By Myles Palmer
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Arsenal 2 Man Utd 2
Middlesbrough 0 Arsenal 2
Real Madrid 1 Barcelona 1
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UNITED were better than Arsenal at Highbury, Boro was a gigantic win, and Raul has just had an appendix operation.
Man United were fitter and stronger.They were also tactically superior in the way they used Giggs and the way they varied their defending.
United should have been 3-0 up at half-time.
Fergie’s onfield triumphalism was something I’ve never seen from any manager.Especially after a draw.
As I figured, United defended cleverly, falling back, but also, at times, pressing Arsenal in possession.
As I feared, Patrick Vieira was not fit.
He was peripheral for 34 minutes, then limped off.
Without him, Keown and Sol hit it long too often.There was no link between defence and attack
First half, it was one-way traffic and Ruud VN scored a tremendous goal, leaving Sol Campbell for dead.
He skipped away from Sol far too easily and drove straight at the goal and buried one of the most important goals of the season.
When left back O’Shea went off injured at half-time, United brought on Gary Neville, switched the back four around, lost their organisation – and let in two jammy goals
Arsenal’s best player was Ashley Cole.
Their second best player, contrary to what you might have read,was Dennis Bergkamp.
Dennis never looked like scoring but his energy and
determination kept Arsenal in the game.
Ref Mark Halsey had a good game.
Having watched 40 replays of the Campbell-Solskjaer incident,I arrived at my own definitive opinion.
Sol got the ball slightly stuck between his feet.
He checked his run because van Nistelrooy was between him and a short pass to Ljungberg, and he pushed out his arm rather sharply and caught Solskjaer on the chest and face.
Not with his elbow, but with the back of his forearm.
From the linesman’s POV, it looked like an elbow.
It was a risky thing for Sol to do.
And Solkjaer made a meal of it by throwing his head back and grabbing his face.He was not hurt.
It was the pressure of the game after 84 minutes.
If Arsenal had been winning 3-1, Sol would not have done that.
If Sol had not been at fault on the first goal, he would not have done it.
If Vieira had been fit and playing normally, he would have been around to take a pass from Sol.
Yes, it was a big incident. But it was a mistake in a period United were dominating.
Arsenal did nothing in the 20 minutes after Bergkamp went off.
Not until a snapshot by Henry in the 92nd minute, which forced a fine reflex save from Barthez.
Saturday’s 2-0 win at Middlesbrough sent Fergie a message : Arsenal can win away from home. They haven’t given up.They can win without Vieira. They can keep a clean sheet without Keown.
Amazingly, Cygan played well.
And the neglected Parlour was Captain Fantastic in his 10th Premiership start.
Parlour may not be a better player than Gilberto, but he is a better Premiership player right now because he makes far more tackles and sets the tempo.
Parlour wins tackles the Brazilian has been backing off from since January.
Gilberto has been tottering on the edge of fatigue after a draining 2002 and a life-changing emigration.
RONALDO was magnificent in a feeble Real Madrid effort on Saturday.
Barcelona were fiery and ferocious in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
Overmars was brilliant.Anchorman Motta intercepted, blocked Zidane, starved Raul.
Raul’s performance said : I’m carrying an injury, I don’t wanna make it worse tonight, but I wanna score against Man United again.
Zidane’s performance said : I’m saving myself for Manchester,it’s a bigger game than this.
Ronaldo’s performance said : I was rubbish in the first leg but I really want another crack at them.
Barca pulverised Real for 16 minutes and then Makelele hooked the ball forward, Raul headed into the box and Ronaldo, just onside, steered a firm sidefoot past Bonano from 10 yards.
Ronaldo’s body shape and backlift gave the keeper no signal.He didn’t telegraph his shot.
He is uncanny that way. He converts a high percentage of chances like this because gives the keeper no chance of making a save.
Yes, Ronaldo sometimes shoots wide. But you don’t see that many saves of his shots.
Also : Ronaldo was tackling back 30 and 40 yards inside his own half !!
You wouldn’t think he would have to do that.You would think Real Madrid have other players to do that.
But Barca were hammering them and Ronnie had to chase back and win the kind of balls than Flavio and Makelele should have been winning .
Luis Enrique equalised after a Kluivert header was parried.
The referee was absolutely brilliant and booked Roberto Carlos for a circus tumble in the box.
The replay showed his dive was FOUR FEET away from Puyol, the nearest defender.Outrageous cheating.
Wednesday night?
Well, Ryan, Ruud and Scholesy are on fire.
They look fast and razor-sharp and deadly.
But Scholes is suspended. Veron may replace him.
Today we heard that Raul had acute appendicitis.
It’s shocking news and very bad luck.
But what can you do?
A young man has a pressing engagement in Manchester to put on a show for a billion football fans.
But he gets a scary pain in his abdomen.
The plane is leaving on Tuesday, but Raul will not be on it.
It’s suddenly : bang, into a clinic, give me your arm, young man.
Doctor:“This is what we call a pre-med injection.You won’t feel a thing.”
21st April 2003.