Manchester United’s latest acquisition Antony became an instant fan favourite when the Red Devils hosted bitter-rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday. Ending the long-running transfer saga before the end of the summer window, Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United secured the landmark deal (£85 million) for Antony from Ajax on Thursday.
Reuniting with Ten Hag at Old Trafford, Antony was added to Manchester United’s star squad for their blockbuster meeting with Arsenal on matchday 6 of the English Premier League (EPL) season 2022-2023. While the Brazilian wonder-kid received a dream debut at Old Trafford, Man United’s ‘prodigal son’ and veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo started the Arsenal game on the bench.
Ten Hag’s decision to give Antony a start against Arsenal eventually paid Man United rich dividends as the former Ajax star netted the opener for the Red Devils in the first half. Cherishing the special moment from the bench, Ronaldo was all smiles and the Portuguese stalwart also gave Antony a standing ovation. Ronaldo’s reaction to Antony’s debut goal soon became the talk of the town on the internet.
After dominating the opening exchanges, Manchester United coined their opener through Antony, who fired a left-foot shot into the far bottom corner to score on his debut. Antony is the 100th Brazilian player to feature in the Premier League. The former Ajax star is also the youngest player (22 years) from Brazil to score on his debut in the English top flight.
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Riding on goals from Antony and Marcus Rashford, Ronaldo-starrer Man United ended Arsenal’s perfect run in the Premier League. The Gunners had arrived at Old Trafford after winning all of their previous five matches in the Premier League. Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Mikel Arteta’s men has paved the way for the Red Devils to climb to the fifth spot on the Premier League points table. With 15 points from 6 matches. Arsenal are still the current table-toppers in the English top flight.