Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal Player Ratings: Riccardo Calafiori Rated 7.5/10 As Arsenal Triumph Over Manchester United In Their Opening Day Clash

Manchester United faced Arsenal on matchday 1 of the English Premier League 2025/26 season on 17th August, 2025, at 4:30 PM (GMT) at Old Trafford. The teams faced each other on the same day as the 13th anniversary of Robin Van Persie joining United from Arsenal, which only ignites the rivalry further. Manchester United started as the better team, creating chances and keeping possession with ease. However, Arsenal were quite lively on the counter but looked a bit dull in the initial few minutes. The Gunners slowly grew into the game and stretched the Manchester United backline to create a few good chances. Despite Manchester United being the better team, it was Arsenal who drew first blood as Declan Rice's corner wasn't punched quite well by Altay Bayindir, which only found Riccardo Calafiori at the back post, and the Italian made no mistake in heading it in to give Arsenal the lead in the 13th minute. Many United players argued that William Saliba had intervened in Bayindir's path, but the goal stood after a quick review. Manchester United kept pushing, as Patrick Dorgu's shot just kissed David Raya's far post and went away, while Matheus Cunha's efforts were well-tipped away by the Spanish goalkeeper at the right time. The first half ended with Arsenal being in the lead. Manchester United pushed harder in the second half but were unable to find that bit of magic in the final third. Bryan Mbuemo's header was well saved by Raya in the 73rd minute at full stretch, which summed up United's day in the opening match of the season. Arsenal held their lines well and gave little to no space to the Manchester United attackers to get a sniff of their goal. Here are the Manchester United vs Arsenal Player Ratings.

Manchester United Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Manchester United Player Ratings.

Goalkeeper:

Altay Bayindir - 5/10

The Turkish goalkeeper didn't have much to do in the first half. Bayindir was good with his outing, and his distribution was neat too. Should have done better in dealing with Declan Rice's corner, as his clearance only found Calafiori at the far post.

Defenders:

Leny Yoro - 6/10

The Frenchman held his ground well and was on hand to clear a number of Arsenal crosses.

Matthijs de Ligt - 6.5/10

Matthijs de Ligt was the best among the three United centre backs, as he made quite a few important interceptions and also played the ball out from the back quite well. He located the overlapping runs of Dorgu and Dalot and found them quite often with his long balls.

Luke Shaw - 6/10

Being deployed as centre back since the last season, Shaw had a decent game overall. He used his physicality well to ward off Saka at times. However, he was caught out of position at times, which left acres of space behind for Saka and White to exploit.

Midfielders:

Diogo Dalot - 6.5/10

The Portuguese international made overlapping runs throughout the game and provided a good amount of width for United to attack from the right-hand side. He combined with Bryan Mbuemo quite well and tracked back efficiently.

Casemiro - 6/10

Casemiro played his usual game in the middle of the park, holding off players and linking the defense and attack. He used his physicality well to hold the ball and cut the passing lanes quite neatly.

Bruno Fernandes - 5.5/10

The skipper had a rather dull game today, as his passing was off the mark and his positioning was too questionable at times. His set-pieces were quite weak too; overall, a day to forget for Bruno Fernandes.

Patrick Dorgu - 6.5/10

Dorgu was quite lively on the left-hand side as he moved up and down constantly, chasing every ball. He did drift infield at times to make that extra man in midfield.

Bryan Mbuemo - 6.5/10

Mbuemo had a decent first outing for the Red Devils, as the Cameroonian showed neat footwork and looked to do something dangerous every time he had the ball at his feet. His passing was on point and helped his team in defensive transitions, too. Probably the best player for Manchester United today.

Mason Mount - 6/10

Mason Mount dropped deep at times to combine with the midfielders and lay off the ball to a better-positioned teammate after holding it quite well. He tracked back during counters to help his team out. One instance was when he ran the full length of the pitch to dispossess Bukayo Saka at just the edge of the United box after the home team conceded a counterattack from a corner.

Forwards:

Matheus Cunha - 5/10

Matheus Cunha was handed his Premier League debut for Manchester United, but the Brazilian failed to make much of an impact. He got to see little of the ball, which massively impacted his overall gameplay. Cunha only had a bursting run through the middle of the pitch, getting past three players with each, but hit his shot straight at David Raya.

Substitutes:

Amad Diallo - 6/10

Manuel Ugarte - 6/10

Benjamin Sesko - 6/10

Harry Maguire - NA

Manager:

Ruben Amorim - 6/10

Amorim went with his usual 3-4-2-1 formation with Mason Mount playing as a false nine. His team were quite comfortable in possession as they kept most of the ball and were on point with their passing. His team pressed well to counter Arsenal's press and gave the Gunners little time on the ball.

Arsenal Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Arsenal Player Ratings.

Goalkeeper:

David Raya - 6.5/10

Raya was on point with his distribution and made a couple of good saves to keep Manchester United from scoring. He did take a few unnecessary risks in the box, as Cunha once got the better of him while the Spaniard was trying to trick him with his quick feet. He made a brilliant diving save off an Mbuemo header in the closing stages, which showcased his composure in crucial junctures of the game.

Defenders:

Ben White - 6/10

White was quite solid defensively, as he neutralized the runs of Patrick Dorgu to a large extent. His positioning was excellent, and he made a lot of interceptions in the danger areas.

William Saliba - 6/10

William Saliba came forward at times to intercept a lot of passes and didn't shy away from getting into duels higher up the pitch. The Frenchman was reckless at times, as he mistimed quite a few tackles.

Gabriel Magalhaes - 6/10

Gabriel was solid defensively as he covered the positions well and played the ball out from the back quite neatly. He used his physicality well to clear away the aerial balls from Manchester United and held the defensive line quite efficiently.

Riccardo Calafiori - 7.5/10

The Italian played out a solid game on the left-hand side, as he contained Bryan Mbuemo and Diogo Dalot for most of the game. However, Mbuemo did get the better of him at times, but he was quick to make ground and minimize the threat. He scored the only goal for the Gunners from a Declan Rice corner.

Midfielders:

Martin Odegaard - 6/10

The skipper had a good game today, as he made a good number of forward runs with the ball and found teammates with cute passes in behind the Manchester United defense. Odegaard did take a shot or two, but those were either off target or straight at Altay Bayindir.

Martin Zubimendi - 6/10

Arsenal's marquee signing, Martin Zubimendi, had a decent debut in the Premier League. The Spaniard held the ball well in the middle of the park and intercepted several Manchester United passes, which could have been dangerous. Zubimendi acted as the link between the Arsenal defense and offense and did his job quite efficiently.

Declan Rice - 7/10

Although Rice had an unusually quiet game in the middle, he provided the assist for Arsenal's only goal from a corner, which Riccardo Calafiori headed in with ease.

Forwards:

Bukayo Saka - 5/10

The Englishman had a day to forget as nothing seemed to go his way. Bukayo Saka was bullied away from the ball by the likes of Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt as he tried to beat them with his trickery.

Viktor Gyokeres - 4.5/10

Viktor Gyokeres made his debut in the Premier League but didn't have much of an impact on the game. He dropped deep at times to link up with his midfielders and helped defensively at times, too. However, he failed to occupy the right positions where his teammates could feed him and was left isolated at the top as a result.

Gabriel Martinelli - 6/10

Martinelli was quite off-colour too, as he failed to get past Diogo Dalot on most occasions. However, he did contribute defensively by tracking back quite efficiently.

Substitutes:

Kai Havertz - 6/10

Noni Madueke - 6/10

Jurrien Timber - 5/10

Myles Lewis-Skelly - 5/10

Mikel Merino - NA

Manager:

Mikel Arteta - 6.5/10

Arteta set his team up in his usual 4-3-3 formation, handing Zubimendi and Gyokeres their Premier League debut. His team were second-best for most of the game but got the job done in front of the goal with the only clear-cut chance they got. His players defended quite well and made sure that every Manchester United attack was thwarted with utmost concentration.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Riccardo Calafiori