Man Utd 2 Arsenal 0
Fabio 28, Rooney 49
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Having lost his most of his midfielders, Sir Alex Ferguson found another way to win.
He played five fullbacks and the young Da Silva boys were a revelation, full of verve and pace, giving United a dynamism that has often been lacking this season.
United\’s best player certainly wasn\’t Man of the Match Edwin Van der Sar, who made one brilliant save, plus a good save from a Nasri shot that went through the legs of Wes Brown.
The veteran keeper’s other saves were routine stops, really.
First half, playmaker Rooney sprayed passes to three enthusiastic Latins : a Mexican and the Brazilian twins.
Second half, United were comfortable enough to give right winger Valencia a run-out.
Bottom line, United have Vidic, big nasty centreback. Arsenal don’t have one of those. United have players who run behind the defence into the box. Arsenal don\’t.
Sir Alex hasn\’t tried to re-invent a game that doesn\’t need to be re-invented.
Yes, it’s true that Arsenal have a midfield player he badly needs : Jack Wilshere.
Basically, there are two ways to beat Arsenal : press them and play a high line.
Or squeeze them narrow in the last third, as Alex McLeish and Alex Ferguson did.
They closed down the areas Arsenal create their goals from : the spaces in front of the back four, around the D. If you leave a ten-yard gap, or an eight-yard gap, between your back four and your midfield, Arsenal will pass through you and play men in and kill you.
But if you squeeze that gap to three yards, Arsenal are impotent. That\’s what happened at Old Trafford.
If your midfield line drops back to within three yards of your defence, and a United runner stays with an Arsenal runner, Arsenal can\’t score in a month of Sundays or Saturdays.
It didn’t matter that two average two Irishmen, John O’Shear and Darron Gibson, were doing that job. They closed the gaps well enough.
What did Arsenal create?
Not much because they had Denilson and Diaby as a midfield pair.
Endemic problem: their players all wanted the ball to feet, none made a run beyond the defence, looking for a pass. Wrighty, Overmars and Ljungberg did that and scored vital goals in big games. Chamakh, coming on for Denilson in 59, produced only a tame header.
Rosicky had a late chance and missed the ball completely. An air-shot!
Rooney missed a late chance on his left foot, and Hernandez muffed another. It didn’t really matter, as the game was over by then.
The outcome was never in doubt, as Gooners at Old Trafford have admitted in lettters to ANR.
Three points behind Man United with a game in hand?
Can Arsenal win the title? Don’t be silly.
With Squillaci & Koscielny at the back, and Almunia always finding the wrong place to put his feet?
BTW, when I looked again at the late equaliser Almunia conceded at Orient, he should have saved it. A proper keeper saves that shot all day long in training.
The ball has to hit him. It’s Almunia’s job to make sure that shot hits him. But it went through his legs. If the shot hits his hip or his elbow or his leg and goes in, fine.
But the ball has to hit him.