Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said that he was "really proud" of his team for their performance in Sunday's Premier League clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were the better side for long stages of the game in Manchester and had a number of opportunities to find the back of the net, but wasteful finishing, coupled with the excellence of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, meant that the hosts were unable to register in their opening match of the new season.
A close-range Riccardo Calafiori header proved to be the difference between the two sides, as Man United started their 2025-26 campaign with a defeat.
However, Amorim was encouraged by what he saw from his side on Sunday afternoon, with the Portuguese revealing that he is "really proud" of his players despite the disappointment of the result.
Riccardo Calafiori and Declan Rice celebrate after scoring for Arsenal on August 17, 2025
Amorim "really proud" of Man United display vs. Arsenal
"I'm really proud of the guys. They were really brave in everything they did during the game. Congratulations for the performance. We deserved a different result and we need to move forward to the next one," Amorim told Sky Sports News.
"We were more aggressive than last year. We went one against one all the game and we pressed high. We had quality with the ball. Even when the stadium made some sounds, we continued to play the way we play.
"You always feel in the game they can do something not just with the ball but without the ball. I am proud of the game we played. We lost and have things to work on. We need to win games but that was completely different to last season."
When asked about the Arsenal goal, Amorim responded: "Sometimes it happened last year. It's not playing the ball. I understand we want goals but when you are touching the goalkeeper.
"Sometimes you are pushing and you don't have more hands to go for the ball. We need to be stronger. We are not changing the rules, we have to adapt to the rules. Today I think we are the better team.
"We have players to win any game of the Premier League. We need to focus and forget about the noise. It doesn't matter who is playing, we want to win games."
Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko on August 17, 2025
When are Man United next in action?
Man United will be aiming to bounce back from the opening-weekend defeat when they make the trip to Fulham next Sunday, before turning their attention to the League Cup and a clash with Grimsby Town.
The 20-time English champions will then finish the month of August with a home Premier League fixture against Burnley, and Amorim will be under pressure to deliver some wins in the early stages of the new season.
ID:579518:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4016:
No Data Analysis info