Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo give Man Utd hope even in defeat to Arsenal – Premier League hits and misses

Cunha, Mbeumo offer hope for Man Utd

Another Old Trafford defeat. But this wasn’t same old Manchester United.

There were shoots of hope in their 1-0 loss to Arsenal.

They played with sharp bursts of electricity and actually hurt the Gunners from different angles with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo maintaining their Premier League form of last season.

Finally Ruben Amorim has players in central areas in attack that can cause chaos with their direct running and power.

Cunha ranked top for dribbles (6) and duels (20) whilst everything Mbeumo did was very positive despite being tightly marked for most of the encounter.

If they play like that at Old Trafford this season consistently, it could become a tough place for away teams to play. An expected goals tally of 1.59 suggests they were good for at least a goal. No points but a promising start.

Something to build on.
Lewis Jones

What more could Nuno want?

Nottingham Forest made a bit of a mockery of Nuno Espirito Santo’s pre-match concerns during a fruitful season opener.

Nuno had referenced a ‘lack of options’ in his squad midweek, something he doubled down on after an emphatic 3-1 victory. “The club knows the needs of the squad so we have to be patient and see. The faster they come, the better,” he said.

Perhaps Forest do need additional bodies to compete on European frontiers in addition to Premier League commitments, but this is already a fairly complete team.

New signings Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee were unveiled before kick-off at the City Ground, before new team-mates put on a show of class. They did everything better than Brentford, which, in truth, was not hard.

Still, Morgan Gibbs-White oozed style. Elliot Anderson ran midfield and produced an early contender for assist of the season. Chris Wood picked up where he left off last year, scoring twice. Callum Hudson-Odoi was a handful too.

Nuno should count himself lucky. This is an exciting squad with exceptional talent. What more could he want?
Laura Hunter

Chelsea suffering with CWC hangover

When Chelsea comprehensively dispatched Paris Saint-Germain in the New Jersey heat back in July, there was a sense of excitement growing around Enzo Maresca’s squad. Perhaps they could be a dark horse for the 2025/26 Premier League title.

Cut to their opening game at Stamford Bridge and the difference is night and day. Of course, no one was expecting a similar style of game. Crystal Palace were never going to be as open as the European champions, and the hosts weren’t going to rely on blistering counter-attacks. But the drop-off in intensity from Maresca’s men was clear to see.

Chelsea looked sluggish, as if they were still dusting off the cobwebs. And it brings into question what their preparation was like before the start of the new campaign. Due to going all the way in the Club World Cup, the Blues only returned to training on August 4 and played just two pre-season friendlies.

Maresca even admitted after the game that this was his side’s first proper game since the tournament, as he had taken the exhibitions with Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan as opportunities to distribute minutes evenly, rather than just to his star players.

Some may point to the fact that Manchester City were also present at the Club World Cup and managed to comfortably dispatch Wolves 4-0 in their opening fixture. However, their shocking elimination at the hands of Al Hilal gave Pep Guardiola a chance to bring his players back a few days earlier – July 28 to be exact – and that clearly aided them.

Ultimately, perhaps Chelsea’s downfall in their preparations continued to be the size of their squad, with Maresca’s willingness to give everyone pre-season minutes costing them against a well-drilled Palace side.

They will need to recover and get back up to speed quickly, as they visit West Ham on Friday, live on Sky Sports, and the Hammers will be desperate to bounce back after a tough start to the season themselves.
Callum Bishop

Is Raya the Premier League’s best goalkeeper?

A goal from a set-piece and plenty of defensive resilience. Arsenal’s hallmarks were on display as they edged to victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. But they were also indebted to the heroics of their No 1 David Raya, who is making a case as the Premier League’s best goalkeeper.

Raya, who shared the Golden Glove award with Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels last season, having won it outright in the previous campaign, was the outstanding performer in the game, deservedly named player of the match for keeping Manchester United at bay.

His best moment came in the first half, when he got his fingertips to an angled effort from Matheus Cunha. Even he wasn’t sure how he pulled it off. “I don’t know how I saved it to be honest, it was very close to my feet,” he told Sky Sports afterwards.

Gary Neville was similarly impressed. “That is one hell of a save,” he said on co-commentary. It was one of seven made by Raya over the course of the game, the most by any goalkeeper on the Premier League’s opening weekend so far.

It was not just the saves that stood out. While his opposite number Altay Bayindir was punished for failing to command his box for Arsenal’s goal, Raya was dominant, claiming crosses, connecting with punches and spreading calm through his defence.

There are of course others who have a case as the Premier League’s best, Liverpool’s Alisson Becker being chief among them. But Raya’s performance at Old Trafford was a continuation of last season, and a reminder that he should be part of the conversation.
Nick Wright

Eze’s disallowed strike a reminder of importance

If anyone looked likely to hand Crystal Palace all three points at Stamford Bridge, it was Eberechi Eze. And he nearly did, if not for VAR stepping in to rule out the free-kick that he fired past Robert Sanchez.

“I expect him being back and playing for us against Fredrikstad,” was Oliver Glasner’s response when asked by Sky Sports about the 27-year-old’s future. But if it does turn out that was the last time Eze is seen in Palace colours, it was another reminder of just how influential he is.

Since the start of the 2023/24 season, the Eagles have won once in 15 games without the England international. Palace have lost big players before and replaced them. Ismaila Sarr is proof of that as he has stepped in magnificently after Michael Olise joined Bayern Munich.

However, an Eze departure could turn out to have major consequences for the FA Cup winners moving forward.
Callum Bishop

Andrews offered early measure of task at Brentford

Based on a one-off 90 minutes, granted it’s a small sample size, pre-season assertions that Brentford might struggle this season are right on the money. Keith Andrews’ depleted side, missing Yoane Wissa, underwhelmed in every department at the City Ground.

No team reaches top level on opening weekend, it’s unrealistic to expect that. But as Andrews himself acknowledged, there was very little to like about the performance levels of any player in a Brentford shirt. They were the antithesis of stylish Nottingham Forest, in fact.

Andrews has undergone a baptism of fire, having to swallow a bitter pill after conceding to a Chris Wood corner routine just five minutes into the game – the irony of which was not lost on the former set-piece coach. He made all the right noises post-match, with emphasis on “players taking responsibility”, but it’s clear he needs a bit of help.

If the Brentford hierarchy do sell Wissa, having already let Bryan Mbeumo leave in this window, they will need to reinvest – and fast.
Laura Hunter

Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season

From this season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season are on Sky Sports.