'Completely different to last season' - Ruben Amorim 'proud' of 'brave' Man Utd players despite defeat to Arsenal as Bruno Fernandes expresses frustration with VAR

A single goal from Riccardo Calafiori was enough for Arsenal to take all three points away from Old Trafford as Manchester United began the new season with a defeat. Yet there were positives for the Red Devils to take from the game, with new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha shining on their Premier League debuts for the club.

Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was to blame for Arsenal's goal after taking over from Andre Onana between the sticks. The hosts battled hard to try and equalise but could not beat an impressive David Raya in the Arsenal goal. Amorim's side may have been beaten again but the manager was still proud of his players after the loss.

He told Sky Sports: "I'm really proud of the guys. They were really brave in everything they did during the game. Congratulations for the performance. We deserved a different result and we need to move forward to the next one. We were more aggressive than last year. We went one against one all the game and we pressed high. We had quality with the ball. Even when the stadium made some sounds, we continued to play the way we play. You always feel in the game they can do something not just with the ball but without the ball. I am proud of the game we played. We lost and have things to work on. We need to win games but that was completely different to last season."

Captain Bruno Fernandes also spoke about the goal and felt Bayindir had been impeded before Calafiori nodded home. He told Sky Sports: "We created some chances but we didn't score so that is the main negative of the day. When you touch the goalkeeper and he can't jump, that makes it difficult for [Altay] Bayindir. We know in the Premier League they don't give much. Even if they had a meeting with us saying that they will whistle more if players block and don't look at the ball but it is more of a saying."

Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Arsenal have scored the most goals from corners in the Premier League (31), while Manchester United have conceded the most (23).

Amorim's side now head to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday and will hope they can pick up their first points of the season in west London.