United Beyond Manchester

Despite clear improvements across the pitch, Manchester United fell 1-0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford to start the season. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Leny Yoro headline the player ratings below for the Reds.

Starting Eleven

Altay Bayindir: 4 – Amorim needs a new goalkeeper. Bayindir was bullied on Arsenal’s goal, being forced into his net and swatting wildly at the ball before Calafiori headed in his goal.

Leny Yoro: 8 – Gabriel Martinelli had just 14 touches in his 60 minutes, mostly due to Leny Yoro’s smothering defense. The young Frenchman looks more poised and comfortable at the start of his second season in the Premier League.

Matthijs De Ligt: 7 – De Ligt will need to empty his pockets of Viktor Gyokeres when he gets home. The Dutchman dominated in his duels with the Swede and was impressive overall. A late block on Bukayo Saka kept Arsenal from adding a second.

Luke Shaw: 6 – Shaw was solid on the left of the back three, defending well and pushing the team forward. He looks as healthy as he has been over the past few seasons.

Diogo Dalot: 7 – Dalot got the nod over Amad to offer greater defensive stability. He delivered with three clearances and looked composed in possession. He was replaced by the Ivorian in the early stages of the second half.

Casemiro: 5 – Casemiro contributed with key interceptions and tackles, but his decision-making was inconsistent. A few risky flicks invited Arsenal counters, and he too often left the midfield exposed in transition. With United monitoring several younger midfielders, reinforcements could be required before the window closes.

Bruno Fernandes: 7 – Bruno was heavily involved in the midfield, contributing with five key passes. He will continue to be influential with quality attackers in front of him who are willing to work.

Patrick Dorgu: 7 – The experience Dorgu gained in the back half of last season could prove valuable for him and the team. The Danish wing back found space several times by drifting forward, and nearly scored with a blistering strike that hit the post.

Matheus Cunha: 8 – Cunha was as-advertised against Arsenal, breaking lines with his dribbling and getting into solid shooting positions. He will be disappointed that none of his three shots on target found the back of the net, but his performance will give United’s new attack confidence.

Bryan Mbeumo: 8 – Like Cunha, Mbeumo had a promising debut. While he failed to score, he showed his pace and power, qualities that make him a nightmare for opposing defenses, on multiple occasions. He took five total shots with two on target in his first full 90 minutes.

Mason Mount: 6 – Mount excelled at switching play, often finding Mbeumo in space on the right. His energy and tenacity will be valuable in big matches throughout the season, as evidenced by his performance in the loss.

Substitutes

Amad Diallo: 6 – Amad was the only substitute to make an impact. The Ivorian connected well with Mbeumo going forward on the right and won all seven of his duels.

Benjamin Sesko: 4 – Sesko was limited to seven touches after coming on and made little impact. His struggles against Arsenal were expected, as he only joined the club a week before the match. His improvement will be crucial to United’s season.

Manuel Ugarte: 5 – Ugarte came on to help stabilize the midfield, but could not. He did not win any duels and added little to the attack as the Reds pushed for the equalizer.

Harry Maguire: NR – Maguire entered the fray for the final ten minutes.

Man of the Match: Matheus Cunha