Manchester United 0, Arsenal 1
Riccardo Calafiori’s header was the difference between the teams as a lacklustre Arsenal side managed to beat resurgent Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to an error by Altay Bayindir.
United had had the better of the first 13 minutes of the opening fixture of the season but it was Arsenal who drew first blood after Declan Rice’s corner was fumbled by Altay Bayindir and headed home on the line by Riccardo Calafiori.
Both sides had participated in a thunderous first half and Patrick Dorgu’s low drive across goal came back off the post while Matheus Cunha could only shoot straight at David Raya when he did break the Arsenal offside trap.
United replaced Diogo Dalot with Amad Diallo after 55 minutes while Arsenal responded with a double change on the hour with the ineffective Viktor Gyokeres replaced by Kai Havertz while Noni Madueke came on for Gabriel Martinelli.
But things remained tense as Martin Odegaard found Bukayo Saka who missed the chance to put the game to bed late on after United laid siege to the Arsenal goal without making the breakthrough.
Embed from Getty ImagesPLAYER RATINGS – Manchester United 0, Arsenal 1
Altay Bayindir: 5. Poor goalkeeping to not get hold of Declan Rice’s corner leaving his goal exposed. Saved from Martin Odegaard.
Leny Yoro: 7. Blocked a volley from Gabriel Martinelli.
Mathijs De Ligt: 7. Blocked off Martin Odegaard. Had to keep watching brief on Viktor Gyokeres but kept him quiet. Last gasp header saved.
Luke Shaw: 7. Surprise pick got stuck in despite unenviable task of looking after Bukayo Saka. Tired towards the end.
Diogo Dalot: 6. Caught off guard by raiding Riccardo Calafiori.
Casemiro: 6. Hard to make an impression on hugely impressive Arsenal midfield.
Bruno Fernandes: 6. Deeper role, good set piece delivery and constantly tried to create chances. Influence faded in the second half.
Patrick Dorgu: 6. Shot wide from far away, got closer later in the the first half when he hit the back post with a low drive.
Mason Mount: 6. Huge work rate to keep Arsenal honest.
Matheus Cunha: 7. Already popular with the Old Trafford Crowd for his hothead antics and running which caused issues for Arsenal. Shot straight at David Raya when he did break through and wide from an acute angle given a second chance in the first half.
Bryan Mbeumo: 7. Early fan favourite put himself about with challenge on Martin Zubimendi. Shot straight at David Raya when put clean through by Bruno Feranandes and had another blocked by Gabriel. Acrobatic second half effort went wide and late effort saved.
Amad (on for Diogo Dalot, 55): 6. Giving United more attacking focus up against Riccardo Calafiori. Long range effort easy to save for David Raya.
Manuel Ugarte (on for Casemiro, 65): 6. More legs in midfield.
Benjamin Sesko (on for Mason Mount, 65): 6. All eyes on the striker to help save a point for the Reds but precious little service.
Harry Maguire (on for Luke Shaw, 80): No time to mark
GOAL – Manchester United 0, Arsenal 1
Man Utd 0, Arsenal 1. 13. Altay Bayindir got a hand on Declan Rice’s corner but it squirmed away from him leaving Riccardo Calafiori to head home the spinning ball before it crossed the line.
MATCH STATS – Manchester United 0, Arsenal 1
Man Utd: Bayindir, Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw, Dalot (Amad 55), Casemiro (Ugarte 65), Fernandes (C), Dorgu, Mount (Sesko 65), Cunha, Mbeumo
Man Utd Subs not used: Heaton, Maguire, Zirkzee, Heaven, Fredricson, Mainoo
Booked: Dorgu 85 (foul on Jurrien Timber)
Arsenal: Raya, White (Timber 71), Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori (Lewis-Skelly 71), Odegaard (C), Zubimendi, Rice (Merino 83), Saka, Martinelli (Madueke 60), Gyokeres (Havertz 60)
Arsenal Subs not used: Kepa, Mosquera, Trossard, Nwaneri
Booked: Calafiori 42 (foul on Bryan Mbeumo); Raya 85 (time wasting); Lewis-Skelly (foul on Bryan Mbeumo)
Goal: Calafiori 13
Referee: Simon Hooper