Wayne Rooney gives Arsenal Premier League title verdict after ‘tough’ game vs Man Utd, ‘I think…’

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Arsenal produced an underwhelming performance against Manchester United on Sunday, despite claiming all three points.

Mikel Arteta’s team ran out 1-0 winners, courtesy of a 13th-minute close-range header from Riccardo Calafiori.

The Gunners were laboured throughout, struggling to assert control over the game against a rejuvenated, but still relatively tame, United side.

Regardless, they still managed to triumph in the north-west, and are subsequently level on points with Manchester City and Liverpool after the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

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Wayne Rooney says Arsenal can win the Premier League based on what he saw from the Man Utd game

Liverpool left it late to beat Bournemouth 4-2 at Anfield on Friday night, before City romped to victory over Wolves on Saturday evening.

These two results put pressure on Arsenal to secure all three points at Old Trafford heading to Manchester on Sunday, and despite not playing well, they delivered.

Arsenal battled hard defensively to come away from a ground they’ve historically struggled at with a win, earning the points through a combative and spirited display.

Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United striker was asked what he thought of Arsenal’s title credentials following the encounter at the Theatre of Dreams.

“Wayne, I didn’t want to ask you while he was still on the call. From what you saw today, can Arsenal win the Premier League?” Rooney was asked.

“Yeah, I think they can,” he responded.

“I think it would be tough, but I think they can win the league. I don’t think you can judge it on today’s performance from them, because I know what it’s like, the first game of the season.

“First few games of the season can be tough, but I think that they’re certainly one of the three or four who could win it. That’s for sure.”

Arsenal will need to play much better than they did against Man Utd to win the title

Rooney’s explanation for Arsenal’s struggles at Old Trafford are certainly valid; the first game of the season can always be physically tough, and in a hostile atmosphere, Arteta’s men did well to get through the game.

That said, this level of performance will not suffice for the majority of the season.

The Gunners didn’t press United effectively, and were instead happy to sit deep and allow Ruben Amorim’s side to dominate possession.

While the Red Devils didn’t create much of note, they were able to contain a disjointed Arsenal attack very well.

The North Londoners didn’t really lay a glove on United, with their build-up ponderous and their inability to take advantage of broken play glaring.

It’ll simply have to get much better than this, otherwise, Arteta’s team will struggle to pick up points this season.