Despite their differing performances in the 2024-25 Premier League season, both Manchester United and Arsenal shared an unfortunate historical statistic.
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For the first time since the reformation of England’s top division in 1992, neither club had a player score in double figures. This was particularly striking, given their previous dominance, as they won 12 of the 14 titles between the 1995/96 and 2008/09 seasons.
It was even more remarkable considering that Liverpool, with eight, have won more Premier League Golden Boots than Arsenal’s six and United’s five. In response, the Gunners made a huge investment to acquire Swedish marksman Viktor Gyökeres, who terrorised Portuguese league defenders over the past two seasons. This also meant that there would be no reunion with United manager Ruben Amorim, who instead welcomed Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko, along with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha from Brentford and Wolves, respectively.
Sesko, who did not participate in pre-season, began on the bench. At the same time, Cunha led United’s attack against Gyökeres in what was unarguably the standout match of the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season. Cunha’s signing was a strategic move, as United had underperformed their expected goals (xG) by 14.66 in the previous season, the second-largest deficit in the league. In contrast, Cunha had overperformed his xG by 6.3, making him one of the most efficient scorers in the Premier League during that timeframe.
Interestingly, top spot belonged to Mbeumo, who finished with 20 goals (12 more than any player from United) while Cunha scored five fewer than the Cameroonian forward. Many have speculated where both players would fit into Amorim’s expected 3-4-2-1 formation, especially with Bruno Fernandes still in the team. For this marquee opening match, Mbeumo and Mason Mount started as the number 10s in support of Cunha. In contrast, Gyökeres, who netted 66 goals across 68 appearances under Amorim during their time together at Sporting CP, led Arsenal’s frontline, flanked by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Once the game settled in, Fernandes moved into the space behind Cunha, while Mount frequently dropped back and Mbeumo occupied the wide area down United’s right flank. The situation was quite simple for the Gunners, with Gyökeres playing centrally but slightly deeper than left-sided forward Martinelli in a traditional 4-3-3 formation.
Many anticipated that if there was to be an opening goal, it would be scored by one of the numerous attackers on the field, but it actually came from an unexpected source: Arsenal’s left-back Riccardo Calafiori, who nudged the ball over the line following a well-taken corner from Declan Rice, though Altay Bayindir, who was in goal for United instead of the much-criticised Andre Onana, should have done better. He flailed at the ball under his crossbar while being pressured by Saliba.
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Any hope of Gyökeres scoring an opening-day goal for the fifth consecutive year was dashed when Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta substituted him for Kai Havertz just a few seconds shy of the hour mark. His debut was workmanlike, but he appeared somewhat rusty. This was partly due to United effectively cutting off his supply line, and whenever he did manage to venture into the final third, Matthijs de Ligt, in particular, marked him well. Often, he found himself positioned wide, making him less of a threat, as he managed only three touches inside the opposition’s box.
As a result, Gyökeres did not record any shots or create any chances during his time on the pitch. He attempted one take-on but was unable to convert it, was caught offside once, and completed a single lay-off pass. Cunha led United’s attack for the first 65 minutes before making way for debutant Sesko. After his substitution, he dropped back alongside Mbeumo, while Mount was replaced by the RB Leipzig recruit. During his time as United’s central striker, Cunha performed well, registering three shots on target. Notably, David Raya made a fingertip save to deny him just before halftime. Additionally, unlike Gyökeres, Cunha created one chance and had a 50% success rate in his take-ons. His ability to stretch the defence and make runs from deep also made him more effective when used as one of United’s two deep-lying playmakers.
Raya, the recipient of the last two Premier League Golden Gloves (though he shared the 2024/25 award with Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels), produced another outstanding save to deny a header from Mbeumo. This was part of a series of five shots Mbeumo took on goal during today’s contest, marking his highest number in a Premier League game since October 2023 against Burnley, where he had six shots. It was also the highest number of shots Mbeumo has taken in a game without scoring since April 2022 against Spurs, where he had five attempts.
The Red Devils were unable to break through Raya’s goal, and Arsenal couldn’t extend their lead, resulting in a final score of 1-0 in favour of the visitors. A win is a win, and Arteta shouldn’t be too overly concerned about Gyökeres’s lacklustre performance, knowing that it will take time for the Swede to acclimatise to his new environment.
Given the recent worries about not having a consistent striker to get them over the line, there is hope that Gyökeres will start finding the back of the net sooner rather than later. His subdued display in this match seemed to stem from a lack of synergy with his teammates and the challenge of adapting to a different tactical system, especially considering his success in a 3-4-3 formation at Sporting, which mirrors the setup Amorim brought to United.
On the other hand, the defeated Portuguese coach should find reasons for optimism with two of his new attacking players. Gary Neville on Sky Sports commentary even named Raya as the game’s player of the match. Both Cunha and Mbeumo showed promise, with Cunha appearing sharper in front of goal and Mbeumo looking comfortable with the ball at his feet. However, neither Cunha nor Mbeumo scored; in fact, only Calafiori (0.61) had a higher xG rating than United’s pair. Had it not been for a certain Spanish goalkeeper, the result might have been different.