Man Utd 2 – 1 Arsenal: “Sit down you paedophile. Just not there.”
4 comments August 30th, 2009
Manchester United 2 – 1 Arsenal (Arshavin 40, Rooney (pen) 59, Diaby (og) 64)
Highlights here; Arsene’s reaction here
Arsene Wenger will receive an apology from referees chief Keith Hackett after the farcical ending to yesterday’s game. Having seen his Arsenal team throw the game away by conceding two calamitous (Diaby-olical?) goals, Wenger’s frustration at seeing what looked like a late equaliser disallowed saw him kick an empty water bottle up in the air.
The fourth official Lee Probert advised referee Mike Dean to send Arsene off, sending him climbing back into the stands to sit among the fans who throughout the game had abused him with the sickening chant referenced in today’s headline.
Not that you would know that, watching the tv coverage or reading today’s papers. It is remarkable that the press seem to have collectively decided to gloss over the abuse dished out by the Old Trafford crowd. It turns my stomach. The balls Arsene Wenger displayed in standing in front of them, however, almost laughing in the face of their taunts, was something to take real pride in.
The same, sadly, cannot be said for yesterday’s result. The first half was an evenly contested affair in which we acquitted ourselves well – Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin went close, before the Russian was clattered by Darren Fletcher for what looked a certain penalty. Mike Dean, however, saw otherwise, and allowed play to continue.
No matter: when Arshavin collected the ball just moments later, frustration fuelled his right boot as he launched a thirty yard rocket into the top corner. Ben Foster arguably ought to have done better at his near post, but the element of surprise overcame the goalkeeper and allowed us to take the lead.
As the second half kicked off I expected an onslaught from United, but it never came. Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen remained on the bench, and if anything we started the brighter – Arshavin skipped down the left and pulled back for Van Persie, who looked certain to fire home our second. Unfortunately, Foster redeemed himself with an instinctive save that ultimately played a huge part in deciding the game.
Soon enough, from nothing, United had found an equaliser. Ryan Giggs played a clever pass between Sagna and Gallas, and Manuel Almunia charged out at the feet of Wayne Rooney. Seeing the keeper coming, Rooney knocked the ball out of play and went to ground, allowing Almunia’s outstretched hands to clatter into his feet. It was foolish goalkeeping – Almunia didn’t need to rush out, let alone make contact. Rooney, meanwhile, did just what Eduardo did in midweek – the difference on this occasion was the goalkeeper. If Almunia had employed similar nous to Celtic’s Artur Boruc and withdrawn his arms, Rooney would have undergone the embarrassment of collapsing to the ground without contact. Unfortunately, the Spanish goalie didn’t make that choice, and a penalty was (correctly) awarded.
Rooney tucked it away, and from then on it looked like a real test. As it was, the test was over within five minutes, and I’m sorry to say we failed. Shortly after a Van Persie free-kick had crashed against the bar, a Ryan Giggs free-kick from the right was swung into no-man’s land, and for reasons only he will ever truly understand, an un-pressured Abou Diaby nodded the ball beyond Almunia and into his own net. The only sense I can make of it is that he was trying to knock it over the bar (unneccessary) or into the hands of the goalie (insane).
We responded relatively well, throwing on attackers to try and nick and equaliser. In stoppage time it looked like we’d done it, with Van Persie firing in, only for William Gallas to be correctly judged offside. Cue the Wenger nonsense.
It was a frustrating game to watch. I thought United were really quite poor. They picked a team which mirrored our formation, but it left them bereft of attacking threat. A front three of Nani, Valencia and Rooney isn’t quite the Ronaldo/Tevez/Rooney/Berbatov threat they could offer last season.
We had some impressive performers. Gallas and Vermaelen looked solid again, and neither goal could be attributed to them. Andrey Arshavin was, as usual, a ghostly threat – not involved in the majority of the game but offering vital flashes of brilliance in the final third.
In midfield the trio of Song, Diaby and Denilson lacked the sharpness and intelligence of captain Cesc Fabregas. It’s quite the midfield quartest we’re missing (Rosicky-Nasri-Fabregas-Walcott), and had a couple of those players been fit yesterday it might have made all the difference.
Upfront, Robin van Persie came close a few times, and now needs a goal to give him the confidence he requires to be a real threat in that central striking role.
What’s important now is that we don’t allow the result to detract from the fact that we put in yet another solid performance. Silly mistakes were made, and those need to eradicated, but there is no reason to panic. Furthermore, the Eduardo furore and this latest nonsense over Arsene being sent off are the sort of things that can bind a squad together. It’s us against them, and our greatest teams have always thrived on that dynamic.
The international break is almost upon us. Wake me up when it’s over.
