Manchester United's reaction after the defeat to Arsenal.

MU didn't play badly in their opening Premier League match of the 2025/26 season.

But contrary to the usual pessimistic atmosphere, there is now a belief in the Red Devils' dressing room that the team is heading in the right direction under manager Ruben Amorim.

According to internal sources, Manchester United players believe their performance against Arsenal – last season's Premier League runners-up and Champions League semi-finalists – showed a clear improvement. One member even stated: “This was a much better game than most of what we showed at Old Trafford last season.”

The statistics reinforce that belief: Manchester United held possession for 61%, took 22 shots, 7 of which were on target – double that of Arsenal. Their more proactive, faster-paced, and aggressive style of play gave the "Red Devils" a distinctly different feel compared to their familiar, stagnant performances last season.

Despite dominating possession, Manchester United were punished by a moment of carelessness. In the 13th minute, Riccardo Calafiori's header secured the only goal of the match, following a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Altay Bayindir – a player known for his frequent errors in the Red Devils' shirt.

Notably, this was United's 19th defeat at Old Trafford since the 2023/24 season. Amorim also became the manager to reach 15 defeats faster than any other manager in Premier League history (excluding newly promoted teams) since Paul Hart in 2009/10. A rather unpleasant record, but it doesn't seem to have dampened the spirits of the dressing room.

MU England 1

Ruben Amorim is gradually changing Manchester United.

After the match, coach Ruben Amorim pointed out the core change: “We played more aggressively than last season. The players moved more, were braver, were willing to go one-on-one for the entire game, and pressed high. With the ball at their feet, the whole team was also calmer and made fewer mistakes.”

He particularly emphasized the role of new signings like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who can “make the crowd erupt in excitement in just a moment.” Amorim concluded: “Most importantly, we are no longer boring.”

United will travel to Fulham this Sunday, before returning to Old Trafford to host Burnley on August 30th. With optimism in the dressing room, the team believes the defeat against Arsenal was just a minor setback in their journey to rebuild their identity under Amorim.