An Arsenal legend has strongly rebuffed Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim’s comments after Sunday's game, as the Gunners recorded yet another impressive defensive display during their 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
It was far from pretty from an Arsenal perspective - Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were remarkably quiet while Viktor Gyokeres failed to register a single shot.
But the tale of Arsenal’s formidable defence remained. Gabriel and William Saliba, while given problems and things to think about by the fearless and direct United newbies Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha, remained formidable.
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The pair were shielded by their full-backs, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori, with the latter netting the winner from close range.
Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the match as Arsenal beat United | PAThe tale of the Gunners’ fabled set-piece prowess continued as well, when a dangerous whipped delivery from Declan Rice landed on goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who flapped at the ball and left the easiest of finishes for the Italian defender.
And it is the defensive duo out wide that Arsenal legend Ray Parlour, who played a starring role in the club’s famed invincible season, claims were key to the Gunners’ immense opening day win.
Speaking to NetBet Online Casino, Parlour said: “Arsenal have shown strong resilience now for a number of seasons and can grind out a 1-0 win. They again showed defensively, they have a top goalkeeper and two strong centre-backs as well.
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David Raya earned the man of the match award
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“I was very impressed by White and Calafiori yesterday - both weren’t in most people’s starting 11 - but showed maturity and defended well, and also tried to link up play down their respective flanks.
“Going forward, though, Arsenal do and, I am sure will be, more clinical and when they counter. They can pick the right pass to convert a chance. The league isn’t won on the opening day, so it’s key Arsenal build momentum.”
The performance saw an undeniable improvement from the Red Devils, although it would have been difficult to show anything but progression after their disastrous campaign last year.
Amorim has spent £200m on a new-look forward line during the summer, but his team opened the season with yet another home defeat, and another game they failed to hit the net in.
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After the game, Amorim sensationally claimed: “We proved today that we can win any game in the Premier League, especially against a great team like Arsenal.”
The irony being that his side, of course, didn’t win - even in spite their improvements.
Parlour took umbrage with this comment, claiming United have to “earn the right to score”, something they failed to do.
“Not sure I agree with [Amorim’s comment]," he retorted. "United put in a good performance; they pinned Arsenal back for quite a bit of the second half, but you have to earn the right to score.
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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim claimed after the match that "We proved today that we can win any game in the Premier League"
|Sky Sports
“Apart from the one save from Mbuemo, Man United didn’t really cause [David] Raya too many problems. A couple of tame shots they had in the first half, and hit the outside of the post.
“I am sure once [Benjamin] Sesko gets up and running and in his stride, he will start scoring, and Mbuemo and Cunha will also be in the goals.”
While Sesko failed to make an impact from the bench, Mikel Arteta’s shiny new striker, Gyokeres, was given the nod from the off but equally struggled to impact the game.
The three-time Premier League winner doesn’t think the Swedish striker set the world alight on his debut - but he showed promise.
“It was a big call to start Viktor Gyokeres from the start,” the 52-year-old explained. “And he did, okay. You can see his physical strength will cause defenders a lot of problems, and he ran well down the flanks when balls were put there.
“His link-up play was good and he will gain more confidence as he plays more games. It’s so important for Arsenal to add a different dimension to their game and you can see how this will give them this.
“Arsenal lacked depth last season and you can see already Arsenal look a lot stronger to compete this season.”
Parlour was keen to conclude on a positive note, drawing comparisons to some of the Gunners’ all-time legends: “Remember, it took [Dennis] Bergkamp and [Thierry] Henry quite a few games to score their first goal and impress, so for an opening debut I am confident he will do well for Arsenal.”