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At the final shrill on Sunday, Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj dashed towards each other like lovers in a field, embraced and turned to the north stand, clenching their fists and revelling as the roars highlighted of Manchester United's season.

Battle-hardened United heroes from yesteryear evoke images of Joe Jordan, Norman Whiteside, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and, for sheer fanaticism, Gary Neville. Mata is unlikely to be remembered in the same vein as that band but at the weekend he emerged as one of the current United side's leaders.

Marcus Rashford will have awoken on Monday morning to more back page cuttings for his scrapbook and United's Twitter account listed Guillermo Varela and Ander Herrera behind him in their man of the match vote. Mata, though, was arguably United's finest performer against Arsenal.

Mata's pivotal role in all three goals was noteworthy but so was his work-ethic. He usually ends his blog posts with hugs when some United supporters would prefer he signed off with a tackle and happily described himself as a 'luxury player', however Mata's seniority was an essential ingredient for United's win over Arsenal.

Grit and guile epitomised United's triumph and Mata oozed both. Michael Carrick led from the back and Mata led the front.

He moved the ball diligently - 23 of Mata's 27 passes in the final third were successful - and he encouraged Memphis, another flaky forward whose gutsiness shone at the weekend, to peg back Hector Bellerin. Mata's intelligence was such that full-backs Marcos Rojo and Varela received the ball from him more than Rashford. Mata values the suppliers just as much as the finishers.

A fans' favourite, Mata's half-time arrival during the debacle against Southampton in January elicited the loudest cheer of the afternoon and he has started the eight games United have since played. Perhaps the spectre of Jose Mourinho has galvanised him.

Over the last month, Mata has played some of his best football at United in the role supporters hoped he would thrive in: the playmaker.

A month before Mata joined United, David Moyes insisted United had no interest in Ross Barkley since they already had a No.10 in Wayne Rooney. Mata had to settle for a role predominantly on the wings in his 12 games under the Scot, while Louis van Gaal did not appear to trust Mata in the playmaker position last season.

The Spaniard's poorest performances this term have come as the No.10. He was excellent in what Van Gaal dubbed the 'false right winger' in the spring last year but struggled when the Dutchman switched to 4-2-3-1 in August. This year something has clicked.

Mata has not been a liability in possession in recent weeks. At times this season, he was so ponderous on the ball he appeared to be paying homage to Dimitar Berbatov. The playmaker in any team has to quicken the game and Mata has, until recently, rarely done that behind the striker.

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Now, though, he has runners around him. Mata salvaged an otherwise nondescript personal night at Derby with the clincher in January and three days later was slick and productive in United's 3-0 victory over Stoke. Deservedly named man of the match at Chelsea later that weekend, he could not hide his disbelief at Diego Costa's late equaliser as he stumbled to his seat in the dugout, like a boxer punch-drunk from one blow.

One of the few who left Sunderland's bumpy pitch with a shred of dignity, Mata's risible challenge on Paul Onuachu allowed the Ugandan striker to score Midtjylland's winner.

It was testament to Mata's resilience he did not allow his penalty failure in the return leg to harm his performance. He proved on Thursday night he is becoming an increasingly forceful presence in his favoured role and against Arsenal he passed the acid test.

Van Gaal had deprived United of pace in his previous two defeats to Arsene Wenger's side. Mata started just one of those games but was a spectator in both and the absences of Chris Smalling and Anthony Martial made for a hushed and pessimistic atmosphere at Old Trafford. Mata helped transform it into optimism as the stadium made its loudest din since Martial's debut clincher against Liverpool.

The supporters did not chant Mata's name but he revelled in their roars.