Man Utd's defending was like a Sunday League team against Arsenal

There was a passage of Manchester United defending against Arsenal on Wednesday night that wouldn't have looked out of place on Hackney Marshes.

With the scores locked at 2-2, the final 20 minutes saw kamikaze football from both teams, with great expanses of Old Trafford turf left open and any semblance of defensive organisation thrown out the window.

At one point, Arsenal attacked down the left with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was half-blocked off by Eric Bailly before Nemanja Matic sliced a clearance straight to Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

He returned it like a player feeding another silver ball into a pinball machine, Aubameyang spun into the United box and Bailly again tried to hack clear but landed flat on his backside.

The clearance went about 10 yards, straight to Hector Bellerin, who whipped it wide right to the completely unmarked Mkhitaryan. Three United defenders, totally caught unawares, race after him.

Ander Herrera dives in but ends up about three yards short of the ball, Matteo Darmian is simply brushed aside. Chris Smalling arrives too late to stop Mkhitaryan's low cut-back.

And because United's back line has drifted completely out of shape, their players rushing to the ball like bees to a honey pot, Lucas Torreira has been left completely unmarked.

Luckily David de Gea is equal to his effort, United somehow get away with their shambolic defending and take a point.

Neither side exaclty covered themselves in glory with their defensive organisation here, but United's problems at the back, evident from the start of the season, show little sign of improving.

It's an issue that's even affecting the usually unflappable De Gea, whose mistake gifted Shkodran Mustafi Arsenal's first goal.

The Gunners' second, an own goal by Marcos Rojo after Alexandre Lacazette had broke through, was another example of an endemic problem.

It's something that's very unlike United and something usually so alien for a Mourinho team. For years, both club and manager have prided themselves on defensive resoluteness.

Nineties United had Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce, the Treble winners had Jaap Stam alongside either Ronny Johnsen or Henning Berg. Sir Alex Ferguson's last great team was built on the rock of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Mourinho's Chelsea were so difficult to beat because they had John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho at the heart of their defence, while at Real Madrid Sergio Ramos and Pepe did all the defensive dirty work.

As pundit Tony Adams - someone who knows a thing or two about how to defend properly - said on BT Sport: 'Mourinho always sets his stall out, he gets a good defence, he gets a good goalkeeper, he had soldiers and he hasn't found that here.

'He's not set his stall out and there's no resilience. I see no resilience at United.'

Indeed, for United to still have a negative goal difference in the lead-up to Christmas is extraordinary. They have conceded 25 goals in the league alone - you have to go down to Cardiff City in 16th to find a worse tally.

What's more, there have been just two United clean sheets in the Premier League this season - in the 2-0 win at Burnley and the goalless home draw with Crystal Palace.

Otherwise there have been more leaks than Theresa May's beleaguered government.

In mitigation, injuries to defensive personnel haven't helped. Phil Jones is the latest defender on the treatment table, joining Victor Lindelof, Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw.

Rojo is only just back from a knee injury that ruled him out of the opening months of the campaign, while Chris Smalling is suffering from the after-effects of a fractured foot.

It does explain why Mourinho has made 46 changes to his team in 15 Premier League matches this season - eight more than the next highest, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Injuries or not, such a high quantity of changes has a negative impact on team cohesion and just fuels the impression that Mourinho is clueless about his most effective team.

It's little wonder the back line looks so unsettled and disorganised, the uncertainty transmitting from one player to another and resulting in such chaotic moments as on Wednesday night.

The two they let in against Arsenal means United have already conceded more goals at Old Trafford in the Premier League in seven home games this season than in the whole of last.

Mourinho will point to the fact he wasn't backed in the transfer market to strengthen his defence over the summer.

He repeatedly made it clear that United needed a world class centre-half and demanded the investment from his board to sign Leicester's Harry Maguire or someone of his ilk. But the money wasn't forthcoming.

With United a lowly eighth in the table and all hope of a title challenge gone, this increasingly looks like a major mistake.

In his first season at United, Mourinho won them the EFL Cup and the Europa League, returning them to the Champions League. Last season, they finished second behind City.

The expectation this year was to mount a sustained title challenge and reach the latter stages of the Champions League.

Instead, for one reason or another, United have regressed amid a backdrop of Mourinho discontent. Even reaching the top four is far from guaranteed.

United's decline is looking more terminal by the week. Witnessing the kind of muddled defending seen against Arsenal only confirms that suspicion.