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 high-end replacement. Result: Bayindir’s ricket.
The head coach defended preferring Bayindir to Tom Heaton when reminded how the Turk allowed a similar goal – straight in from a Son Heung-min corner – last season in the 4-3 Carabao Cup defeat at Spurs. He denied, too, dropping Onana as he had not “trained” enough after injury and stated contentment with his trio of keepers. The 40-year-old has to say this of course yet Onana and Bayindir have a record of goal-costing errors.
Arsenal failed to fire throughout – Viktor Gyökeres’s 60-minute debut was a non-event – but they did not 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. At the time, United complained that Bayindir was caught in a melee.
Afterwards, Bruno Fernandes said: “When you touch the goalkeeper and he can’t jump, that makes it difficult for Bayindir. We know in the Premier League they don’t give much. Even if they had a meeting with us saying that they will whistle more if players block and don’t look at the ball but it is more of [them] saying [this].”
Just as suspect as the goalkeeping was the XI sent out that could be marked “curio”, with Amorim preferring Casemiro to Manuel Ugarte in midfield and Mason Mount 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 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 but the effort was scuffed. Mbeumo’s cute layoff was followed by a 25‑yard Cunha shot straight at Raya.
Yet without Bayindir’s howler Arteta would have had the harder half-time chat as his team were no smooth unit, tapping the ball about, manoeuvring those in red like Subbuteo pieces. Rice and Zubimendi exerted scant control in central areas and Gyökeres laboured and suffered from his teammates’ creation deficit.
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. Diallo (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 as Fernandes flipped in a dead-ball from the left corner flag and Raya rose and punched away – as Bayindir fatally failed to do.
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 Madueke, 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.
Fernandes was left clutching straws. “I really liked the reaction of the fans at the end. That was more a sign of hope than what we did during the game.”
Amorim was more pithy. “We need to win more than last season,” he said.
