There was a thought at times in the second part of last season, when the set-piece goals dried up, that Arsenal had become over-reliant on them. And perhaps that was true, but they’re a useful weapon to have. Some games are won by overwhelming opponents through superior technical ability and some games are won by organization and hard work, by finding a way to score and a way to keep their opponent out. Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday was definitely one of the latter.
Manchester United do not defend inswinging corners well. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both excel at taking inswinging corners. In that sense, the fact that the game was decided by United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s flap at a Rice inswinger was entirely to be expected. What was less predictable was the nature of the game that followed as United hit the post and David Raya was called into seven saves. Mikel Arteta, quite reasonably, praised his side’s “character and spirit” while acknowledging they had made “mistakes that are very far from the standards that we normally have.”
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It’s not that Arsenal were fortunate or that they somehow didn’t deserve to win, if that is a concept with any meaning; rather it was the thought that against a more coherent or incisive side than United, they will need to play rather better. Winning without playing well, though, has not often been the Arsenal way recently; in that sense, there was perhaps encouragement to be drawn from the hard-earned nature of the three points.
That they will surely do. A certain rustiness in the opening game is only natural, particularly with new players to integrate. Viktor Gyökeres will adjust at least to an extent to the pace of the game. Martin Zubimendi looked appalled that the swinging arm with which Bryan Mbeumo caught him early on wasn’t penalized, but he will surely learn to handle the knocks and bumps and flailing limbs of English football. Arteta acknowledged it would take both time to get up to speed but pronounced himself satisfied with how they had played. The “mistakes” will be ironed out. A degree of fluency will return.
But until then, it’s good to have the set-plays. Arsenal have scored 31 times from corners since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, at least 11 more than any other side in the Premier League. That’s a valuable weapon to have, particularly for a team that has so regularly been criticized for having to dominate a game to win it. In that sense, the win at Old Trafford was a little like Arsenal’s victory over Aston Villa in their first away game of last season, a game chiefly notable for an extraordinary double save from Raya. Praise them for getting the result without playing especially well, for showing what in hindsight might be regarded as the grit of champions, or question why they didn’t play especially well? The answer to that will only become apparent as the season goes on.
Arsenal, though, probably can take comfort and more than a degree of satisfaction from having beaten United away. True, nine sides did that last season, but Ruben Amorim’s side surely won’t be as bad this campaign as they were then. Old Trafford may again become a difficult place to go, as United’s squad settles and the impact of not having to play European football comes to be felt; having got the game against them out of the way early may end up being fortunate.
Of the four realistic title contenders, Arsenal had the hardest start and without excelling have three points on the board, which is more than can be said of Chelsea after their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace. The world champions have a hugely gifted squad, particularly in forward areas but, with Benoît Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill all suffering long-term injuries, look a little short at the back, while doubts persist about Robert Sánchez. The goalkeeper was perhaps fortunate that VAR ruled out Eberechi Eze’s free kick that flew past him, but the bigger issue on Sunday was the lack of creativity. Upgrading from Nicolas Jackson at centre-forward has not proved an instant panacea.
Manchester City were the most impressive of the contenders on opening weekend, with the new signing in midfield Tijjani Reijnders starring in the 4-0 win at Wolves. Given the sort of space Wolves afforded them, they will cut teams apart but the openness they exhibited at times last season and again in the Club World Cup has not gone away; better sides than Wolves may be able to exploit that. Liverpool looked at least as open in their 4-2 win over Bournemouth and, like Arsenal, were left grateful for their resilience as they scored twice after the 88th minute to secure the three points. They too have work to do in balancing the side and integrating new signings.
None of the probable top four were at anything like their best. All will find a greater cohesion as the season goes on. But Arsenal have got one of the trickier away games out of the way.
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This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.
