Arsenal landed an important victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon as Riccardo Calafiori nodded in the all-important goal in a 1-0 win.
This was supposed to be United 2.0 - Ruben Amorim's masterplan equipped with over £200million spent, largely on attacking players such as Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
Arsenal, too, have spent lavishly - bringing in Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke for over £100million.
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Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the match as Arsenal beat United 1-0
|PA
However, both sides still need to gel and, unlike the boxing on Saturday night, this first-round encounter looked like it was always going to be tentative.
As it happened, the match was decided by - you guessed it - a corner. Arsenal's not-so-secret weapon was utilised to maximum effect as Calafiori made the most of a flapping Altay Bayindir, standing in for the injured Andre Onana.
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That was about as good as it got for Arsenal going forward, with Gyokeres struggling up front and Bukayo Saka finding it tough looking for space in United's defensive system.
United had plenty of moments, many of which fell at the feet of Mbeumo and Cunha, who looked dangerous throughout.
However, that final pass or shot was severely lacking - though the patterns of play will give Amorim hope that a dangerous partnership can build between the two.
But finding the goal has long been the problem at Old Trafford - they scored just 44 times last season in the Premier League. So, what have we learned?
Different ingredients, same result
Arsenal scored 17 goals from set-pieces last season in the Premier League, more than any other team, and they started this season in the same fashion after Riccardo Calafiori scored from a corner.
However, there was a distinct change this time with the Gunners bringing in a new system to attack corners.
Whereas last season saw a swathe of players move from the far post to the near post, this year there are five players on the penalty spot before rushing the goal line.
It was a system brought in over pre-season, with mixed results, but it worked a treat at Old Trafford - where Bayindir might have been guilty of being too weak as William Saliba pushed him about.
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Attacks need time not tweaking
United's attack is still their weakness, for now, and their new signings look dangerous
|PA
United and Arsenal usually serve up classics but this match might have come a bit too early in the season. When the fixture list was released, all eyes were on this old rivalry being reignited with a fresh cast including mega-money signings Mbeumo, Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Cunha.
But with everyone still getting used to how each other plays, those patterns and link-ups take time to nurture.
Simply put, if this game happened later in the season, there would have been more fireworks no doubt.
For both managers, it is not a case of ripping up the team-sheet but rather allow these players to gel further week by week.
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United's biggest problem - goalkeeper
Altay Bayindir could not control his box as Arsenal scored again from a corner
|Reuters
Even with the haphazard Onana not playing, United's result was decided by a goalkeeping error.
Since arriving in 2023, Bayindir has made just five appearances in the Premier League - with mistakes littered throughout despite his limited game-time.
Having two error-prone goalkeepers is not a recipe for success - one ponders whether United should have entered the race for Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer.
The Spaniard sat in the Arsenal dugout on Sunday afternoon after moving from Chelsea for £5million to be David Raya's back-up.
What United would do to have just one keeper of either calibre - let alone two.