The dust has settled on a frantic Matchday 1 of the 2025/26 Premier League season, with Manchester United’s hosting of Arsenal on Super Sunday offering a tantalising opening day encounter.
Amidst the various narratives leading up to this historic fixture, the Gunners left Old Trafford with all three points after a pulsating affair.
Indeed, there was a firm reminder that this is only the first game of the season as both sides showed a lot of early deficiencies.
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Although they were far below their best levels, Arsenal grabbed all three points courtesy of Declan Rice’s dangerous 13th-minute corner that crept underneath the crossbar and onto the head of Riccardo Calafiori.
Notably, Man United were much improved from last season and looked threatening all game as they accumulated more possession and more shots than their opponents. The result was harsh on the home side who were thwarted by a series of excellent saves from David Raya.
The victory was Arsenal’s fifth win over United in six league games as Ruben Amorim’s side once again failed to convert their chances. Yet, the Red Devils will take huge encouragement from this performance against a likely contender for the Premier League title.
On evidence of this game, United have recruited the right players over the summer and they can look forward to a positive campaign. While Mikel Arteta’s men were able to win despite not playing well, a trait that ultimately shows the mark of champions.
Here, we have compiled the biggest takeaways from this match in what is shaping up to be a crucial season at the Emirates Stadium.
Gyokeres needs service – more balls through the middle
The most glaring issue Arteta needed to fix during the off-season was the absence of a specialist centre-forward to guarantee a cutting edge in attack.
In came Viktor Gyokeres and the prospects of a new direct style that they hope will be the difference in them overseeing a successful title charge this term. Nevertheless, the £64million man from Sporting Lisbon faltered to deceive on debut as he barely got a sniff or make a significant impact upfront.
Arteta made the bold call to start the Swede with the aim of scoring on the opening weekend for the fifth consecutive season, but it only exposed his lack of match sharpness and chemistry with his teammates right now.
The 27-year-old had 21 touches – only three in United’s box, completed just nine passes and won three of his 13 total duels in his 60 minutes on the pitch, while he also failed to have a shot or create a chance.
Gyokeres failed to take a shot on target against Manchester United
Image via Squawka: Gyokeres struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford
Although Gyokeres did not receive much service from his teammates, he also struggled to hold the ball up which allowed United to build momentum throughout the game.
With Kai Havertz being a natural fit to Arsenal’s style of play, they must adapt to their new man’s strengths and be more direct.
Therefore, there was no definite winner from the battle of strikers going into this game with Benjamin Sesko having been of interest to the Gunners over the summer before signing Gyokeres and seeing the Slovenian join United.
There would be no perfect introduction for either frontman, rather an idea on the scope of the work yet to be done on the training ground.
Work to do
What turned out to be an entertaining game saw Arsenal being dragged into an end-to-end battle as they struggled to cope with the speed and directness of United’s attack. Hence, they had Raya to thank for making three crucial saves on efforts from Matheus Cunha and another goal-bound header from Bryan Mbeumo.
Raya had a busy 90 minutes at Old Trafford
Arsenal’s usually reliable backline did not settle and withstood some shaky moments trying to deal with direct passes behind their defence. Hence, they will be pleased at the show of grit, doggedness and steel that got them challenging for the title over the last three years.
Arteta’s men returned to North London with three valuable points and a lot for the manager to work on ahead of the visit of Leeds United on Saturday 23 August.
While the focus will be on how the attack overwhelms the newly-promoted side, Arsenal will also have an eye on dealing with their opponents’ attacks with better command.
A midfield general will be key
Following a frantic afternoon that saw Arsenal constantly chasing the ball over their heads and retreating to stop quick-breaks, there was yet a calming presence across the middle of the park.
It was unusual to see Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and the oft-elegant Martin Zubimendi ruffled amidst the chaos, but Declan Rice was the symbol of leadership. The England midfielder regularly spoke to his defenders and was at his industrious best in a lively engine-room, giving his team the steel needed to stay in the game.
Even if Saliba did not return to his composed self and Rice and Zubimendi continued to be played through in midfield, Arsenal were able to sit in and manage a game which clearly wasn’t going their way.
Rice was vital at marshalling the defence and also providing lots of energy to drive his team upfield when needed. That leadership and game understanding all over the pitch is invaluable to Arsenal’s hopes of ending their 22-year title drought.
Various tests lie ahead in another long season, but Arsenal will be pleased with how they passed their first assignment.
Images courtesy of Reuters/Action Images