‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ – Ray Parlour hails Gunners’ resilience in win over Manchester United | OneFootball

Arsenal invincible Ray Parlour says his former club’s gritty 1-0 victory at Manchester United reminded him of the night when the Gunners clinched the title at Old Trafford during his playing days.

Parlour, who spent 12 years at Arsenal and won three Premier League titles, believes it could be the kind of statement result that sets Mikel Arteta’s side up for the season ahead.

“It was always going to be a tough game for Arsenal and they’ve had a decent win against a good-looking Manchester United, with the signings they’ve brought in,” he told Hayters, speaking on behalf of Netbet Sports Betting.

“On top of that, there is the rivalry between both clubs which is always going to be fierce. Especially playing away from home, first game, they should be delighted with the result.

“Look, Man United probably deserved something out of the game because I thought they played really well. But at the end of the season you don’t want to look back and say, ‘oh, we were unlucky there.’ You’ve just got to get the three points and move on. And Arsenal did that.”

Riccardo Calafiori’s header from a corner, plus some heroic defending, was enough to get the job done. For Parlour, it was the kind of victory that used to define Arsenal under George Graham and Arsène Wenger.

“It was an old school Arsenal performance, wasn’t it? One-nil,” he said. “The defending was good, bodies on the line. David Raya had another good game in goal, Martin Zubimendi looked really solid on his debut, and Viktor Gyokeres worked his socks off. You can’t always have a great game going forward, sometimes you just have to grind it out.

“It reminded me of when we went up there in 2002 and won the league by beating United 1-0. You just defend for your lives and get the result. And of course it brought back memories of 2003–04, the Invincibles season.

“Back then we had resilience, we had leaders all over the pitch. I’d have snapped your hand off if you said ‘one-nil to the Arsenal again on Sunday.’”

Parlour was quick to acknowledge United’s part in the contest too. “Whatever people say about Manchester United, you know they’ll always be up for playing Arsenal,” he said. “I think they’ve made some good signings. Cunha and Mbuemo impressed me – they just didn’t get that little bit of luck in front of goal.”

For Parlour, resilience is the big lesson from last year’s disappointment. Arsenal dropped 21 points from winning positions in 2024–25 – their joint-worst tally in Premier League history – and it cost them the title.

“This shows they’ve got that little bit of resilience,” Parlour said. “We all know they’re a good team going forward, but resilience is so important if you’re going to be successful. When you’re leading, it’s about how you cope when you’re under the cosh. That’s where you need organisation and leaders.

“They’re no longer a team without leaders. You can see Saliba and Gabriel throwing their bodies in, Odegaard leading as captain, Declan Rice driving the team on, Zubimendi looking like a leader as well. Saka didn’t have his best game going forward, but he worked really hard defensively – and that’s just as important.

“One-nil to the Arsenal became a thing back in the day,” he smiled. “The result is everything if you want to win titles. You can’t play well every week, so when you’re off it, you’ve got to dig in. That’s what Arsenal did.”

He added: “United were impressive. They had a spring in their step and were exciting to watch. Maybe they’ll have a good season too. That’s why it was such a big win for Arsenal.”

Arsenal face Leeds at home next before tough clashes with Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle. “After six games you can really sense where clubs are going,” he said. “Liverpool will be favourites, but Arsenal have put down a marker.”

And he also hopes Arsenal aren’t done in the transfer market. “The more competition in the squad the better. I think Ebere Eze at Palace is a super player and would be another good signing. Injuries probably cost Arsenal the title last season. The more quality you have, the more chance you’ve got of winning any trophy. I’d love to see Eze coming in.”