Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta couldn’t help but compliment Manchester United following the opening Premier League clash.
A 1-0 defeat to Arsenal marked a poor start to the 2025/26 Premier League campaign for Manchester United, but the performance tells a different story to the scoreline.
Ruben Amorim was pleased with his side and their display at Old Trafford, with United dominating play but struggling to find a way past David Raya.
Arsenal’s goal was controversial, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring from a corner in which Altay Bayindir complained he was impeded.
It turned out to be the only goal of the game, with Arsenal pinned back and forced to defend their lead for long periods of time.
Manchester United players line up in centre circle, ahead of Arsenal game
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Mikel Arteta praises Man United after Arsenal win
It is Arteta who leaves Old Trafford with the points, but United fans gave a standing ovation to Ruben Amorim and his players for being the better team on the day.
Amorim fiercely defended his players after the full-time whistle, and he deserves credit for outplaying Arteta’s side regardless of the result.
After the match, even Arteta couldn’t help but compliment United on their performance.
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As per Arsenal.com, Arteta said: “There were seven, eight situations when the ball is completely open to play through and we are on and we’re attacking the keeper.
“And we give that ball away and then it becomes a basketball game. And again, a basketball game against a team that is extremely, extremely good at finishing actions with the quality that they have, that’s a very difficult thing to do.
“That’s why I talk about the reaction to that. Because if you don’t react in relation to that mistake, quick enough, sharp enough, you have a big problem.”
Three stats which prove Man United dominated Arsenal
A glance at the scoreline shows United taking no points from their opening clash, and while that is the harsh reality, there were plenty of positives from the performance.
It was United’s most dominant performance over Arsenal since 2011 when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won 8-2 against the Gunners.
United took 22 shots to Arsenal’s nine – the most United have had against Arsenal since that iconic win 14 years ago.
Last season, Amorim spoke about wanting United to control matches. Against Arsenal, the Red Devils boasted 62% of possession and also completed over 175 more passes than their opposition.
READ MORE: Four winners and three losers from Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal, including star who failed to make the squad
Finally, the expected goals (xG) stat from the match showed that United created enough chances to score 1.52 goals, compared to Arsenal’s 1.25.
That suggests that United were not only unlucky to leave without a point, but actually played well enough to take all three.