It certainly wasn’t pretty but Arsenal secured all three points at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
A set-piece goal from Riccardo Calafiori in the first half turned out to be enough to get the Gunners’ campaign off to a winning start against Manchester United.
You could argue that the home side had most of the best chances, but all that really mattered at the final whistle was the result.
Read below as we go through our Arsenal player ratings for the 1-0 win versus the Red Devils.
Goalkeeper and Defence
GK – David Raya – 8/10 – had one shaky moment when Matheus Cunha nearly took the ball off him, but he then made a fine save from the Brazilian late in the first half, before keeping out a header from Bryan Mbeumo in the second. Also commanded his area well.
RB – Ben White – 6/10 – Cunha was a handful but the fullback was solid for the most part, and he also got forward to support the attack when he could.
CB – William Sailba – 7/10 – it was very much a game of two halves from the centre-back. He didn’t look comfortable under long balls and was too hesitant at times. However, he did play a key part in the goal, blocking off Altay Bayindir, and he made some timely blocks after the break.
CB – Gabriel – 7/10 – Like Saliba, the Brazilian didn’t start the game that well, but he made an excellent block to stop a shot from Bryan Mbeumo.
LB – Riccardo Calafiori – 7/10 – got himself an early booking but he managed to deal with things defensively well enough, even if Mbeumo got the better of him once or twice. He was also in the right place to score Arsenal’s winner.