The start of a new season at Old Trafford often carries with it an air of rebirth. Fresh faces, fresh tactics, and the hope that the summer’s heavy spending spree will finally close the gap to English football’s frontrunners.
Manchester United certainly looked like a team reborn — at least in some areas. Ruben Amorim, now firmly stamping his identity on the side, has been given over £200 million to rebuild his attack. Bryan Mbeumo, plucked from Brentford, offered electricity and urgency down the right flank. Matheus Cunha buzzed between the lines. And late in the game, the towering Benjamin Sesko gave United a more direct outlet.
For large parts of the afternoon, the plan worked. United played front-foot football, pushed Arsenal back, and dominated possession in ways that felt like echoes of the glory years. The crowd, too, sensed something stirring — the hum of anticipation growing every time Mbeumo found space to run at his man.
And yet, even before the sun had dipped behind the Stretford End, the optimism had been punctured by the same flaw that has haunted this team for too long: uncertainty between the posts.