Riccardo Calafiori (right) celebrates his goal in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Man Utd in the Premier League's opening round at Old Trafford, Manchester on 17/8/2025. Photo: Reuters

Riccardo Calafiori (right) celebrates his goal in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Man Utd in the Premier League's opening round at Old Trafford, Manchester on 17/8/2025. Photo: Reuters

While the final score remains paramount, it doesn't tell the whole story of the 90 minutes. Arsenal's set-piece goal couldn't mask the fact that Man Utd outplayed them at Old Trafford.

The home side controlled 61% of possession, had more than double the shots (22 to 9), and would likely have won if not for the superb defending of center-backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, and two excellent saves from goalkeeper David Raya. The expected goals (xG) also favored Man Utd at 1.52 compared to Arsenal's 1.31, suggesting they deserved at least a goal.

Man Utd's new players brought a new style. A key feature was the frequency of long forward passes from Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, aimed at releasing the wingbacks in their 3-4-2-1 formation or right winger Bryan Mbeumo. Beyond these tactical long balls, Ruben Amorim's players also frequently dribbled forward, carrying the ball and stretching Arsenal's defense.

This approach resembled Amorim's tactics at Sporting: a blend of possession and sudden bursts forward from the front three. New signing Mbeumo's forward runs and fellow newcomer Matheus Cunha's ball control were crucial to this new style.

These two players generated 9 shots between them, with Mbeumo contributing 5—his highest total in a Premier League match since October 2023. Cunha, meanwhile, completed 4 of 6 dribbles—more than any other player—and contested 20 duels (6 aerial, 14 ground).

"Players like Cunha and Mbeumo can electrify the crowd in an instant," Amorim told Sky Sports after the match. "The most important thing is we weren't boring."

Thanks to the new signings, Man Utd registered 22 shots against Arsenal, the second-highest number the Gunners have faced in a Premier League game since the start of the 2022-2023 season. It was also the most shots Man Utd have produced against Arsenal since their famous 8-2 victory in August 2011.

Another new signing, Benjamin Sesko, offered a glimpse of hope, though he needs more time to settle in. Frequently in the first half, Man Utd delivered the ball into the final third on the wings, but lacked a presence in the box to finish, until Sesko's arrival in the 65th minute.

Sesko has had only a few training sessions with the team, and Amorim didn't risk starting him. But in his limited 25 minutes, the 22-year-old showed promise. His two chances—weak headers—weren't noteworthy, but importantly for Amorim, he positioned himself well in the box. Facing Arsenal's deep-lying defense made things difficult for him.

However, Man Utd's direct, open play left central gaps that Arsenal exploited in transitions. As Arteta noted to Sky Sports: "There were moments in open play where we should have finished them off."

Arsenal's new signings struggled to find their rhythm. Arteta acknowledged his team's good fortune. "We need to be humble about how we won," he said, praising his players' "reaction to mistakes, mistakes far beyond our usual standards."

Pep Guardiola's Man City previously adapted their play to Erling Haaland. A similar situation seems to be developing at Arsenal with Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker's presence, while yet to make a significant impact, disrupted Arsenal's usual flow at Old Trafford.

Comparing Sesko and Gyokeres is not entirely fair, given their different styles and experience. But the comparison is inevitable as both were key transfer targets tasked with scoring goals. Notably, Gyokeres, with 109 goals in two seasons for club and country, had more time to integrate.

Starting the match, Gyokeres failed to register a shot or create a chance in his hour on the pitch. With only 21 touches—3 inside the opposition box—Amorim's former player completed just 4 passes. This marked the first time since leaving Coventry City that he failed to attempt a shot in a game. Gyokeres was virtually invisible, easily contained, slow, and showed weakness in his first touch and link-up play. Even his runs behind the defense went unnoticed by teammates.

"Viktor did many things well, especially in our high pressing and the tempo we demanded. However, it was clear in the first half we allowed them too much time on the ball, and that's something I'll need to work on with Viktor," Arteta said.

This isn't to say Gyokeres' performance was entirely negative. He used his physicality to hold up the ball and win free kicks in dangerous areas, but Arteta will need more in the coming months.

Like Man Utd, Arsenal played more directly than usual, partly due to Gyokeres' movement. This forced playmakers Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to force attacks instead of patiently controlling possession. They need time to adapt to his style, and he needs to adapt to them.

Arteta addressed this: "In decisive finishing situations, Viktor didn't have many opportunities because, in the previous phase, his teammates needed to be more accurate with their passing. We couldn't utilize his qualities when we were 40 meters from their goal."

Arteta craves control, but Arsenal rarely looked so uncontrolled under him. Their 75% passing accuracy was their lowest in a Premier League game since their 2-2 draw with Man City in September 2024, when they played the second half with 10 men. No one expected Casemiro and Fernandes to disrupt the visitors' midfield so effectively.

While Gyokeres made little positive impact, fellow newcomer Martin Zubimendi fared no better. He appeared anxious, often opting for safe sideways passes instead of risky forward balls, allowing Man Utd to press easily. Zubimendi's performance was overly cautious, with most of his touches in his own half.

Clearly, the Spanish midfielder, like many before him—including Man City's Rodri—needs time to adjust to the Premier League's intensity, especially in a position demanding 360-degree awareness.

Hoang Thong compiled this report.