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 was hoping to start the new campaign with a positive result, but Arsenal opened the scoring at Old Trafford in the 13th minute after a mistake from Altay Bayindir at 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.
Here are the talking points from the game and some moments you might have missed:
**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 overhit a simple pass to Martin Odegaard on the counter-attack, much to the relief of Amorim on the sidelines, but the Arsenal analyst did not hide his frustration at the move breaking down.
The pair also looked unhappy when Arsenal were dispossessed near the end of the first half. United created enough chances to be level by the interval and Arsenal were only leading due to Bayindir's shocking error.
The frustration proves Arsenal were not good enough on Sunday afternoon, and they were fortunate to leave with 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 the crowd favourite**
Matheus Cunha made an immediate impact in the dressing room after his arrival from Wolves. The Brazilian is a huge personality and is a stereotypical fiery South American, so it always seemed likely he would become a fan favourite.
And Cunha took the first steps to earning fan favourite status against Arsenal. He looked dangerous and roared at the crowd just before the hour mark after a scrappy physical battle with William Saliba.
The 26-year-old won the ball near the tunnel by the Stetford End corner, fighting aggressively against Saliba. He reacted by vigorously first pumping to the crowd, who lapped it up. Cunha plays on the edge and he helped to whip up the crowd as United pushed for an equaliser.
Cunha has the quality to back up his behaviour. He delivered an impressive performance on his competitive Old Trafford debut and didn't deserve to be on the losing side.
**What did Amorim expect?**
Amorim decided to play without a recognised striker against Arsenal. Sesko was ready to start the game, but he was named on the bench and Amorim's front three of Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount and Cunha was fluid.
Those three players took turns to play down the middle and regularly rotated positions, but the downside of that selection was seen in the first half when Diogo Dalot pulled a ball back into the box and nobody was there.
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 was eventually introduced to the game in the 65th minute. The Slovenia international struggled to get into the contest, but it might have been a different story if he'd been included in the starting team.
**The directors' box**
Avram Glazer was spotted in the directors' box. The 64-year-old last made an appearance at Old Trafford for the opening game of last season against Fulham and showed his face again for the visit of Arsenal.
The 1958 had planned to stage a protest against the club's ownership before facing Arsenal, but they decided to postpone the demonstration after surveying fans about whether it should go ahead.
Whether that had something to do with Avram Glazer attending the game is up for debate. The American co-owner has deliberately made limited appearances in Manchester over the last few years.
Rasmus Hojlund was among those seated n the directors' box. The striker was dropped from the squad and is being ruthlessly shown the door by Amorim after taking huge backwards 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.
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