'Rolling back the years' was a phrase batted around a fair amount on Sunday afternoon. And, in fairness, Manchester United's meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates stadium was vintage.
It had all the staples of classics gone by - a fast-paced, intense affair between two sides playing some high level football. There was late drama, too.
Erik ten Hag ruefully saw his side fall foul to the staple of late drama, conceding to Eddie Nketiah in the 90th minute as their resolve was breached and they were made to leave North London emptyhanded.
Although, despite the dejection of conceding so late in a match, there is a sense of pride associated with the mettle shown by United.
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After all, Arsenal lead the way in the Premier League. And United, only a matter of months into their rebuilding process under Ten Hag, played their part in an almost retro contest against the side top of the table.
Last term, United shrunk against the leading sides in the league: they accumulated aggregate losing scorelines of 9-0 against Liverpool and 6-1 against eventual champions Manchester City.
Things have been different this season. Big game pedigree is starting to be rebuilt.
United beat City at Old Trafford just over one week prior to their late defeat to Arsenal, while they got the better of Mikel Arteta's men in the reverse fixture. Such has been Arsenal's consistency this term, that remains their only defeat in the league - one of only three instances that they have dropped points.
And, while they didn't take anything away from their trip to the Emirates in terms of points, United being so competitive on the road against a side so bulletproof in the league is laudable, especially when you consider the fact that they are a number of years behind in a similar rebuilding process.
Arsenal started in a sharp manner on Sunday afternoon, but United didn't shirk the challenge of matching that level. They quickly settled into the game in spite of Arsenal being propelled by a revitalised atmosphere at the Emirates, taking the game to the league-leaders.
There was some looseness in possession from United, but their intent was creditably evident, and there was no fear of being on the ball as was sometimes the case in higher magnitude matches in recent times.
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United matched their opposition's intensity and more, with this industry and drive embodied as they took the lead. After only 17 minutes, Arsenal found themselves behind for only the fourth time in the league this season - two of which have been against United.
Improvements in pressing have been noteworthy under Ten Hag, and it was an effective application of this that saw Bukayo Saka forced to play a dangerous pass inside to Thomas Partey under duress from Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, with the latter then intercepting the Arsenal midfielder's attempted out ball.
The ball did fortuitously hit Rashford and ricochet into Bruno Fernandes' path, but it was a case of making your own luck. From there, there was nothing fortunate. Rashford received the ball back from Fernandes, nutmegging Partey before taking two further touches to set himself before using his ball-striking prowess to finish low past Aaron Ramsdale from range.
Rashford's directness once again came to the fore as he broke down a firm defence with his effort, soon after forcing Ben White into a foul which saw him booked and subsequently withdrawn by Arteta at half-time.
United did, however, find themselves punished for a passage of sloppiness only seven minutes after scoring.
"It irritates me immensely how quickly they were allowed to score 1-1," Erik ten Hag said post-match. And there was no doubt United paid the price for a hint of complacency.
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Errors were lamented by Ten Hag, especially pertinent in relation to the first goal.
David de Gea's pass from a goal-kick saw Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and as a result the entire side, placed under pressure. A corner was consequently conceded, and following that, Arsenal were able to display their punishing quality.
The final move was slick, with intricate passing resulting in Granit Xhaka crossing to Nketiah, whose header was clinical. But, even then, United were disjointed at the back and left too much space for Arsenal to exploit.
Nketiah was ultimately left uncontested by Wan-Bissaka too. He has rightly been credited for recent improvements, but Wan-Bissaka remains positionally unaware at times; as good as he is one-v-one, his all-round defensive game, when you fact in flawed aspects such as defending at the back post, remains limited.
Technically, Wan-Bissaka still has room to improve, shown against a side of Arsenal's relentlessness. This compounded De Gea's poor pass choice prior to the equalising goal, which proved in itself that United's No.1 still has a considerable way to go in terms of refining his distrubution.
As much as Arsenal showed their quality, United could have avoided conceding the leveller. And they likely will have felt the same as Arsenal took the lead shortly after the break.
Bukayo Saka was a persistent threat, and he produced an exquisite left-footed finish from outside the penalty area to give his side the advantage. But it was all quite straightforward as Christian Eriksen failed to engage with Saka, affording him space to cut inside.
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"We started the game very well, scored, are leading, and then make so many mistakes that are actually unacceptable," Ten Hag added post-match.
Mistakes were prevalent, but United were unquestionably restricted by their personnel too. Casemiro's absence through suspension was telling, with Eriksen less protected in a midfield pivot role that doesn't necessarily come naturally to him, hence the struggle to defend against Saka and prevent Arsenal's second goal.
Eriksen does lack the industrious nature of a typical deeper-lying midfielder, and that can lead to him being overrun in higher tempo matches, as much as his technical ability is valuable.
It is evident that United would benefit from the acquisition of a more established No.8 able to carry out defensive duties reliably while also being able to dictate play. And, beyond that, a goalkeeper should come under consideration, while a non-stop-gap centre-forward is also a necessary acquisition.
De Gea looks set to sign a new deal at United, but he will have to prove he can adapt further than he already has under Ten Hag with regards to proactivity and ball-playing ability.
His shot-stopping ability cannot be faulted, and it was important against Arsenal. But he made some bizarre decisions beyond the pass prior to Arsenal's first half equaliser, including option to punch the ball when a catch was clearly the best option.
Wout Weghorst again proved himself viable as the short-term option sought after by United at the Emirates, linking play well and showing efficiency as a focal point; his defensive work - both tracking back and pressing - was effective, with five interceptions made the most of any player in a Premier League match at the weekend.
Again, this links to the fact they are behind Arsenal in terms of development, with further transfer windows required to build an idealistic squad. United are still in a period of some limbo; they have just done an excellent job at disguising this for large parts during the course of the season so far.
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The foundations are certainly there for Ten Hag. United, against a side of Arsenal's quality, still showed good intentions and produced some good patterns of play at times. And, when faced with adversity, they have shown they have collective spirit time and time again.
Only six minutes after finding themselves behind early in the second half, United responded through Lisandro Martinez, whose diving header following an Arsenal mix-up from a corner got enough purchase to prevent Gabriel from clearing the ball off the line.
Sporting a bandage after suffering a blow to his head against Crystal Palace, Martinez wheeled away in wild celebration with the away end in raptures. "It was amazing," Martinez said after the match.
His commitment went lengths to encapsulate the resistance United long showed defensively after finding the equaliser. Before scoring, he produced a goal-saving tackle. Afterwards, he was at the heart of a United defence showing newfound resolution.
Arsenal took the game by the scruff of its neck after being pegged back, with their pressure withstood by United for a significant period. But, just like against Palace the midweek prior, United did invite pressure and eventually paid the price.
It took until the final minute of regulation time for Arsenal to finally break down United for a third time, when Zinchenko's cross was bundled towards Nketiah to produce an instinctive finish from short range.
It did feel like vindication for Arsenal's dominance.
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United could be criticised for failing to sustain their level. But there are mitigating factors that saw them wilt later on.
Arsenal, for instance, had an entire week to prepare following the North London Derby. United, by contrast, had an inferior recovery time after facing Palace on Wednesday night.
There were accusations that United's game management was substandard, but they were restricted by a lack of huge depth and ideal personnel - both given the development gap between the sides and the absence of the likes of Casemiro - and also by the increasing levels of fatigue as the match progressed.
Based on improvements this season, it has been unusual that United have seen their level diminish as their last two matches have commenced. But you have to consider that they have played eight games in the last 27 days, which is equivalent to a match every 3.4 days.
Tiredness has almost certainly been a factor in United becoming passive and inviting pressure later in recent matches. They are becoming disadvantaged by scheduling - largely due to their own success in cup competitions - while other sides have longer breaks.
Anyway, the fact of the matter is that Arsenal are a better side right now.
United have gaps in their game, for instance their creation wasn't wholly consistent even amid a competitive showing; Arsenal managed a league single-game high 63 touches inside the United penalty area, while United only managed 12 touches in Arsenal's 18-yard box.
It is credit to United that the match was made to be so close, and it is definitely an excusable result given the quality of season Arsenal are having.
A league title was never in the offing for United this term, but they were by no means far away from the level of the league leaders. Without some avoidable lapses, the result could have been different. And when you consider mitigating factors detailed, the judgement on United cannot be too harsh.
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Perspective is important once again. Four points from a week of three matches including against City and Arsenal would have been taken beforehand. And, as that run concludes, United remain securely inside the top four.
The context is frustrating, with three points cumulatively squandered late in successive matches. But, even with that considered, it doesn't feel like momentum should have taken any significant hit.
United have three cup matches before they next feature in the league, so rhythm could be easily built back up over coming matches anyway.
Going toe-to-toe with the league leaders, and losing out only by fine margins and the need for some fine-tuning, should earn United more credit than it does criticism. The positives have to be taken, still so early in a rebuilding process.
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