What the Manchester United dressing room thought of Arsenal defeat: Positive

After nine home defeats in the Premier League last season, Man United were beaten at Old Trafford again on the opening weekend of this season.

Manchester United players remain optimistic about their progression under head coach Ruben Amorim, despite starting the new season with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Dressing room sources say the players believe they made clear strides with their performance against Arsenal, who came second in the Premier League last season and reached the Champions League semi-finals.

A second source said the squad felt the performance was "much better" than how United fared in the majority of their home matches last season.

United had 61% of possession and 22 attempts at goal, with seven on target - more than twice as many as Arsenal managed.

Left back Riccardo Calafiori's 13th-minute header decided the contest after a blunder by error-prone back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

The result marked United's 19th defeat at Old Trafford since the start of the 2023-24 season and Amorim has reached 15 defeats faster than any Premier League manager, excluding those in charge of newly-promoted clubs, since Paul Hart in 2009-10.

"We were more aggressive than last year," Amorim said after the Arsenal match. "We sprint more, we were more brave, we let one against one all the game. We pressed high.

"And then with the ball, we have quality. Even when the stadium makes some sounds, we continue to play the way we play. We lost fewer balls in the build-up, compared to last year, [when] we struggled a lot.

"And then the small things that we talk about in the beginning of this season, that players like [Matheus] Cunha, like Bryan [Mbeumo], in one moment can elevate the stadium. So, I think the most important thing, we were not boring."

United head to Fulham on Sunday before their next home fixture against Burnley on August 30.