Ruben Amorim suffered his 15th Premier League defeat as Manchester United manager in the opening loss to Arsenal, but the performance showed promise, new signings impressed, and fans have reasons to believe brighter days are ahead.
Manchester United hit another low under Ruben Amorim following their Premier League curtain raiser loss to Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
The hosts fell to a Riccardo Calafiori header 14 minutes into the contest, as Mikel Arteta earned his third win in six league visits to the Theatre of Dreams, matching the total Arsenal had recorded in the Premier League era before his appointment in 2019.
Despite being the better team, United could not convert any of their chances, with Patrick Dorgu hitting the post and both Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha combining for nine shots—just as many as the entire Arsenal team, in impressive debuts.
The Worrying Numbers For Ruben Amorim
Manchester United dominated the game, as they so often do against Arsenal at Old Trafford. It was a commendable performance, such that the former Sporting CP boss said at full-time that his team had proven they can beat any side in the league.
However, the result spelled a 15th league defeat in 28 games for the Portuguese manager, who has now become the quickest to reach as many defeats in Premier League history—excluding those in charge of newly promoted teams.
Amorim, by a country mile, is also the quickest manager to reach 15 Premier League defeats since 1992, with the previous record holder (Erik Ten Hag) taking almost double the number of games (53) to do so.
The club has yet to win back-to-back Premier League games since the start of last season, despite trying with different managers, Erik Ten Hag and Ruud van Nistelrooy, too, in that period.
With only 27 points earned from 28 games and a European run that ended in defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in last season’s final, Amorim has had it tough in his first nine months at Old Trafford. But the coming weeks will ultimately define the struggles so far.
The Sight to Behold | New Manchester United
There is no question about the club’s commitment in the transfer window. They didn’t just make signings—they showed ambition and landed top players, despite their financial status and lack of European football.
But signing good players does not always solve a crisis, a reality Manchester United knows all too well. Since the last time anyone scored 20+ league goals for them, the club has spent almost €800 million on attackers, with superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and Romelu Lukaku included.
And although they were not productive on the night, the duo of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo showed just how much they can elevate the team, causing Arsenal’s defence all sorts of problems throughout the game.
Benjamin Sesko was also impressive in his short cameo. The striker, who became the first-ever Slovenian to play for Manchester United, will be trusted to deliver goals following his big-money move from RB Leipzig earlier this month.
Nevertheless, the team still has a lot of room for improvement—areas where they must strengthen further before the transfer window closes.
United gave too much away to Arsenal, who themselves were not at their clinical best, perhaps due to the Old Trafford atmosphere or early-season rustiness. Either way, it exposed another area the club must address.
But for every Manchester United fan watching, the performance mattered more than the result. The improvements were clear, and the hope is now that such levels can be sustained and delivered consistently.
Not to Get Carried Away
Manchester United played a very good game against Arsenal, better than they did in any of their preseason games, many in which they struggled against minor teams like Everton and West Ham United. So the opening weekend’s performance shouldn’t blow anyone away yet.
Losing 1-0 to Arsenal in Old Trafford in the Premier League might not be so special when taken into perspective that all of Arsenal’s six wins away at United in this competition have come with the same scoreline, with the North Londoners struggling in almost all.
Until they can replicate the performance in their upcoming games and earn positive results will they be able to convince that they really played like they meant to.
And Now We Wait on The Goods
The defeat has been written, but the hope of better days to come has been taken to heart by Manchester United fans. The coming weeks will be decisive for Ruben Amorim and his players, with a trip to Fulham and the visit of Burnley between a Carabao Cup Round Two date away to Grimsby before the international break.
These fixtures provide the Portuguese coach with a chance to compensate the fans and impress with convincing performances. The exhibition against Arsenal was simply too encouraging to brood too long on the result, given the struggles of recent years.
Winning against Fulham, Grimsby, and Burnley convincingly will reassure fans that the opening-weekend performance was no fluke. Any alternate narrative, however, will only resurface the hurtful numbers.
For now, the focus among the fans should be on the positives, not the current position on the log. The season is long and will only get longer. But should the United that played Arsenal emerge every weekend, then sealing a Champions League return will be far less of a concern.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
