Manchester United opened the new Premier League season with a 0-1 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.
After the dismal previous campaign, Ruben Amorim would have usually come under pressure for yet another defeat. But fans will be excited with what they saw from the hosts.
New signings Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo looked a class apart, and along with Mason Mount, the trio dovetailed nicely whenever the team went on the attack.
The attackers were relentless, both with and without the ball, with the Red Devils looking so much more sharper than the team that finished second in the league last season.
Relentless pressure with and without the ball
And the aggressiveness shown by the backline, especially from Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw was another positive.
Whenever Viktor Gyokeres came close to the ball, they went in hard, and hardly allowed him time on the ball.
Despite the loss, the statistics will prove how much more in command the 20-time English league champions were on the day.
Amorim’s side had 22 shots to Arsenal’s nine, with seven of them on target while the Gunners only had three. In terms of possession, United enjoyed 62% of the ball and completed almost 200 more passes than their opponents.
Mikel Arteta’s side were run ragged, and were dominated in a way they have not been in some time. And they deserved at least a point, if not all three.
However, the visitors will go home with all three points, and that is what matters. And Amorim will be concerned with the form of his goalkeeper.
Goalkeeping howler again
Andre Onana is yet to regain fitness, and as a result, Altay Bayindir got the nod to start in between the sticks. He was culpable for the error for the goal.
Gabriel did seem to foul him from a corner, but he should have been stronger, and punched the ball clear. It is clear that Amorim needs more quality in goal.
And in midfield, Manuel Ugarte seems to have fallen below Casemiro in the pecking order. The head coach could do with more quality in the middle of the park.
This display will give United plenty of confidence, and hopefully, the team can accrue all three points in the next game against Fulham.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
