Altay Baindir's miscalculation gave Arsenal three points, wiping out Manchester United's bright spots in a thrilling Premier League opener on Sunday.
Old Trafford echoed with emotion as last season's runners-up, under Mikel Arteta, overcame a rebuilding Red Devils side in the most entertaining game of the opening weekend.
Despite a renewed squad and clear progress compared to the disastrous 15th place in the previous season (the club's worst result in the elite division since 1974), Ruben Amorim's charges lost 0:1 – Riccardo Calafiori converted the opportunity created after the loss of Baindir.
William Saliba intercepted the reserve goalkeeper's tentative attempt at a corner from Declan Rice, after which the defender headed the ball into the unguarded net, ending the thunderous support of the stands in the opening phase of the match.
The Baindir episode has once again reignited debate about the reliability of the United goalkeeper position, with first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onan missing the match due to recovery from a hamstring injury.
Despite the current restructuring phase, United's summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo made confident debuts, while Patrick Dorgu almost opened the scoring in the first half, hitting the crossbar from an acute angle.
Gunners goalkeeper David Raya made a series of key saves to hold off the hosts' onslaught and his confident performance helped Arteta's men hold on to the lead.
The intensity in the stands matched United's aggressive start, with the hosts dominating the game in the summer sunshine and Mbeumo testing the visitors' goal early on.
The turning point came 13 minutes before the final whistle: Saliba forced Baindir into a mistake when coming out to receive a pass from Rice, after which the Turkish goalkeeper passed straight to Calafiori, who equalised.
The Mancunians' appeals for a breach of the rules in this episode went unheeded – Arsenal brought the number of goals from corners in the Premier League to 31 since the start of the 2023/24 season, ahead of their nearest competitors by 11 such hits.
The moment added to the nervousness in the stadium that Amorim had previously mentioned, but a renewed playing system and fresh forces in the squad restored hope to the fans.
Mbeumo almost scored after a rebound off the post, then Dorgu made a spectacular run down the left flank and smashed the ball into the far post.
Cunha remained the hosts' main attacking threat, demonstrating his fighting spirit in the 32nd minute: his rapid run from his own half ended with a powerful shot on goal by Raya.
The Gunners' goalkeeper made a confident save of the ball and the subsequent long-range shot, but was forced to stand up straight when the Brazilian fired a dangerous shot from an acute angle just before the break.
Arsenal started the second half in a composed but unspectacular manner, with Arteta making his first substitution on 57 minutes, taking off new signing Victor Diokeres, who hadn't shown much of a game.
The Swedish international, who blossomed under Amorim at Sporting, had previously been linked with transfer rumours at United, prompting a curious reaction from the stands when he was replaced.
New Red Devils striker Benjamin Cesko soon made his debut to a standing ovation, giving spectators a first glimpse of the prospects for a revamped attacking line.
Cunha continued to create chances and Mbeumo remained a fearsome force, an acrobatic overhead kick followed by a dangerous cross that was intercepted by Raya.
Cesko nodded towards goal to indicate his presence and the hosts piled on the pressure, but the Gunners tightened their defence and Rice almost doubled the lead with a deflection from a free-kick.
United fought to the end, but even after a controversial episode with a possible penalty by Cunha, they were unable to equalise – to the cries of “1:0 to the visitors”, Arteta's team started with a victory.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
