Ruben Amorim admits Manchester United were the better team on the night vs Arsenal
Last season hurt Manchester United deeply. Finishing 15th in the Premier League, losing to Spurs in the Europa League final and then being knocked out of European competition for the 2025/26 season was a huge blow for any fan. Despite bringing in Ruben Amorim mid-season, hopes were dashed, and now the loss to Arsenal at the start of 2025/26 has reopened old wounds.
United did show some spark early on at Old Trafford on Sunday. The ball was moved quickly, and attempts were made to find a rhythm in attack. However, as time went on, everything fell apart. The biggest blow came when Altay Bayindir misjudged a simple corner and Riccardo Calafiori headed the ball into the net. Amorim then brought on Benjamin Sesko, but the equaliser did not come. Bryan Mbeumo created two chances, one a bicycle kick that went wide and the other a header that was saved by David Raya.
Amorim’s words about the goal that they conceded
After the match, Amorim said via BBC that Arsenal’s goal was the result of the same problem that was seen repeatedly last season. He believed that the team was not strong enough when the goalkeeper was under pressure. Amorim asked the players to learn from their mistakes. The Portuguese manager felt that United played better in the match, but the mistakes proved costly. He made it clear that the squad has the ability, and if the distracting external voices are ignored, then this team can win any Premier League match.
Ruben Amorim admits Manchester United were the better team on the night vs Arsenal.
Amorim will now have to show confidence not just with words, but with results
“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.”
Now the question arises whether United was really the better team in this match. As fans, we think there is little confidence in what Amorim says, but Arsenal used the opportunity, and that is what made the difference. Altay Bayindir’s mistake cannot be ignored. His hesitation on the corner gave Calafiori an easy header. Bayindir will now have to show continuous confidence, or else the pressure will increase.
The “adapting to the rules” that Amorim talked about is very important. United’s biggest weakness is now being exposed repeatedly on set pieces. The club need strong players to face aerial duels consistently. Also, more work is needed on defensive tracking from midfield.
As far as Amorim’s optimism is concerned, fans love to hear that “we have the ability to beat anyone in the Premier League,” but the reality is much harsher. Last season’s 15th place and now the defeat to Arsenal again expose the weaknesses of this team. To regain confidence, the players will have to focus on small victories. Only by winning one match after another will the team be able to suppress the voice of critics. Amorim will now have to show confidence not just with words, but with results.