Giants Manchester United and Arsenal put each other to the test on opening weekend in a tightly contested match with physicality and a plethora of debutants on display. The score was Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal. Here are some key takeaways.
Arsenal were off the pace, but still achieved their objective. Before Mikel Arteta, it was decades since Arsenal bested Manchester United at Old Trafford and the goal was to take 3 points; something they couldn’t even achieve just last season. Despite being slightly off the mark, they still bagged the 3 points and will gladly accept that with tough roads ahead.
Manchester United look better than last season by quite a bit. 15th is a low bar, sure, but the players on the pitch seemed far more cohesive than the previous campaign. It could be the excitement of opening day, a clash with rivals Arsenal, or jitters from new signings or maybe even all of those, but United showed out and played better out of the two sides.
Arsenal are still defensive titans. The defense is what got Arsenal over the line tonight. A set piece goal scored by defender Riccardo Calafiori was what got them the goal ahead and the defense is what saw it out with Gabriel, Saliba, and David Raya being the standouts at the back. Criticism over a victory is a delicacy attributed to the gunners due to their backline.
Manchester United cost themselves the match. They lost the midfield battle to a stellar performance from Ødegaard and Zubimendi specifically but also the keeping error by Altay Bayindir directly led to the goal from Arsenal. Had they purchased positions where they genuinely needed more quality, I.E. goalkeeper and midfield, perhaps they would have fared better against the gunners.
The new signings were all not at their best. If you had to pick, Mbeumo and Zubimendi were solid for each side but none were really at their maximum output. Gyökeres, Cunha and Šeško off the bench were all lackluster. None of these signings didn’t show out today in a meaningful way and so we’ve yet to see what they can really do in the Premier League.