, not including penalties. No top-flight club has been forced to wait longer.



“You wouldn’t mind scoring a few goals on set-plays,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of the Arsenal match when asked about United’s scoring record generally. United’s manager is clearly aware of the trend and...