Manchester United opened their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Despite a promising performance, Manchester United have taken zero points from their Premier League opener with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side were second best for most of the clash, but Riccardo Calafiori’s goal from a corner proved to be the difference.
New signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were both included in Ruben Amorim’s first starting XI of the season, while Benjamin Sesko had to wait until the second half for his first minutes as a Red Devil.
Bryan Mbeumo in action for Manchester United vs Arsenal in the Premier League.
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Set piece problems… again
In one of Ruben Amorim’s first matches in charge, United conceded two set pieces against Arsenal as the Red Devils suffered a 2-0 defeat in North London.
Amorim pointed out that his side needed to improve from set-piece positions, but it was once again United’s undoing against the Gunners.
Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring from an Arsenal corner after United had started incredibly well. There will be plenty of questions asked of Altay Bayindir after he flapped at the cross, and Amorim will be seething that his players still haven’t found a way to deal with Arsenal’s dead-ball situations.
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha impress
Amorim’s first starting XI of the season did not include £66m signing Benjamin Sesko, but star signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo were both involved from the beginning.
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United started brightly and both new signings looked lively. Mbeumo was a handful for Arsenal’s left-hand side, often getting the better of Calafiori one-vs-one.
Cunha has already showcased his ball-carrying ability, and United’s new No.10 went on a few dizzying runs through Arsenal’s defence.
Amorim will still be wanting more from both of the newcomers, but the signs are promising.
Ineos still have work to do
The four new additions to Amorim’s side have taken summer spending north of £200 million, but there is still work to do for Ineos.
Andre Onana was left out of the matchday squad by Amorim, and his replacement, Bayindir, was anything but convincing.
United continue to be linked with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Senne Lammens, but Sunday’s performance proved that Ineos need to take action sooner rather than later.
If Amorim is not sold on Onana being his No.1, then Ineos should urgently bring in a goalkeeper before the window slams shut.
Benjamin Sesko’s Man United debut
One of the leading storylines heading into this match was Benjamin Sesko facing Viktor Gyokeres, but ironically, they never shared the pitch at the same time.
Sesko waited until the 65th minute to make his debut, coming on for Mason Mount as a substitute.
The 6ft 5in Slovenian was immediately a big presence up front for United, but unfortunately, a chance never fell his way for a debut goal at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim makes Matthijs de Ligt decision
There were several interesting selection decisions for Amorim to make against Arsenal given the refreshing amount of depth in his squad.
One point of interest was the central defender in the back three, with Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire both enjoying minutes there in pre-season.
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But when the big moment came, it was De Ligt who was given the nod to start, and the Dutchman put in a superb display, keeping Gyokeres well out of the action.
If it is a sign of things to come, fans can expect De Ligt to be United’s go-to defender this season, while Maguire might have to settle for a rotational option.