20 touches, 67% passing: Amorim must now drop 5/10 United star who lost the ball 7 times vs Arsenal - view

Manchester United suffered their first defeat under manager Ruben Amorim after a disappointing performance against Arsenal last night.

The Red Devils were in good form heading into the game at the Emirates Stadium, having scored eight goals following the international break.

However, they struggled to clear any clear-cut chances from open play.

Matthijs de Ligt and Antony came closest to scoring, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya denied them to bag his second straight clean sheet at home.

Rasmus Hojlund was preferred to lead the attack ahead of Zirkzee yesterday, but the Dane barely influenced the game until his late substitution.

United had the chance to capitalise on Gabriel Magalhaes injury absence, but Hojlund simply failed to get the better of Jakub Kiwior in Arsenal’s defence.

The 21-year-old had 20 touches with a passing accuracy of 67 percent. He lost possession on seven occasions and did not register a shot.

Hojlund won four out of his seven duels contested, but he never looked like threatening a much-weakened Gunners backline on the night.

The Atalanta graduate received a 5/10 rating from Manchester Evening News.

Amorim has regularly rotated his starting XI since his appointment and he must drop Hojlund for Saturday’s league game against Nottingham Forest.

Joshua Zirkzee did not register a shot on target either coming off the bench, but the Dutchman should be given the opportunity to lead the attack once more.

United’s loss to Arsenal has dropped them seven points behind the top four. Yesterday’s defeat was a reality check. Amorim has work to do on the training pitch.

The Red Devils take on Forest at Old Trafford this weekend. They need to step up their performance. Forest could be a tricky opposition with their in-form stars.

Stats from Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .