Man United were the more dominating team for most of the match. However, despite giving the opportunity to officially debut to two new recruits Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, then adding Benjamin Sesko in the last 25 minutes, coach Ruben Amorim's team still could not find an equalizer.
Before the match, Amorim admitted that goalkeeper Andre Onana was fit enough to start, but he chose Bayindir. This decision ended up counterproductive, as the Turkish goalkeeper's mistake became the turning point of the match.
Arsenal also gave Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres the opportunity to debut, but both have not left much of an impression. Patrick Dorgu almost opened the scoring with a shot that hit the post in the first half. Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha continuously created a storm, especially his skillful handling that made Ben White struggle to block in the second half.
Amorim repeatedly urged Sesko to make a breakthrough, but that effort was ineffective. In the end, Man United suffered a defeat, while Arsenal opened their journey to conquer the first Premier League title since 2004 with a valuable victory.
Arsenal's squad depth is shown through the victory
One of the main motivations for Arsenal's transfer plans this summer is to increase squad depth so that Mikel Arteta has more rotation options. And that has been clearly shown through the personnel changes he has made at Old Trafford.
Kai Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly were regulars last season, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino are also reliable options. Meanwhile, Noni Madueke - a £52 million contract from Chelsea - promises to bring more creativity in attack.
Unlike Arteta's lack of confidence in relying on a reserve last season, Arsenal now believe they will be in depth enough to deal with the injury crisis.
In fact, Arsenal's performance in the second half was more inclined towards a defensive counter-attack game. However, physical resources and quality from the bench have helped them maintain their solidity.
The decision to let Calafiori play left-back instead of Lewis-Skelly was initially a surprise, but in the end it became a turning point. The Italian had a direct impact on the game in a way Arteta probably did not expect.
Interestingly, Calafiori seems to have a very "fate" to score in Manchester. He also scored a great goal against Man City in September last year.
Man United struggles with goalkeeper problems
The question of whether Man United need to add a new goalkeeper has become a hot topic throughout the summer. And the issue has been further deepened following Bayindir's serious mistake.
Bayindir was given the opportunity to start because Onana missed the entire pre-season due to a hamstring injury. Although Onana has recovered and had three full training sessions with the team in the past week, he was still not selected.
Since leaving Ajax to join Old Trafford 2 years ago, Onana has not shown much. And if this was seen as a great opportunity for Bayindir to score, he would have wasted it.
In the situation that led to the goal, Bayindir was stuck on the goal line when Declan Rice's corner kick was hung into the penalty area. The Turkish goalkeeper did not have enough jumping power, only hitting the ball to create conditions for Calafiori to easily head the ball to score right on the goal line.
Over the past 10 days, the "Red Devils" have tried to dispel rumors about finding a new goalkeeper. They avoided contact with PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma and offered to borrow Emiliano Martinez earlier in the summer but were rejected by Aston Villa. However, the transfer window still has a few weeks ahead.
According to internal confirmation, if there is an additional budget, Man United's priority will be to recruit a midfielder. However, Bayindir's mistake and Onana's persistent question mark of ability could force the M.U board to reconsider.
Man United has improved but not enough
Man United continued to lose at Old Trafford under Amorim, but this time is completely different from the heavy losses last season. Amorim had promised to bring a stronger team, and at least in the opening round, he partly proved that. Cunha played outstandingly, coordinating well with Mbeumo.
The 3-4-3 formation operated smoothly, giving the two full-backs Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu more space to advance. In midfield, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes even played on par with the trio of Declan Rice, Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard on Arsenal's side.
However, tense matches are often decided by small details. And Bayindir's mistake, with Calafiori heading the ball in, cost Man United.
Amorim is not the type of coach who likes to take failure as a fulcrum, but this seems to be a positive signal for a fresh start.
If Man United maintain this performance and defeat Fulham as well as Burnley before the Manchester derby, the optimistic atmosphere can completely return to Old Trafford.
