“Somebody needed to give him a wake-up slap” - Craig Burley offers opinion on Arsenal superstar in sloppy first half vs Manchester United

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has shared his thoughts on William Saliba's performance in Arsenal's win over Manchester United. The Gunners won 1-0 at Old Trafford in their Premier League 2025-26 opener on Sunday.

Saliba didn't have the best of starts to the game as he allowed a ball to bounce near his penalty area, leading to a bit of uncertainty. He was also involved in Arsenal's goal, as he tussled with Mason Mount and Altay Bayindir on a corner, where Riccardo Calafiori scored. The Frenchman was also arguably fortunate to have not conceded a penalty in the dying minutes of the game.

As per SofaScore, Saliba made seven clearances, two blocks, and one interception, and won 8/13 duels, completing 22/26 passes. Craig Burley shared his thoughts on the Frenchman's performance on Sunday, saying on ESPN FC:

“Arsenal huffed and puffed and it really looked like they were playing their first game of the season. Even Mikel Arteta said it afterwards, ‘we need to be a lot better’. Some of their passing in the final third was so sloppy.

“I was talking to Nedum [Onuoha] about Saliba. I thought during that first half, somebody needed to give him a wake-up slap. The ball was bouncing and he was waiting on it.”

Regardless, the Gunners managed to hold on to start their new campaign with all three points.

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes speaks about Arsenal's controversial goal against them

The Gunners opened the scoring via a goal from Riccardo Calafiori from a corner in the 13th minute against Manchester United on Sunday. However, Arsenal defender William Saliba was tussling with Mason Mount and also put his hands on the goalkeeper Altay Bayindir's elbows for a moment. The ball passed through Bayindir, leading to an easy finish for Calafiori.

After the game, Bruno Fernandes took a dig at the Premier League for seemingly not following their own guidelines, as he said (via Mirror):

“Altay was saying in the moment he goes to push the ball, he gets a touch. But we know in the Premier League they don’t give much in these type of situations, even if they had a meeting with us saying that if the players are blocking and not looking at the ball, they will whistle more.”

Arsenal will next face the newly-promoted Leeds United at the Emirates on Saturday, August 23. Meanwhile, Manchester United will face Fulham away the following day.