Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win away at Manchester United. Manager Mikel Arteta spoke to the media in his post-match press-conference. Here is everything he had to say:
On importance of the win:
Big, big result coming in the first game of the season at Old Trafford. When you feel that they are building something special, momentum, with a new signing and they want to kick on the season in a good way and you are able to come away with the win, I'm very happy and proud of the team.
On the teams determination:
Yes, because we showed it in a different way today. I think we did two things very well. One, to take the set-piece and then react to, especially, mistakes. Some of them are necessary, some of them unusual. But the way every single player reacted to that gives us the opportunity to win the game. If not, it's impossible. And that's about how we compete and how much we want it as a team.
On winning despite not playing great:
Well, that gives you certainly momentum and confidence - two very important things. Because you know that when you know your standards in certain aspects, which today we weren't, being fair, we can still come away and find a way to win the game. And the team has to find that resilience throughout the season for ten months in different contexts to be able to do that. Of course, we have to improve a lot of things and that will happen very soon. But in terms of managing to get that into a very positive result, that's a great way to do it.
On our decision-making in attack:
I think there were seven, eight situations when the ball is completely open to play through and we are on and we're attacking the keeper. And we give that ball away and then it becomes a basketball game. And again, a basketball game against a team that is extremely, extremely good at finishing actions with the quality that they have, that's a very difficult thing to do. That's why I talk about the reaction to that. Because if you don't react in relation to that mistake, quick enough, sharp enough, you have a big problem.
On Viktor Gyokeres’ performance:
He did a lot of things very good. You can tell, especially in our high pressing, the rhythm that we demand, especially in the first half, we're giving a bit too much time. It's something that we have to work on, especially there. And then in the finalising situation, he didn't have that many chances to do that because, as I said, on the previous action before we had to play that last ball that the line was standing still with 40 metres behind, we managed to put the ball through to exploit his quality. But overall, coming away to Manchester United, winning your first game with Arsenal, it's a good start.
On Riccardo Calafiori’s performance:
He has the capacity to change the energy. He comes in this room and he changes the energy in the room, he changes the energy in the team. He has an aura, he has a presence that is special. And then he's a player that is very unpredictable for the opponent because he can occupy very different spaces, he can do things in and around your box, in the middle, in the opposition box, that is very difficult to predict. So, very happy with him.
"You get in his face!"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2025
Roy Keane says Man United were not aggressive enough in defending the corner that Arsenal scored from 🔊 pic.twitter.com/Y5OJWjXyTG
On 22 games unbeaten against the ‘big six’:
I think that was the case [putting the mental block against the Big Six to bed]. It was 18 years, or 22 years here at Old Trafford without winning before I came, and now I go in the dressing room, we won here the first game, and we are not still happy. It's a good sign.
On Christian Norgaard not being in the matchday squad:
He had a little issue the medical staff will address. He wasn’t able to play today.
