Arsenal’s point at Manchester United on Sunday may well be the one that seals third place and makes sure that the side don’t have to take part in the Champions League qualifiers.

Playing the same lineup in the league for the sixth game in a row, the Arsenal manager watched on as his side struggled to get involved in the game for the first 60 minutes.

Pulling off Santi Cazorla and Hector Bellerin, the boss shifted Aaron Ramsey into the middle, brought on Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott and the change was instantaneous.

Suddenly Arsenal were the stronger side and as United looked to tire it seemed like the Gunners could get all three points.

Alas, the slow start meant that there wasn’t enough time, so why did they start so poorly?

“We were a bit too timid,” Wenger told the press after the game. “Too conservative in our possession and a bit too far from each other as well. In the second half we were more compact and we had good opportunities on the counter. We were quicker and we had enough chances to win the game in the end.

“I am pleased with the performance. The only regret I have is that we didn’t take the three points in the second half. We started the first half slowly, Manchester United were sharper at the beginning, and we were a bit stretched as well width and length-wise.

“The second half we were more compact and we took over. We showed a great response and got a deserved point.”

The result does, however, mean that Arsenal need just a single point from their final two games, both at home (Sunderland and West Brom) and it’s hard not to think that the players might be turning their attention to Wembley.

“Satisfaction is always a tricky question. If they’d asked me in October [about finishing third] then I would have said yes. Overall of course you want to be first but 17 teams would exchange position with you. It is a continuity in our results and it is a platform to do better next season. That’s our aim.”