When Erik ten Hag warned during the pre-match briefing that Manchester United might face another injury crisis, he probably didn’t anticipate the events that unfolded the following day in their first match of the US tour.
Yet, just 14 minutes in, he was reminded of last season’s struggles, which saw a staggering 66 injuries contribute to United’s disappointing eighth-place finish. This time, Rasmus Højlund, Ten Hag’s standout No 9, was forced to leave the field. Twenty minutes later, he was followed by Leny Yoro, the club’s new £52m center-back signing.
To make matters worse, a late winner from Arsenal came as Gabriel Martinelli skillfully dodged James Scanlon and scored past Andre Onana with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Arsenal likely earned their 2-1 victory, having created more opportunities, although both teams struggled with fluidity. Following the match, a predetermined penalty shootout concluded with a 4-3 win for United, courtesy of Jadon Sancho’s decisive kick.
In his short appearance, Hojlund experienced both elation and disappointment. The scoreboard read 10 minutes when the Dane showcased the inexperience of 17-year-old Ayden Heaven, who allowed the striker to collect Marcus Rashford’s pass on the left and then retreated. Once inside Arsenal’s box, Højlund took his shot, and despite a poor attempt by Karl Hein, the ball found its way to the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Here was the joy. Just moments later, after Aaron Wan-Bissaka sped down the right and crossed, Hojlund nearly made it 2-0, but that brought despair.
Ben White’s challenge disrupted his effort, though it was unclear if this directly caused any issues. More certain was Højlund’s necessity to exit gracefully after hitting the ground, and he was replaced by Hannibal Mejbri, who took his center-forward position.
Prior to this, Yoro caused an early scare by misjudging the ball, allowing Gabriel Jesus to surge forward. However, Yoro’s speed and 6ft 3in stature enabled him to recover adequately, allowing Onana to gather.
Onana had little chance against Jesus’s equalizer. Ethan Nwaneri expertly removed Onana from the play, passing to the Brazilian, who tapped it in. Though there seemed to be a hint of offside, without VAR, the goal counted, which only added to Ten Hag’s frustration as Yoro exited with his own issue.
Unlike Højlund, Yoro limped as he headed for the dressing room, which led to the introduction of Rhys Bennett, a 20-year-old who had previously made a single League Two appearance on loan at Stockport County.
The unfortunate circumstances surrounding Højlund and Yoro reduced Ten Hag’s starting lineup to just seven attacking options compared to Arsenal’s eight, with their captain Martin Ødegaard leading the attack.
Mason Mount was arguably United’s standout player, showcasing quick thinking and mobility as he donned the No 10 jersey, consistently finding time and space typical of quality footballers.
During the halftime break, Arteta opted for two changes, substituting Heaven and Nwaneri for Salah and Jakub Kiwior, while Ten Hag switched out 10 players, leaving only Onana on the pitch.
Keeping Onana in goal proved wise when Leandro Trossard cut inside the box and unleashed a close-range effort, only for Onana to display his cat-like reflexes and deflect the shot.
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Arsenal maintained possession primarily in the final third, using their movement to force United into a defensive stance. This provided a welcome opportunity for United to counterattack, highlighted by Jadon Sancho’s impressive run down the right, which drew defenders before he calmly pivoted and passed to Maximillian Oyedele.
In their pre-season, United suffered a loss to Rosenberg (1-0) and recorded a win against Rangers (2-0). For this matchup, Omar Berrada was in attendance alongside several key figures, including sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox, and co-owner Avram Glazer, at the 70,240-capacity SoFi Stadium.
Arsenal recently drew 1-1 with Bournemouth, with Fabio Veira scoring, and he was among a series of changes made by Arteta just after the hour mark. Another substitute, Kai Havertz, nearly scored but was denied by Christian Eriksen’s intervention. Martinelli then stepped up to deliver the critical blow.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Hein; White (Nichols, 63), Timber (Gabriel, 63), Heaven (Kiwior, ht), Zinchenko (Lewis-Skelly, 63); Odegaard (Havertz, 71), Jorginho (Partey, 63); Nelson (Martinelli, 71), Nwaneri (Salah, ht), Trossard (Viera, 63); Jesus (Nketiah, 63)
Subs: Partey, Gabriel, Martinelli, Nketiah, Kiwior, Viera, Havertz, Setford, Gower, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Nygaard, Salah, Rekik, Rojas, Rosiak, Sagoe Jr
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka (Scanlon, ht), Yoro (Bennett, 34, (Fish, ht)), Maguire (Evans, ht), Amass (Murray, ht); Casemiro (Oyedele, ht), Collyer (Eriksen, ht); Amad (Antony, ht), Mount (McTominay, ht), Rashford (Sancho, ht); Hojlund (Mejbri, 14 (Wheatley, ht)
Substitutes: Heaton, Vitek, Fletcher, Mather
Attendance: 62, 486
