Man Utd news: New-look Red Devils show promise in opening-day defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford
A new-look Manchester United began the 2025/26 Premier League season with a defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, but Ruben Amorim’s side can take heart from a spirited display against Mikel Arteta’s title chasers.
Riccardo Calafiori ultimately made the difference, scoring an easy back-post header after Altay Bayindir had flapped at a corner kick to undo a good opening period for the hosts.
The Red Devils, who finished a demoralising 15th last season, now need to pick themselves quickly and produce something at Fulham this week, while Arsenal head home to take on newly promoted Leeds United and build momentum in their quest to dethrone Liverpool.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore reviews the opening-day clash.
Crunch time for Amorim
To echo King Théoden’s famous words uttered as the rain tinkled off his shiny royal armour in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers … “So it begins”.
Théoden, stood atop his apparently impenetrable keep, surveyed the scene as hordes of Uruk-hai streamed towards the walls of Helms Deep, intent on one thing – destroying Théoden and his kin and ushering in the time of the Orc.
And while the sun may have shone resplendent at Old Trafford for the first Super Sunday main event of the season, for Ruben Amorim the rain clouds never seem to be too far away.
Granted, Amorim’s Uruk-hai includes pretty much everyone who doesn’t support the red side of Manchester. And even the merest hint of moisture from the heavens in the Portuguese’s second season and he knows that before long he’ll be toast.
But there is cause for optimism of course. United’s much-maligned attack has been given a shot in the arm, and legs actually, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and more recently Benjamin Sesko drafted in for around £200 million.
Amorim has also had a pre-season with his troops and with no European football (bah) to interfere, he gets a full week between games on the training pitch this term. As resets go, it feels like there is finally a platform to build.
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Tough start to season
The fixture computer likes a laugh, though, and pulled Mikel Arteta and his perennial Arsenal fluffers to town, finally with a dedicated number nine in the shape of the prolific Victor Gyökeres and hoping to finally have the sharp end of their title-chasing stick to challenge champions (euuuuk) Liverpool and a seemingly resurgent (euuuuk) Manchester City.
Time will tell if the Swede will be able to replicate his average of more than a goal per game for Sporting Lisbon but let’s be honest, he should get enough chances.
But who cares about title races and championship challenges, not me. There’s more excitement in a relegation battle and with the Gunners (h), City (a), Chelsea (h), and Liverpool (a) all included in the first eight EPL fixtures. Let’s just say those Uruk-hai will smell of man flesh.
Let’s also not forget a banana skin at League Two Grimsby in the second round of the energy drink cup as we drink with the peasants for the first time since 2014.
So how would United fare? Would this be more of the same or would we get a repeat of the only other time these two met on opening day back in 1989/90 when the hosts hammered the then champions 4-1. Anyone remember Michael Knighton?
Come to think of it, anyone remember André Onana? A hamstring injury meant Altay Bayindir would start and despite his heroics against the Arse in last season’s FA Cup, and I was hardly filled with optimism.
As expected, the ‘less than before lesser spotted’ Mason Mason would start ahead of poor Rasmus Højlund, who was left out of the squad and is presumably on his way out. Casemiro was given the nod in the middle alongside a deeper Bruno Fernandes with Diogo Dalot preferred to Amad Diallo, at least at the start.
For Arsenal, well, who cares, but I had that horrible feeling Gyökeres would net on his debut. Glass half full and all that.
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Bayindir concedes weak goal
Mbeumo gave a first-minute welcome to the Premier League for another Arsenal debutante, former Real Sociedad star Martín Zubimendi, who flopped to the floor after a brush of the arm showing he’s already assimilated into Arteta’s squad pretty well.
It was a decent opening five from the hosts, as you’d probably expect, and the Reds were firing into the visitors. The first attempt came from Mbeumo after a lovely pass through the Arsenal line from Mount but his effort lacked power.
Patrick Dorgu flashed well wide from range from a short free-kick as Amorim crouched on tiptoes in his technical area, maybe fearful of that rain.
Mount did really well to stop Bukayo Saka in his tracks on the break, Cunha also tracking back well and with better hair than Marcus Rashford.
Matthijs de Ligt had to be on his toes after some loose play in his own box by Bruno Fernandes forced him to concede a corner, and the Arsenal set-piece corner routine klaxon began to whir.
And quite rightly so. Declan Rice’s inswinging corner had Bayindir flapping like a baby bird falling from his nest and, under a little bit of pressure from William Saliba, he could only bob the ball into Riccardo Calafiori at the far post who couldn’t believe his fortune. 1-0 to the Arsenal and completely bloody avoidable.
The Turk looked about as comfortable as a concrete mattress and United, after looking good for the opening 12 minutes and 41 seconds and having 70% possession in the opening quarter of an hour, were in a familiar spot.
The absolute state of our keepers. Momentum gone. Sesko is 6ft 5in tall – I wonder if he has any gloves?
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Hosts search for equaliser
Cunha almost robbed Arsenal stopper David Raya, who dawdled too long but the appeals for a penalty fell on deaf ears.
Casemiro did tremendously well to rob Martin Ødegaard and then feed Mbeumo with a great switch, and the former Brentford man saw his shot deflect wide for a corner which was cleared.
Dorgu thought he’d levelled with a low strike across Raya’s goal, again from range, but it thumped off a post and clear.
Dalot was back doing Dalot things, wasteful when in behind on the right but Cunha was showing increasing glimpses of what to expect from him, going off on a run from his own half and bustling through three defenders and goalward but he scuffed his shot under pressure from Saliba. United continued to attack, Cunha on target but again without troubling Raya.
Arsenal were still here mind you, with Ødegaard skipping past Casemiro but firing straight at Bayindir and there were still 10 minutes of the half remaining, it was a good game.
Cunha was really growing into the game, turning into the Arsenal box where Raya needed a fingertip save to steer the ball wide, nobody arriving at the far post to pick up the scraps.
Corner klaxon went off again after 41 minutes but this one was scrambled clear.
Calafiori saw yellow after being spun by Mbuemo and hauling his man back and Amorim was crouching again.
Cunha will be well-received at Old Trafford, always pulling the ball out of his feet and looking for the gap. Despite the score, it had been a half-decent opening 45 minutes from Amorim’s men.
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Second-half arm wrestle ensues
No changes at the break and the Reds would attack the Stretford End knowing a goal was needed or it would be an opening-day defeat.
Luke Shaw cut back to Mount who saw an early half-chance blocked but it was a scrappy 10 minutes before the first substitution, Amad on for Dalot.
Gyökeres lasted an hour but had been marshalled very well by De Ligt and left without a shot or chance created, with Kai Havertz introduced along with Noni Madueke for Gabriel Martinelli.
Amorim responded. Manuel Ugarte replaced Casemiro and alongside him Sesko for Mount. There was a big roar that accompanied, presumably for the Slovenian and not the Uruguayan.
Cunha went off on another strong run, holding off Ben White through the midfield, and played in Mbeumo but Arsenal somehow survived, the bald-headed Cameroonian then wide with an acrobatic overhead as the ball was recycled.
Arteta brought on Jurriën Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly at full-back as he looked to see out the last 20 minutes or so but United came again and were denied an equaliser when Raya clawed out Mbuemo’s goalbound header from Cunha’s run and Dorgu’s cross, Sesko heading wide soon after.
Harry Maguire replaced Shaw and his first contribution was to get Ugarte out of trouble after he gifted the ball to Havertz with a poor back pass, allowing the attacker to run straight into him and Arsenal had a free-kick 22 yards out at a good angle. Rice couldn’t find the target and it was his last involvement as he traipsed off and Mikel Merino joined the fray.
Time was running out.
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Arsenal secure opening win
Raya was booked after taking approximately three weeks to take a free-kick but this was looking like a hard-luck story as Ugarte wasted a chance when swinging wildly from 25 yards.
Cunha looked to have been clipped in the box by Saliba as United suddenly looked alive again but the ball wouldn’t drop and it was all eyes on the fourth official. Six minutes.
Ødegaard’s little dinked pass put Saka in but the impressive De Ligt did just enough to block for a corner which allowed the Gunners to run down the clock, but a poor touch from Lewis-Skelly resulted in a card and a foul on halfway for the hosts. But the pressure was relieved seconds later when Ugarte conceded a needless foul.
There was still time for Fernandes to swing over a late corner but the bounce favoured Raya and that was that.
All in all, it felt a little bit harsh on United. It was a much better performance than some of the guff served up last season and there were some reasons to be cheerful.
Cunha looks made for United and Mbuemo slotted in immediately. And while it’s the score that matters, there was some intent at least.
Or was it just the fact the bar was set so low from last term?
We shall see, let’s just hope Amorim can keep those dark clouds away for long enough.
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