Arsenal will kick off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Match-ups don’t come bigger than meetings between the Gunners and the Red Devils.
Arsenal and Man United’s rivalry has been maintained over the years, stemming from Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger’s competitiveness.
Mikel Arteta and Ruben Amorim will be counting down the days to the Premier League opener, with both the Arsenal squad and the hosts desperate to get their seasons off to a strong start.
- READ MORE: Ruben Amorim’s ‘struggle’ admission suggests Arsenal are playing Man United at the perfect time
Match officials confirmed for Arsenal’s clash with Manchester United
Ahead of the fixtures on matchday one, the Premier League announced who the officials will be.
Simon Hooper will oversee the game, with Adrian Holmes and Simon Long as his assistants and Jarred Gillett taking on the role of fourth official.
The talking point, as always, comes from the VAR department, as Arsenal will come up against a familiar foe.
Paul Tierney will be in control of VAR alongside assistant Steve Meredith, which might just unnerve Arteta.
Tierney was at the heart of a PGMOL scandal relating to Arsenal three seasons ago, an incident that, ironically, took place at Old Trafford.
Paul Tierney’s Gabriel Martinelli blunder at Old Trafford
When Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford on matchday six of the 2022/23 season, Arteta left the stadium furious…and for good reason.
It wasn’t only his side’s 3-1 defeat that left the Arsenal manager feeling deflated, but also the actions of Tierney.
In the 11th minute of play, Gabriel Martinelli stormed through the final third on the break and scored the opener to silence Old Trafford, only for VAR to disallow the goal.
Tierney deemed Martin Odegaard guilty of committing a foul on Christian Eriksen in the buildup, but ESPN later revealed the goal was wrongly ruled out.
It was a bizarre mistake from VAR, and one that ultimately played a part in Arsenal missing out on three points, changing the trajectory of the game and the atmosphere inside the stadium.
Arteta will be wary of Tierney’s role on matchday one, as the match official takes to VAR duties at Old Trafford against Arsenal once again.
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