Arsenal made it four wins in a row on the opening day of the Premier League season and earned just their third win in 18 league visits to Old Trafford by beating Manchester United 1-0.
There was a sense of hope in the air at a sunny Old Trafford. United were eager to move on from their worst Premier League season, while Arsenal were aiming to start another title push. Backed by the Stretford End, United started strongly and put together some good moves, but didn’t really trouble Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. At the other end, Turkish keeper Altay Bayındır – filling in for André Onana – had a moment to forget. He misjudged Declan Rice’s curling corner, and the ball fell kindly at the back post for Riccardo Calafiori, who headed it in from close range to give Arsenal the lead.
That goal meant Arsenal have now scored in 12 league games in a row at Old Trafford. The goal helped Mikel Arteta’s side settle down. There weren’t many more chances, but United eventually grew into the game and showed flashes of danger. New signing Bryan Mbeumo had a shot deflected wide, Patrick Dorgu hit the post with a low strike, and Matheus Cunha twice forced Raya into saves as Arsenal held on to their narrow lead going into half-time.
The second half followed a similar pattern, United looked dangerous going forward but couldn’t create many clear chances. Cunha and Mbeumo remained lively, with Mbeumo sending a bicycle kick wide after a powerful run from Cunha. Later, Mbeumo came close again with a powerful header from a deflected Dorgu cross, but Raya made a brilliant save to keep Arsenal ahead.
In the final ten minutes, United’s pressure faded, and Arsenal began to control the game. Their solid defending saw out the result, leaving the home side with nothing to show for their efforts. Arsenal’s 100th season in the top flight begins with a win, and they’ve now gone 15 league games unbeaten away from home. For Ruben Amorim’s United, it was an improved performance compared to much of last season, but they’ve now failed to score in four of their last five home league games.
