Blazing sunshine and a busy new marquee serving craft ale behind the Stretford End: Manchester United began in a shiny new world and finished in the gloom of another defeat.
First look at Altay Bayindir’s howler that handed Riccardo Calafiori an easy header. But then zoom out and you see this: a crisis at No 1 for United that features Ruben Amorim going all summer not fancying André Onana and still turning up for the season opener without a replacement. Result: dropping the Cameroonian completely.
Arsenal failed to fire throughout – Viktor Gyökeres’s 60-minute debut was a non-event – but they didn’t need to with United so dismal at both ends.
Towards the close Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo tripped over Arsenal players in a hectic scramble to cancel out Calafiori’s strike: a snapshot of United’s chronic toothlessness. Moments later, a better Mbeumo headed effort drew a good save from David Raya. There were further goalmouth scrambles but no United player could stick the ball in the net.
In a middling contest, Amorim’s team had to do what the visiting left-back did – with this 13th-minute goal a disaster for United and a joy for him. Declan Rice arrowed a corner in from the left, a clownish Bayindir merely palmed the ball on, and Calafiori nodded home a ball already heading in.
“One-nil to the Arsenal” came the ecstatic taunt from the faithful. United complained that Bayindir was caught in a melee but we witnessed the questionable summer transfer strategy of spending £200m-plus and not recruiting a top-rated No 1.
Just as suspect was the XI sent out that could be marked “curio” with Amorim preferring Casemiro to Manuel Ugarte in midfield, and Mason Mount was the nominal No 9 (no squad place for Rasmus Højlund), though Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha started.
The new boys began fast – Mbeumo barged over Martín Zubimendi (also on debut), Cunha ran in, howled for his twin-10 to pass, he did, but Arsenal escaped. Mikel Arteta, who issued a trademark moan at Mbeumo’s challenge, had to watch as Mbeumo again motored along his right corridor but the shot was a pea-roller into Raya’s hands.
At this juncture, United were fast and furious, even when defending. From a Bruno Fernandes corner Arsenal broke and Mount hared back to help out. Then, after Calafiori’s winner, United were back in counterattack mode. A proposition of serial moments but none of the patterns Amorim (surely) craves.
Patrick Dorgu hit a post. The livewire Cunha wriggled in a left zone and turned and forced a Raya reflex save. Zubimendi’s foul on Fernandes had the latter hitting the wall to the right of the area. A scintillating Cunha run took him from halfway through a thicket of opponents and clear in but the effort was scuffed. Mbeumo’s cute layoff was followed by a 25-yard Cunha hit straight at Raya.
Yet without Bayindir’s howler Arteta would have had the harder half-time chat as his team was no smooth unit, tapping the ball about, manoeuvring those in red about like Subbuteo pieces. Rice and Zubimendi exerted scant control in central areas and Gyökeres laboured and suffered from his teammates’ creation-deficit.
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United, brighter in this department, saw Mount fluff their latest attempt, so Amorim had to do something – be patient (in hope) or make a change.
He chose the latter. Amad (another surprising exclusion) entered for the average Diogo Dalot and the Ivorian impressed – one more Amorim team selection puzzler. Benjamin Sesko, continually warming up, watched on as Fernandes flipped in a dead-ball from the left corner flag and Raya rose and punched away – as Bayindir fatally failed to.
To boos Gyökeres was hooked on the hour for Kai Havertz. The derision came from spurned suitors after the Swede chose north London not south Manchester.
But jeers became cheers as Sesko was given a 25-minute debut – for the anonymous Mount. Ugarte, too, was introduced, for Casemiro. Immediately, a tangle with Noni Maduke, another visiting substitute, was the midfield bite United lacked.
Amorim’s men were lacking all over the park. A tight win for Arsenal. One more chastening day for the Portuguese’s project.
