Jose Mourinho: 'So finally, I lost against Arsenal...'

Just when it seemed Mourinho would again prevail in his long-standing feud with Arsene Wenger thanks to a second-half Juan Mata goal, Olivier Giroud popped up to head home fellow substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross in the rarest of Arsenal attacks.

Injury-hit United had largely dominated proceedings and looked set to bring relief to Mourinho after an inconsistent start to the season when Mata struck in the 68th minute, finishing sweetly from Ander Herrera's cut-back.

And the nature of the draw left the Portuguese lamenting his side’s inability to hold on, saying that it felt like another defeat.

"Of course, it is two points dropped. We were the best team by far. They had no chances to win. They could not be Arsenal the way they normally play football," Mourinho said.

He added: "So finally, I lost against Arsenal."

In a game that never reached the peaks of the fixture that was once the league's defining contest, there could be little consolation for Mourinho in improving his unbeaten league record against Wenger to 12 as Arsenal stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17.

"This team at the moment is the unluckiest team in the Premier League," Mourinho added. "That is the reality."

The result leaves United in sixth place on 19 points, six points shy of Arsenal who occupy fourth.