Ruben Amorim's first full campaign in charge began with a home defeat to Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side avoiding defeat against the Red Devils for the sixth conservative match in the league as his side managed to claim all 3 points despite a lackluster performance.

That is what will ultimately, be the disappointment for Amorim and United: a very good performance but the same old mistakes costing us in the end.

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Starting Lineup

Many, including myself, had a couple of reservations and concerns when looking at the team the manager selected. Amad and Sesko both on the bench for the false 9 approach of the injury-prone Mount up front and the more defensive Dalot at RWB was not necessarily what we wanted to see.

This suggested a more defend and counter approach from the home side was in the offing (which wouldn't have been surprising to see) yet what actually happened was anything but counter attacking from the Red Devils.

While Mount and Casemiro were the two players who were majorly questioned, they actually performed relatively well and it was a certain other midfielder who was poor along with the area of the team where we can all see that a MASSIVE improvement is needed: goalkeeper.

Amorim pretty much admitted before the game that usual no 1 Onana was dropped rather than being left out due to injury or lack of a pre-season: "He's not injured, he's recovered... but the other players did well during pre-season, so I have to find a balance."

This was perhaps one of the positives for everyone when looking at that lineup given how suspect the Cameroonian has been.

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First Half

As mentioned, even with a more defensive-looking team, it was United who were dominant. We had more possession, we were more on the front-foot and kept the ball well compared to an opponent who has been one of the best in the league in recent years.

There was a lot of encouragement from the way we began the game that caused us to believe that maybe this wasn't going to be the game we all thought it would be.

Then the inevitable.

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Despite what was a positive start, the next step was to see whether it was sutainable or not. It wasn't.

Poor decision-making by skipper Bruno who played a hospital pass to Yoro in the box. This resulted in the defender giving the ball away only for it to lead to a corner and we know what happens to us on corners.

Avoiding these were of paramount importance because not only are we awful at defending them but the Gunners are masters at scoring from them. Once more, this proved to be our undoing as weak goalkeeping from backup Bayindir allowed Ricciardo Califiori to have a tap-in at the back post to give his side the lead.

Bayindir doing his best Onana impression as he flapped at a ball that he should've used his fists for instead. There was hint of a foul on him after William Saliba looked to have pushed the goalkeeper a little but tbh, the Turke was just weak. Bayindir doing little to convince us all that he is the man for United between the sticks and why a new shot-stopper is absolutely key. One silly mistake like that can cost you.

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Amorim's players then lost composure and the momentum they had before the goal and all the worries about this team came rushing back: heads dropping, the opposition growing into the game and we go on to concede another.

Weirdly though, that didn't happen. Instead, after a 10 minute period where we were shaky, MUFC then gathered themselves once more and took control of the game. This was shown when Dorgu made a run down the left flank and took a powerful shot. He was unlucky to see it come off the post.

Further encouraging signs for the home team.

United used the big switch of play or the ball over the top to Dorgu and new boy Mbeumo who were both constant outlets. Mbeumo himself had a chance but saw his effort deflected for a corner.

Between him and Cunha, the pair showed why they were so sought after by United as some good link up play between them led to a chance. The new duo displaying a bit of a connection early in their Old Trafford careers.

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Cunha then gave us a glimpse as to why he is such a maverick of a player as some good, quick feet and close ball control saw him create space for himself and loose a shot. Even from such a tight angle, he forced David Raya into a top save that would've otherwise brought United back to level terms.

The Brazilian showed us exactly what he was all about once more after he ran from his own half to be in on goal after passing a couple of Arsenal defenders. However, one could see a tired finish by the forward as his shot ended up being more of a back pass than an effort at goal.

The first half ended there and while the result wasn't what we wanted, there were more positives than negatives.

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Second Half

The second 45 didn't start off in the same intense manner as the first as for the initial 10 minutes after the restart, it seemed that both sides just needed some time to get back into the swing of things.

It was after these 10 minutes that Amorim then decided that a change was needed. Amad on for Dalot at RWB was an attacking change. A good substitution by the manager as Amad did make a difference. He was a regular threat whenever he got the ball.

On the hour mark, the sub we all wanted to see took place as Sesko made his Old Trafford bow. He came on for Mount who did a fine job up front. Casemiro off for Ugarte was the other alteration and this proved to be less savoury.

The Uruguayan looked to be playing for Arsenal more than United what with his pass to Kai Havertz, silly shot that went well wide of the mark late on in the game and giving away a stupid free-kick to relieve pressure for the Gunners. This perhaps proved why the manager prefers Casemiro and why he is looking for a new midfielder.

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With all United's creative players on the field (Amad, Cunha, Mbeumo and Bruno) you would've thought that more chances would've been created. But you'd be wrong.

There wasn't anything clear-cut created all game even if there were a couple of good saves from Raya. The best of the lot was from a header from Mbeumo after some good play from Cunha, again. His run and pass to Dorgu resulted in the wing-back putting in a cross which found Mbeumo only for his header to be thwarted by the Arsenal no 1.

It was disappointing to see that nothing was actually created for Sesko. With his height and leap and even Maguire thrown up front late on (the former captain took the place of Shaw), United put few balls into the box which was baffling to all.

This lack of a cutting edge and silly mistakes cost United regardless of how well they performed. These were issues that haunted us from previous seasons and in game one of the new season, has proven to be our undoing again.

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Verdict on Amorim

A very questionable starting XI that proved to be pretty solid. The players who were questioned the most (Casemiro, Mount) were two of the better ones in the team. However, his desire to include his captain in midfield and United not bringing in a new goalkeeper were the reasons for this defeat.

When talking about his goalkeeper's mistake post-match, Amorim said that "everyone needs to improve. the goalkeeper has to use the hands to catch the ball."

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I think Amorim also got it spot on in terms of setup and tactics as his side were all over Arsenal. The stats show United as the dominant side which isn't something we do against most teams let alone the better ones.

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His lineup proved to be more correct than not and even hi susbstitutions were on point as well. There wasn't much more he could've done as a manager.

He mentions how he was "really proud" of the performance despite the loss and that his side were the "better team." He isn't wrong.

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Ratings

Bayindir - 4

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Yoro - 6.5

De Ligt - 8.5 MOTM

Shaw - 6

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Dalot - 6

Bruno - 5

Casemiro - 6.5

Dorgu - 7.5

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Mbeumo - 7

Cunha - 8

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Mount - 6.5

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Amad - 6.5

Sesko - 6

Ugarte - 4

Maguire - 6

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Ruben Amorim - 7

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Final Thoughts

Not the result we wanted and the same old mistakes cost us but I thought it was such a good game from us. Never thought we'd play this well tbh.

Would I have taken that before the game? A part of me feels I would.

I've always been someone who preferes performances over results because if you perform consistently well, you will win more games when looking at the quality we have. But that is now the next step: consistency. If we can perform like this every week, then I see no reason as to why my prediction of being best of the rest won't be true.

Not the ideal start but more positives to take from a game that many would've thought would be quite negative.

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Man Utd lose 1-0 to Arsenal in the opening day of the season | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)