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Ruben Amorim suffered his first defeat as Manchester United’s head coach, as his side slipped to a 2-0 loss against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both scored from second-half corner kicks to sink United.
The Red Devils had 49% possession in comparison to Arsenal’s 51% share of the ball. Amorim’s men managed just two shots on target from their total five cracks at goal. The hosts on the other hand fired 14 shots at Andre Onana, with six of these requiring the Cameroonian to swing into action.
United put together 473 passes with a success rate of 86%. The North London outfit strung nine fewer passes with a slightly better pass completion rate of 87%.
Arsenal won 13 corners. United had none.
Despite the loss, there are one or two United players who can somewhat be proud of their efforts. One of these stars is Harry Maguire.
Maguire was named in Amorim’s starting XI for the first time ever, following a lengthy period on the sidelines with an injury.
During the 60 minutes he was on the pitch, the England international made two clearances and as many tackles.
He also produced one crucial interception.
Maguire won all three ground duels he delved into and drew one foul. He touched the ball on 54 occasions and found his teammates with 44 of the 46 passes he attempted, managing a superb individual pass accuracy of 96%.
The former United skipper successfully connected with four of the five long balls he pinged.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
It was certainly an assured performance from the 31-year-old, who demonstrated that he has a lot to offer under Amorim.
United’s next assignment will see them host Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Sunday. Kick-off is at 17:30 GMT.
Featured image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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