Manchester United were defeated by Arsenal in the 2025/26 Premier League opening on Sunday afternoon. New recruits Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha both started as the Red Devils sought to begin their league campaign with a victory at Old Trafford.
However, Ruben Amorim’s side suffered a slim defeat. Riccardo Calafiori’s header in the 13th minute separated the two teams, as Arsenal returned to north London with all three points.
Bruno Fernandes Reveals Details of Premier League Meeting Following Arsenal Loss.
United were upset that Arsenal’s goal was allowed to stand. A corner was swung in, and Altay Bayindir failed to push the ball away from danger, giving Calafiori a chance to score from close range.
Bayindir thought he had been hampered, but his protests went unheard. Ruben Amorim believes the goal should have been ruled out. He said, according to the Mirror:
“I realize that we want goals, but I think it’s difficult to touch the goalkeeper in that way. Losing with a goal like this, I believe, is very difficult. It was an unusual goal.
“When you touch the goalkeeper, he should use his hands to capture the ball, not push the players. He prefers to push guys and let the ball pass. But, again, it’s the rules. If it’s legal, we should do the same thing.”
Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain, feels the same way. The Portuguese midfielder revealed details of a meeting he had with the Premier League before the season began, which suggested they were cracking down on players who blocked set-pieces.
He explained, “Altay was stating that when he goes to push the ball, he receives a touch.
“But we know the Premier League does not give much. Even if they met with us and said they’d whistle more if players blocked and didn’t look at the ball, it’s just a saying that doesn’t actually apply to the game.”
Despite their setback, Fernandes was encouraged by his team’s effort. He stated, “It’s the first game of the season, so we can’t talk about moving forward. We accomplished a lot of nice things, but it clearly wasn’t enough.
“We conceded a set-piece goal in the first half, and I believe Arsenal had no good chances after that. I believe we performed admirably in defense. Again, we created too many chances without scoring, which is something we need to work on and improve next time.”
He stated of the home supporters’ support after the match: “It was fantastic. When I concluded the game, I felt hopeful that the season will be different and beneficial to us.
“The crowd helped us go around and into the tunnel. So, [the] next game is very crucial for us to give back to them as well.”
Fernandes and United will seek to get off to a good start in their next Premier League match, which is against Fulham in London on Sunday August 24.
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