Arsenal’s opening assignment for the Premier League campaign was historically a fixture they’ve struggled with.

Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium may have been where the Gunners famously won the league many years ago. Still, in the past decade, the Londoners often lost their nerve even against weaker Red Devils’ teams.

But manager Mikel Arteta has gone to great lengths to try and toughen Arsenal’s resolve and in the past few years the effects have become evident. A club that was once synonymous with collapsing like a pudding when conditions got tough is now a group to trust in the Bernabeu or at the Etihad.

As ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Tim Howard and Landon Donovan’s Unfiltered Soccer podcast, they are now among the most reliable teams in the division.

“There’s a lot to admire about Arsenal,” Neville said.

“If you remember that period