United were unfortunate to lose against Arsenal. (Image: 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Plc)
Manchester United lost 1-0 in their opening Premier League game of the season against Arsenal.
Ruben Amorim’s hopes of a bright start to the new campaign were dashed when Arsenal struck first at Old Trafford in the 13th minute, capitalising on Altay Bayindir’s costly error from a corner.
Bayindir failed to properly connect with the corner, and Riccardo Calafiori was gifted an easy header at the back post. United responded well and created enough chances to equalise, but a breakthrough proved elusive.
Arsenal analysts were not happy
Two Arsenal analysts sat together in the press box, and one became particularly animated as United wrestled back control in the fixture after falling behind from a corner. There was even a moment when the Arsenal analyst reacted to a misplaced pass and lashed out at the desk in front of him.
Gabriel Martinelli squandered a simple counter-attack with an overhit pass to Martin Odegaard, drawing visible relief from Amorim on the touchline — though Arsenal’s analyst couldn’t mask his frustration at the move collapsing. Their irritation grew again when the Gunners were dispossessed late in the first half.
United had carved out enough chances to be level by the break, and Arsenal’s slender lead owed everything to Bayindir’s calamitous mistake. The frustration on the sidelines underlined a harsh truth: Arsenal were far from convincing on Sunday and could count themselves lucky to escape Old Trafford with all three points.
Same old story
There was a melee in the box with just a few minutes to play. United were desperately trying to score an equaliser and committed bodies forward, but it just wouldn’t go in for them.
Benjamin Sesko turned his effort over the bar, high into the Stretford End, and Amorim responded on the touchline by placing his hands on his head. United have spent close to £200million on their attack this summer, but the same problem existed against Arsenal: they couldn’t score. Having said that, United were the better side. There were signs of progress and positives to take, despite an opening day defeat.
Cunha is the crowd favourite
Matheus Cunha wasted no time making his presence felt in the dressing room following his move from Wolves. With his big personality and trademark South American fire, it was always likely the Brazilian would emerge as a fan favourite.
Cunha took his first real steps toward fan-favourite status against Arsenal. The Brazilian looked a constant threat and, just before the hour mark, roared at the Stretford End after an intense tussle with William Saliba.
The 26-year-old battled ferociously near the tunnel by the corner flag, winning the ball off Saliba before responding with a fierce fist pump to the crowd, who erupted in approval. Playing right on the edge, Cunha channelled the energy of Old Trafford as United chased an equaliser.
Crucially, he has the quality to match his fire. On his competitive home debut, Cunha impressed throughout and hardly deserved to finish on the losing side.
What exactly was Amorim expecting?
The United boss opted to start without a recognised striker against Arsenal. Although Sesko was fit and available, he remained on the bench as Amorim fielded a fluid front three of Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount, and Matheus Cunha.
The trio frequently interchanged and rotated through the middle, but the flaws of that gamble were clear in the first half — when Diogo Dalot drilled a ball across the box, only to find nobody waiting to finish it off.
Amorim was spotted shouting at Mount, who was positioned outside the box, but what did United’s head coach expect? He shouldn’t have been surprised to see Mount fail to think like a striker.
Sesko finally entered the fray in the 65th minute, yet the Slovenian struggled to make an impact so late on. Still, the story might have been very different had he been trusted from the start.
The directors’ box
Vram Glazer was back in the directors’ box on Sunday. The 64-year-old, who last appeared at Old Trafford for last season’s opener against Fulham, resurfaced for Arsenal’s visit.
Fan group The 1958 had originally planned an anti-ownership protest ahead of the match, but postponed the demonstration after canvassing opinion among supporters.
Whether Glazer’s presence was linked to that decision remains unclear, though his appearances in Manchester have been deliberately scarce in recent years.
Rasmus Hojlund was among those seated in the directors’ box. The striker was dropped from the squad and is being ruthlessly shown the door by Amorim after taking huge backward steps last season.
JJ Gabriel was also seen in the directors’ box against Arsenal. The youngster is just 14 years old, but there is a buzz at United about his potential, and the invite to watch the game shows how highly he is regarded.