Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal: Ruben Amorim praises his side for not being ‘boring’ in defeat as Roy Keane criticises ‘low expectations’ at Old Trafford | Football News

Ruben Amorim has praised his Manchester United side for not being “boring” during the 1-0 loss to Arsenal but Roy Keane has criticised the low expectations at the club following the defeat.

United’s new-look attack – consisting of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo – impressed throughout the fixture as Amorim’s side played with a fresh impetus going forward.

The hosts unleashed a total of 22 shots towards the Arsenal goal, with nine of these coming from Mbeumo and Cunha, as well as two from fellow new arrival Benjamin Sesko off the bench.

Despite their promise and threat, David Raya’s seven saves at Old Trafford ensured Mikel Arteta’s side walked away with a clean sheet and all three points on the afternoon after Altay Bayindir’s error gifted Riccardo Calafiori the only goal in the game.

​​​​​​​In the aftermath of the defeat, Amorim chose to focus on the positives from the performance, where he applauded their improved bravery and aggression in comparison to last season.

“The most important thing – we weren’t boring. I’m really proud of the guys. They were really brave in everything they did during the game,” he told Sky Sports.

“Congratulations for the performance, but not congratulations [for the result] because we lost the game at home.

“We clearly deserved a different result and we need to move forward to the next one.

“We were more aggressive than last year, we sprinted more, we were braver, we went one against one for the whole game and we pressed high.

“With the ball, we have quality, even when the stadium makes some sound, we continued to play the way we play. We lost fewer balls in the build-up compared to last year, when we struggled a lot.

“We need to win games but that was a completely different game to last season.”

United will look to convert another positive performance into points in their next fixture when they face Fulham, live on Super Sunday, on August 24.

Keane: Expectations at Man Utd are so low

Sky Sports’ Roy Keane took an opposing view to Amorim’s assessment of the performance, after arguing there is still cause for concern at the club despite the encouraging showing from the new recruits.

“The expectations at United now are so low, that even Gary [Neville] said on commentary, everyone is OK with a 1-0 defeat. They’ve got to do better,” Keane said on Super Sunday.

“It does worry me. Some of the new signings, there was encouragement with that. They were getting you up the pitch with a bit of power.

“Things will improve, it’s tough against Arsenal, but no goals and another defeat. There’s still problems there with Man Utd.”

Neville: Man Utd were the better team

Fellow United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was more upbeat after the defeat, as he focused on the positive performances from Cunha and Mbeumo, as well as other positives that emerged from the loss.

Speaking after the game, he said: “I thought they [United] played well, they were the better team in terms of performance.

“We know that performance isn’t enough sometimes. Arsenal have got real resilience and can grind out 1-0 victories.

“There were some positives. Mbeumo in the first half and Cunha in the second half. They showed they can handle a big game at Old Trafford, they showed they have got the quality and ability. We obviously know that from Wolves.

“This is a tough start. Arsenal are a tough team to break down. I’m not too downhearted. I thought the system worked better and the back three did better.

“Casemiro and Fernandes did well in midfield; they held their own. Throughout the match, Man United were the better team, but they have lost the game.”