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IT was a performance that would have pleased Ruben Amorim but a 1-1 draw with Arsenal does little to paper over the cracks at Manchester United.On a day when the Old Trafford crowd protested the owners, the players stood up to show their remains life in a club that fans say is experiencing a “slow death”.Bruno Fernandes fired in a stunning free-kickCredit: GettyIt was a much-improved performance from UnitedCredit: APJoshua Zirkzee had another tough day leading the lineCredit: GettyThere was a lack of clear-cut chances in the opening 45 minutes as both sides goalscoring troubles continued.A moment of magic was needed and Fernandes stepped up as he so often does.Alejandro Garnacho was fouled on the edge of the box to give United a free-kick in the skipper’s range.Arsenal’s wall was full of man mountains, but Fernandes found the power, dip and accuracy to beat David Raya between the sticks – even if the wall was marched 11.2 yards back instead of the regulated ten.Mikel Arteta’s side came out swinging in the second-half but with a makeshift No9 up top, United were able to frustrate them and remain a threat on the counter.Noussair Mazraoui had a huge chance saved by Raya in a wing-back to wing-back move that would have pleased Ruben Amorim.But United’s defence was eventually breached by a brilliant effort from Declan Rice.More chances fell to both sides, Rasmus Hojlund and Gabriel Martinelli coming close to winning it before Fernandes drew a fantastic stop from Raya in the dying embers.CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThe Red Devils eventually had to settle for a point in a much-improved performance.Here is how SunSport’s Martin Blackburn rated the United performances.Thousands of Man Utd fans launch furious protest march at way club is ‘slowly dying before our eyes’ANDRE ONANA – 6Good early save from Odegaard’s shot and a flying second half tip over from the Norwegian.Confident catch from a corner but then as he tried to take a quick goal kick he played it straight to an Arsenal player. He put his next kick straight out of play and was teased for the rest of the day by the visiting fans.Just about sums up the Cameroon’s time at United – sometimes great but with some head-scratching moments thrown in. Erratic. 6MATTHIJS DE LIGT – 8Got away with an early error which could have been costly. Also involved in a painful clash with Merino.Dutch international has shown why United signed him in recent weeks. Crucial clearance over his own bar when Martinelli was poised to equalise.Gave away free-kick with foul on Lewis Skelly that could have proved costly but also could have won it, only for his header from Garnacho’s free-kick to lack power and direction. 8VICTOR LINDELOF – 6Looks destined for the Old Trafford exit this summer but has been thrust back into the team in recent weeks.Stray pass put Arsenal on a counter attack late in the first half but the Swede can be pleased with his performance in the back three.Lung-busting run from the back teed up Garnacho for a late chance to win it but he fired his shot over the bar. 6LENY YORO – 6Needed treatment early on and looked to be feeling the effects for most of the first half and at times the young Frenchman was noticeably limping.Question marks over whether it was wise to soldier on with the injury list and a bigger game coming up on Thursday.But he had some important interceptions before it was decided he could not continue at the break – when he was replaced by Ayden Heaven. 6NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI – 6Showed his versatility by switching to wing-back after playing at centre-back in recent weeks.What a moment it could – and should – have been as he met Dalot’s cross first time only to be denied by the legs of Raya.Currently fasting due to Ramadan but did not lack energy up and down his wing and did his bit defensively. 6BRUNO FERNANDES – 8The skipper tends to be at the heart of all United’s best work.Clever play to tee-up Garnacho but his angled shot drifted wide.Showed his quality with the free-kick just before half-time – whipping it over the wall and beyond Raya.Also could have edged it right at the death but was denied by Raya. 8CASEMIRO – 7United fans might have feared the worst when they saw the midfield selected.Arsenal had most of the ball for much of the game but he showed his experience to help keep clear chances to a minimum.Early foot in to deny Rice, did well to get in the way of Odegaard’s free-kick. 7DIOGO DALOT – 6Portuguese was making his 200th appearance for United.Hung up a super cross to the back post which Mazraoui should have scored to put the home side two up – but Raya denied him.Some feel the Portuguese needs to take more risks when he goes forward but he did his bit defensively to help keep the Gunners at bay.Wasted a late chance to put a good cross in during stoppage time. 6CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN – 5Drafted in so goal shy forward Hojlund could be taken out of the firing line.The former Spurs man would have loved to make an impression against the Gunners but playing him in a more advanced role did not really work.Amorim chose to take him off in favour of the fresh legs of Collyer soon after the equaliser – knowing United needed some new impetus. 5ALEJANDRO GARNACHO – 7Better from the Argentine who has lost his way in recent weeks.Cross shot beat Raya but drifted wide in the first half but then won a free-kick on edge of box when his surging run ended with a foul by Trossard.Also supplied the cross that De Ligt headed straight at Raya as both sides searched for the winner. 7JOSHUA ZIRKZEE – 5A typically frustrating first half from the Dutch forward as nothing he tried seemed to come off. Was also shrugged off the ball too easily.Attempted a cheeky back heel as he got on the end of Garnacho’s cross but Raya stuck a big right hand out to deny him.Would have been a big moment for him but instead he was subbed as soon as the Gunners equalised and replaced by Hojlund. 5SUBS:AYDEN HEAVEN for Yoro 46 – 6Prem debut as a second half sub – ironically against his former club and did well. 6RASMUS HOJLUND for Zirkzee  76 – 6Golden chance to win it but dallied too long. 6TOBY COLLYER for Eriksen 76 – 6Gave United a bit more energy in the closing stages. 6 More

DECLAN RICE twice spared Arsenal from the embarrassment of defeat by lowly Manchester United with a wicked equaliser and a brilliant saving tackle. But on a day when the Old Trafford crowd swung from mutiny towards hope, it now looks increasingly likely that Liverpool will equal United’s record of 20 top-flight titles this side of Easter.Bruno Fernandes scored a brilliant freekick to put Manchester United aheadCredit: APThe captain was passionate with his celebrationCredit: PADeclan Rice levelled the scores in the 74th minuteCredit: RexIt was his second career goal against Man UnitedCredit: GettyArne Slot’s men lead the depleted Gunners by 15 points and there is nothing to suggest Arsenal can make a fight of it – with Ruben Amorim’s team roused by a Bruno Fernandes free-kick in first-half injury time before they produced an unexpected second-half display of ambition and drive.Rice’s belting equaliser was Arsenal’s first Premier League goal in four and a half hours – and the England midfielder still had to pull off an expert challenge to deny Rasmus Hojlund a first goal in 20 games. Before kick-off an estimated 5,000 protestors had marched on Old Trafford, mostly dressed in black to represent the ‘slow death’ of United under the ownership of the Glazers and Ineos.But after a first half of further protests, the former Theatre of Dreams was roused by an impressive second-half showing from United. READ MORE MAN UTD NEWSIt was probably the most irrelevant United-Arsenal fixture of the Premier League era, with Arsenal’s pursuit of Liverpool clearly a wild goose chase, while Amorim’s side cannot realistically be relegated nor qualify for Europe. Sky’s pre-match montage of highlights from the Fergie-Wenger years only served to underline the modest fare they were serving up. The 7-1 humping of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday had improved the mood music for the Arsenal.  While Arteta’s team are without an authentic centre-forward, United left their one, Rasmus Hojlund, on the bench after a run of 19 appearances without a goal. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSMikel Merino continued as Arsenal’s falsie, with Gabriel Martinelli fit enough to start on the bench after injury.Did United need three central defenders to mark Merino? It didn’t seem so, but Amorim is fixated on his so-called 3-4-3, which looked very much like a back five here.Roy Keane fears Man Utd will get WORSE and reveals biggest red flag that could spell the end for Ruben AmorimArsenal have fallen 15 points behind league leaders LiverpoolCredit: GettyRuben Amorim can be happy with the pointCredit: PADeclan Rice made a match saving tackle on Rasmus HojlundCredit: GettyMerino did whistle a shot wide after Martin Odegaard had played a rapid one-two with Declan Rice.  But it was insipid, low-rent stuff all round, the home supporters only becoming animated when chants of ‘Stand up if you hate Glazers’ swept around Old Trafford like a mutinous Mexican wave. Arsenal fans sang about having won the league here, not that many of them were old enough to remember 2002. United’s gameplan appeared to be sit deep and if you get the ball, give it to Alejandro Garnacho because at least he can run fast.Leandro Trossard cut inside and drilled wide of the far post but mostly it was dreadful.Arsenal passed it around a lot, United stood there in a line of five with another line of three or four in front of them and everyone started to drift off. But then in first-half injury time, Garnacho went on one of his runs and Trosard upended him 25 yards from goal.For all the gulf in class between these two teams, Fernandes can still strike a dead ball and David Raya is still susceptible to being beaten by direct free-kicks. Leny Yoro was forced off with injuryCredit: ReutersRaya denied Joshua Zirkzee a goalCredit: AFPGabriel Martinelli forced a solid save from Andre OnanaCredit: PAFernandes was also stopped from scoring a dramatic late winnerCredit: ReutersArsenal’s keeper didn’t seem overly concerned, his starting position was too close to the far post and his dive was superfluous as Fernandes curled his shot over the Arsenal wall. At half-time, former Arsenal kid Ayden Heaven replaced the injured Leny Yoro to boos from the away end.Soon, Martin Odegaard lashed a long-range shot which Andre Onana tipped over, before Rice’s volley cleared the bar from the resulting corner.Having taken their shock lead, United actually started to commit bodies forward.Joshua Zirkzee released Diogo Dalot down the left and he produced a lofted cross for his fellow wing-back Noussair Mazaroui to volley, Raya sticking out a foot to save from point-blank range. Suddenly it felt like a proper game of football and United’s fans were roaring on their team rather than complaining about the ownership.One crunching tackle from Matthijs de Ligt – who has been a rare positive in recent weeks – almost took the roof off the Stretford End. Arteta sent on Martinelli and Myles Lewis-Skelly but United were still pouring forward and a deflected Garnacho cross located Zirkzee who improvised a back-heeled effort which Raya saved.Lewis-Skelly, advancing from left-back was cut down by De Ligt on the edge of the box but Odegaard’s free-kick couldn’t clear the wall.Heaven somehow got away with handling the same cross three times in his own box without conceding a penalty.But 16 minutes from time, the equaliser arrived when Jurrien Timber darted down the right unchallenged and cut back for Rice to thrash home a shot in off the far post. Hojlund arrived for United, while Arteta sent on yet another left-back, Kieran Tierney, shoving Lewis-Skelly into central midfield. Merino lofted a pass to Marinelli, who shot on the gallop, forcing Onana to push wide.READ MORE SUN STORIESThen Arsenal got in a tangle trying to play out from the back and Merino’s stray pass invited Hojlund to score – yet he hesitated and Rice executed an excellent tackle to extend the Dane’s goal drought to 20 games.Fernandes then forced a brilliant double-save from Raya in the dying seconds.Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated figure as the title appeared out of his hands yet againCredit: Getty More