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Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has shared his thoughts on William Saliba's performance in Arsenal's win over Manchester United. The Gunners won 1-0 at Old Trafford in their Premier League 2025-26 opener on Sunday.
Saliba didn't have the best of starts to the game as he allowed a ball to bounce near his penalty area, leading to a bit of uncertainty. He was also involved in Arsenal's goal, as he tussled with Mason Mount and Altay Bayindir on a corner, where Riccardo Calafiori scored. The Frenchman was also arguably fortunate to have not conceded a penalty in the dying minutes of the game.
As per SofaScore, Saliba made seven clearances, two blocks, and one interception, and won 8/13 duels, completing 22/26 passes. Craig Burley shared his thoughts on the Frenchman's performance on Sunday, saying on ESPN FC:
“Arsenal huffed and puffed and it really looked like they were playing their first game of the season. Even Mikel Arteta said it afterwards, ‘we need to be a lot better’. Some of their passing in the final third was so sloppy.
“I was talking to Nedum [Onuoha] about Saliba. I thought during that first half, somebody needed to give him a wake-up slap. The ball was bouncing and he was waiting on it.”
Regardless, the Gunners managed to hold on to start their new campaign with all three points.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes speaks about Arsenal's controversial goal against them
The Gunners opened the scoring via a goal from Riccardo Calafiori from a corner in the 13th minute against Manchester United on Sunday. However, Arsenal defender William Saliba was tussling with Mason Mount and also put his hands on the goalkeeper Altay Bayindir's elbows for a moment. The ball passed through Bayindir, leading to an easy finish for Calafiori.
After the game, Bruno Fernandes took a dig at the Premier League for seemingly not following their own guidelines, as he said (via Mirror):
“Altay was saying in the moment he goes to push the ball, he gets a touch. But we know in the Premier League they don’t give much in these type of situations, even if they had a meeting with us saying that if the players are blocking and not looking at the ball, they will whistle more.”
Arsenal will next face the newly-promoted Leeds United at the Emirates on Saturday, August 23. Meanwhile, Manchester United will face Fulham away the following day.
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Aditya Singh
Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.
A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.
Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.
Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.
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