Reasons for Manchester United Fans to Be Positive Despite Opening Weekend Defeat to Arsenal

There’s that old cliché that football is a ‘results based business’, which, of course, it is… they don’t give out trophies to nearly men and plucky underdogs.

But sometimes, teams can lose games of football and come out the other side feeling pretty chipper – which is, or at least should be, how Manchester United view their 0-1 defeat to Arsenal on the opening day of the campaign.

For those betting on the Premier League, it would’ve been considered a fixture that nowadays might’ve been a foregone conclusion, as was also seen in the Man City vs Man United odds; a game Liverpool would’ve been expected to dominate, but ultimately only won thanks to two stoppage-time goals from the Reds. It was a similar story in Manchester.

Could the loss herald the start of brighter days ahead for the Red Devils?

The Famous Five

There are numerous options for those outright markets, including odds for top four, five and even six finishes.

Of those categories, it’s the middle one that might just be of interest to punters, with Manchester United priced as a 17/10 chance in behind Newcastle United (7/5) and then the ‘big four’, who are all available at odds-against quotes.

It’s foolhardy to read too much into one game, but the fact that the Old Trafford faithful rose to their feet to cheer off their players – despite going down in defeat to Arsenal on the opening Sunday – speaks volumes.

They went a goal down to the thing that all managers detest: weak defending and disorganisation from a corner, which allowed the Gunners to take the easiest of leads.

But that was a rare blot on the copybook of Manchester United, who otherwise dominated proceedings – 61% possession, seven shots on target and 36 touches inside the Arsenal box just some of the stats that evidence that.

There were exciting debuts from Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who dovetailed nicely in the attacking third, as well as a commanding display at centre back from Matthijs De Ligt – the Dutchman hasn’t always been a fan favourite at Old Trafford, but he was excellent in dealing with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Afterwards, United boss Ruben Amorim was full of praise for his players: “We proved today that we can win any game in the Premier League, especially against a great team like Arsenal. And we were the better team,” he commented.

Reasons to be cheerful for Manchester United fans then… it’s been a while since those words could be typed.

Wings Clipped

It could be a transformative season for Newcastle United too… although perhaps not in the way intended.

They qualified for the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League table in 2024/25, as well as lifting the EFL Cup – their first trophy in some 70 years.

But playing in the Champions League, especially this expanded version of the competition, brings with it challenges in terms of squad depth. And the jury is out on whether the Magpies have the strength in depth necessary to challenge on multiple fronts.

That notion could be worsened by the possible exit of wantaway striker Alexander Isak, who scored 23 of Newcastle’s 68 Premier League goals last term – not many clubs could handle the loss of an individual that contributed 34% of their output in front of goal.

The Magpies huffed and puffed against ten-man Aston Villa on the opening weekend, firing in just three shots on target. Without a recognised centre forward, they could struggle to score the goals necessary to prolong a top-five push.

So are Manchester United the better bet to clip the Magpies’ wings?

Published by Patrick Jane
21.08.2025