The Gunners' Italian maestro got the clincher but their £64 million summer signing struggled as they edged the Red Devils on their own patch

Arsenal won only their third game at Old Trafford since 2006 with a battling 1-0 victory in their Premier League opener on Sunday.

After a blood and thunder start, the visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when Altay Bayindir flapped at a Declan Rice corner, under pressure from William Saliba, and Riccardo Calafiori headed in from a foot out. Despite having the lead, Arsenal looked vulnerable on the counter, particularly when their full-backs bombed forward, and had it not been for the post, Patrick Dorgu's 20-yard rocket would have made it 1-1.

Martin Odegaard stung the hands of Bayindir, who was preferred to Andre Onana in goal, when he jinked his way through some would-be defenders as the Gunners captain looked to banish the memories of an underwhelming 2024-25 season. Arsenal, who didn't assert the control they would have liked in the first half, were indebted to goalkeeper David Raya shortly before the break as his fingertip reaction save denied the lively Matheus Cunha from a tight angle.

Arsenal continued to be on the back foot after the interval but for all of United's huff and puff, Raya wasn't tested enough – although he had to be alert to keep out Mbeumo's goalbound header. The Gunners finally mustered a shot on goal when Rice's free-kick hit the side-netting but most of the action was happening at the other end.

It was telling that the man of the match was Raya as Mikel Arteta's men, who have now 31 goals from corners since the start of the 2023-24 season, secured all three points in an unconvincing fashion.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Old Trafford…

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David Raya (8/10):

Pulled off some vital stops to keep an energetic United at bay and showed Bayindir how to control your area.

Ben White (6/10):

Was neat and tidy going forward but his attacking runs forward meant that Arsenal were exposed in defence.

William Saliba (7/10):

Seemed a bit unsettled early on but played a big part in Arsenal's goal with his physicality. He and Gabriel settled down in the second period and chipped in with some crucial stops late on.

Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):

Got into a couple of good physical tussles with Mbeumo and made some important tackles in his final third.

Riccardo Calafiori (7/10):

Gave Arsenal the lead with an easy header but he found life rather difficult against the tricky Mbeumo. Popped up with some timely interceptions, though.

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Martin Zubimendi (5/10):

The former Real Sociedad man was brought in to give Arsenal's midfield extra quality and control but he showed little of that on his Premier League debut.

Declan Rice (6/10):

His devilishly difficult corner led to Arsenal's opener but instead of making driving runs into United's half, the midfielder was often hanging onto United's coattails.

Martin Odegaard (6/10):

Showed signs of the Odegaard of the 2023-24 campaign but the consistency was lacking a tad.

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Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):

Put in some hard yards for his team but other than a couple of neat passes, the Brazilian didn't threaten United's backline a great deal.

Viktor Gyokeres (4/10):

The summer signing showed glimpses of his power and pace but the former Sporting CP striker had an underwhelming outing. He didn't hold the ball up particularly well, lost the vast majority of his duels, and created no chances.

Bukayo Saka (5/10):

Didn't seem like he was in the game for long periods and was outshone by Dorgu and Luke Shaw.

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Kai Havertz (X/10):

Didn't offer a great deal but held the ball up more than Gyokeres.

Noni Madueke (5/10):

The Chelsea recruit did come on in the second half but that may have been his most telling act.

Jurrien Timber (7/10):

Fought tooth and nail for the ball and got his team out of some sticky situations.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10):

Didn't get much time to make an impact.

Mikel Merino (7/10):

Did the right things at the right time and played in the right areas.

Mikel Arteta (7/10):

Despite being in front at half time, the Spaniard may have been the more disappointed of the two managers, given his side's lukewarm performance. While his team got all three points, they offered precious little going forward. However, winning ugly is a skill in itself.