Man United 2
VS
Arsenal 1
United came from a goal down to beat Arsenal 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday and keep pace with league leaders Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The victory – gained via a Wayne Rooney penalty and an Abou Diaby own goal – means Sir Alex’s men sit three points behind the London clubs in third place.Rooney’s goal was his fourth in as many league games this season and restored parity after Andrey Arshavin had earlier given the Gunners the lead with a ferocious strike from distance. But United rallied, equalised and then took the lead just five minutes later when Diaby headed into his own net.
The Reds began the match with only seven of the 11 that started in last Saturday’s 5-0 win at Wigan. At the back, John O’Shea and Wes Brown came in for Gary Neville and Jonny Evans, while Sir Alex’s three-man midfield – Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick – meant Paul Scholes had to settle for a spot on the bench. Wayne Rooney spearheaded the Reds’ attack, with Antonio Valencia and Nani flanking the Englishman.And after an early spell of Arsenal possession, it was Rooney who fashioned United’s first chance, chipping cleverly over the Gunners’ defence to find Fletcher inside the area. The ball didn’t quite drop for the Scot, however, and his volley flashed over the bar. Sir Alex's men soon settled and Valencia and Nani saw plenty of the ball. Indeed, it was from wide areas United looked most threatening, especially down Arsenal’s right side. Alexandre Song must have realised the same thing and did his best to curtail Valencia’s involvement with a crude challenge on 23 minutes before Arsenal almost took the lead through Robin van Persie and then Arshavin.
From certain angles it looked like Rooney had put the Reds in front on 33 minutes but his free-kick, which left Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia rooted to the spot, actually curled agonisingly wide of the right-hand post. Chances from open play were few and far between, with both teams uncharacteristically misplacing passes in midfield. Hardly a classic encounter, then, although the game did spark into life on 40 minutes when Arshavin found space 25 yards from goal, looked up and lashed a blistering right-footed shot goalwards. Foster got both hands to the ball but the pace of the strike proved too much and the Gunners rocketed into the lead.Nemanja Vidic wasted a chance to equalise on the stroke of half-time when he scuffed an effort from close range, so it was Arsene Wenger who was the happier manager as the teams trotted down the tunnel at the break.Sir Alex can’t have been too displeased with the performance, as United – like Arsenal – emerged for the second period with the same starting XI.
Things almost got worse for the Reds, though – only Foster’s sharp reflexes prevented van Persie from doubling the visitors' advantage. It could have so easily been 2-0, and again a minute later when Emmanuel Eboue’s poor first touch let him down at the far post.Sloppy passing continued to plague the Reds… until Ryan Giggs threaded an inviting pass into the penalty area from just inside the Arsenal half. Rooney reached the ball slightly ahead of Gunners goalkeeper Almunia, whose momentum brought down the England striker for a penalty. The Reds’ no.10 – after declining the chance to score from the spot at Burnley earlier this season – stepped up himself to slot home calmly from 12 yards and silence the visitors’ hitherto vocal support.Sensationally, United were ahead five minutes later, and in the most bizarre fashion.
A wide free-kick from Ryan Giggs appeared to pose no danger as it arrived into the area, yet Abou Diaby inexplicably headed past Almunia and into his own net. It was as welcome a gift as Old Trafford has seen for some time, especially given how close Arsenal came to extending their lead just after the break. But you have to take your chances in football and sometimes, as United discovered today, a little bit of luck can make all the difference.The Gunners rarely threatened after Diaby’s clanger, while United could have gone further ahead in the closing minutes through Dimitar Berbatov and Nani.The Bulgarian will no doubt claim he was the unlucky victim of an untimely bobble. Nani, however, blazed over from eight yards after testing Almunia with a strong initial shot.There was a late scare for United fans in the sixth minute of injury time when Robin van Persie found the net but the referee's assistant correctly ruled William Gallas had been offside in the build-up.
The decision infuriated Arsene Wenger, who was subsequently sent to the stands for his protests. His comical attempts to leave the dugout was the icing on the cake for United fans, who left the ground with smiles as big as the Stretford End.
At last we beat u wenger ;]
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