Relying on defensive tenacity and yet another sharp set piece, Arsenal began their Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori struck the only goal in the 13th minute, nodding home after United goalkeeper Altay Bayındır fell short of handling a corner from Declan Rice. The error turned expensive as Mikel Arteta’s team held firm in spite of United’s offensive pressure.
Arsenal’s title aspirations this year rely on consistency after three straight second-place results, and goalkeeper David Raya was instrumental in rejecting Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo with sharp saves. Before halftime, Patrick Dorgu struck the post; alternatively, substitute Benjamin Sesko failed to have a breakthrough on his debut for United.
United revamped their frontline for roughly £200 million ($270 million), but after last season’s lackluster 15th-place finish, familiar frustrations under coach Ruben Amorim reappeared. Captain Bruno Fernandes acknowledged the team lacked ruthlessness: “We generated many opportunities and didn’t score, so we must do better next time.”
Making his Arsenal league debut, Calafiori complimented the team’s set-piece preparation but stressed they “have to improve if possible and keep going” to compete with rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, who also won their opening matches.
In their first game since winning the Club World Cup, Chelsea were held 0-0 at home by Crystal Palace elsewhere. Starting strong with a 3–1 win against Brentford, Nottingham Forest saw striker Chris Wood score twice alongside a debut goal for Dan Ndoye.
All matches started with a minute of silence to honor Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car accident in Spain last month.
