Title hopefuls Arsenal landed arguably the most eye-catching result of the Premier League’s opening weekend but Mikel Arteta will have plenty of unanswered questions to ponder
It was hardly a classic but the away end celebrated to a familiar song.
“1-0 to the Arsenal” rang round Old Trafford after the final whistle as the Gunners ended up sitting pretty by winning ugly for a change. Scrappy does not do it justice and the result was more about familiar failings rather than any of the new big-money signings for either side.
Ultimately, it was decided by a tale of two keepers as Arsenal’s David Raya was man-of-the-match while Manchester United’s Altay Bayındır had a stinker on Riccardo Calafiori’s winner. United have spent £200m on a new front three and Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were excellent while Benjamin Sesko had a decent cameo as a late substitute. But unless they sign a keeper, all of their good work elsewhere will be undermined.
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Last season’s No.1 Andre Onana is being frozen out, Bayındır is hopeless on crosses and they desperately need to plug the gap otherwise they will not push on. Arsenal’s own big money striker, £64m hitman Viktor Gyokeres, looked heavy, ineffective and the visitors looked way better when Kai Havertz came on. Martin Zubimendi impressed throughout.
But Arsenal, for all their own big-money spending, have not solved the left sided problem as Gabriel Martinelli ran down blind alleys and Noni Madueke barely got a look-in when he came on. Arsenal certainly did not look as sharp or ready as either of their title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, although you could argue that winning at Old Trafford is still the most eye-catching result of the weekend.
Beating this United side is hardly the statement result it once was but holding on for a gritty, defiant and determined win is still probably a message of intent for the rest of the season. Whether Arsenal have enough to dig in and scrap for enough of these wins remains to be seen. But they showed real character on a day when too few of their players were at their best.
It is hard to read too much into the opening day and, if anything, United should be most encouraged by Mbeumo’s threat and Cunha’s brilliance. But United ended up with Harry Maguire coming on for his aerial threat at set pieces. There were some late scares, last ditch clearances and yet Arsenal held on.
Arsenal are the team which still boss free kicks and corners. That is how Arsenal won the game and the away end unashamedly sang: “Set piece again, ole, ole.” Declan Rice’s corner was whipped in and, for all the warnings about pushing and shoving in pre-season, there was plenty in the United box.
Bayındır’s lame attempt at a punch did not work and there was Riccardo Calafiori to head home after just 13 minutes. What a start. But Arsenal did not settle and, if anything, United took charge and provided the bigger threat. Patrick Dorgu’s low shot hit the post. Cunha’s brilliant low cross shot forced a sensational save from Raya.
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Mbeumo’s header forced another great save from Raya who, despite his size, looked like a giant as he punched and caught every high ball into the box. Arsenal went through their repertoire of substitutes and their bench now looks very strong but whether the depth will plug the gap for the missing quality and X Factor – particularly down the left – which they need to win the title.
As for United, they do look better than last season. Mbeumo and Cunha are exciting signings and, when fully fit, Sesko will be a handful. But they have to find a solution to their keeper problem. And it is no wonder why United are still in the market for a midfielder because they have holes in the starting line-up.
However, United do look better and there are signs despite the frustration. Arsenal got their reward from a high risk, high reward opening fixture. No wonder Mikel Arteta looked so happy afterwards.
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