United’s First Loss Shows Vulnerability to Set Pieces
Manchester United suffered their first defeat under new manager Ruben Amorim at the Emirates Stadium, falling to a 2-0 loss against Arsenal.
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba secured victory for Arsenal with two well-taken goals from set pieces, a persistent weakness for the Red Devils. The result leaves Manchester United sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, with Fulham and Bournemouth poised to overtake them if they secure wins on Thursday evening.
Scant Improvement Up Front
After a 4-0 triumph over Everton the previous weekend, there was a glimmer of hope that Manchester United had finally turned a corner. However, it proved to be fleeting.| Spike in Form
Renegade attack in London, this time under center iv
Roy Keane slammed Rashford‘s display as ’shocking’ after his 31-minute cameo, one of three substitutions introduced from the bench in the 59th minute.
## Trouble withcorners
The visibly animated manager was seen passionately berating Rashford for conceding a corner that led to Arsenal’s second goal.
According to Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst, Amorim was “furious” with Rashford’s decision, calling it a “brain-dead” move.
Fetching a Clean Sheet
“What was Rashford doing by conceding that daft corner? Amorim looked furious at that,” Schofield wrote.
Lucky
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Listing Rashford's disappointing performance, the Daily Report writer awarded him a 4
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While the Mak очистки, De Ligt expressed “real disappointment” after**, highlighting their struggles with set plays as a continued weakness.
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“Obviously, what I said, we’re really disappointed,” De Ligt told MUTV.
purely from open play is worth highlighting, especially given how poor Manchester United have been from
“But, as you mentioned, we are on the road to improve as a team. I think the manager has said it also. Maybe if you do it a certain way, we have a bigger chance of getting results right now, but in the future we stay the same and we won’t improve.”
Finding Silver Linings
Looking for positives
Adding to the shortage in the Emirates, De Ligt finally acknowledged:
so , we were Bbur
“But, as you mentioned, we are on the road to improve as a team. I think the manager has said it also. Maybe if you do it a certain way, we have a bigger chance of getting results right now, but in the future we stay the same and we won’t improve.”
What specific tactical weaknesses were exposed by Arsenal’s set-pieces against Manchester United?
## United’s First Loss Shows Vulnerability to Set Pieces
**Interviewer:** Joining us today to discuss Manchester United’s worrying loss to Arsenal is football analyst, Mark Thompson. Mark, welcome back to the show.
**Mark Thompson:** Thanks for having me.
**Interviewer:** A disappointing result for United, their first defeat under new manager Ruben Amorim. What are your thoughts on their performance?
**Mark Thompson:** It was a deflating loss, especially after the encouraging win against Everton the previous weekend. The scoreline flattered United a bit, Arsenal were dominant throughout, and those two set-piece goals really exposed a worrying vulnerability for Amorim’s side. [[1](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/13266920/manchester-united-beaten-at-arsenal-as-ruben-amorim-is-shown-areas-in-need-of-improvement)]
**Interviewer:** Yes, set pieces seem to be a consistent problem for United. Is there a quick fix for this?
**Mark Thompson:** It’s a tough one. Set-piece defending requires discipline, organization, and strong individual performances. Amorim likely needs more time to drill these areas into his team. It doesn’t help that they’re sitting in the bottom half of the table, with teams like Fulham and Bournemouth sniffing at their heels.
**Interviewer:** Do you think this defeat highlights deeper issues for United beyond just set-piece defending?
**Mark Thompson:** It’s definitely a cause for concern, especially after the optimism following the Everton game. This loss could dent morale and put pressure on Amorim to deliver results quickly. It’s still early days, but they need to find consistency and start picking up points if they want to avoid freefalling down the table.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Mark, for your insightful analysis. We’ll be keeping a close eye on United’s next match to see how they respond to this setback.
