SOCCER: ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester Utd 1 Arsenal 0:MANCHESTER UNITED became leaders of the Premier League while once again raising doubts about the capacity of Arsenal to meet the great challenges. The Gunners showed polish, but Alex Ferguson's side had an insistence that was not answered.
Wayne Rooney might have extended their lead but he wasted a penalty and had a shot well-saved. Arsenal are still not quite as combative as had been suggested beforehand.
Ferguson spoke with tacit approval of the edge to the present Arsenal but red cards do not show that the men sent off are warriors. It is just as likely that the root cause of a dismissal lies in being outplayed by a superior opponent. In any case, not even the most optimistic Arsenal fan would claim that the current team has true successors at the heart of the battle to, say, Patrick Vieira or Emmanuel Petit.
Indeed Arsene Wenger put Denilson, one of his holding midfielders, on the bench, so the more inventive Jack Wilshere could be accommodated. There was, all the same, an emphasis on caution. United showed a certain prudence and with Rooney to lead the attack, Dimitar Berbatov had to content himself with a place among the substitutes. He may have scored five goals against Blackburn Rovers last month but there was no parallel to be drawn between that occasion and a meeting with Arsenal, when no manager will take the risk of being outnumbered in midfield.
If there was a sort of boldness present it did not involve attackers. The forthrightness emanated from Wenger, who, with Lukasz Fabianski having a minor injury, chose to grant the 20-year-old goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny a first Premier League appearance. Manuel Almunia could have been recalled, but after five years without a trophy nobody at Arsenal wants to see a line-up that has been picked solely out of a regard for bygone days.
It was a doubtful privilege for Szczesny to be confronted by an eager United, who showed more enterprise before the interval. A half-cleared cross from Darren Fletcher fell to Nani and his attempt flew marginally beyond the far post from an angle on the right. Arsenal, by then, were feeling the strain of United’s persistence, even if the referee, Howard Webb, disregarded hopeful appeals for penalties by Ferguson’s players.
The goal came in any case, with Nani confirming his rising value for United. His deflected cross was headed into the top corner of the net by Park Ji-sung. Arsenal, for all their good intentions, had not been so dangerous. The suspicion that they were crestfallen not to have found the scope to impose their own style on the night seemed expressed in the bookings that came swiftly for two men more associated with attacking football, Marouane Chamakh and Andriy Arshavin.
It was early to speak of psychological barriers, but once more there was a reminder that it has been a while since Wenger’s side had the same standing as United or Chelsea. If this is to be the season in which they do reclaim that status, the onus is on them to display a better temperament, particularly when a game is going against them, as this one was.
To the visitors’ frustration, the industry of United increased, enhanced by Ferguson’s shrewdness in calling upon the industry of Park for this fixture. Arsenal did achieve some pattern to their work in the 53rd minute when Wilshere worked the ball to Bacary Sagna and the right-back’s deep cross caused a disquiet in the United defence that had not been witnessed before.
The necessity to attack suited Arsenal and they might have been level in the 56th minute, but for two key interventions. Samir Nasri’s effort from the right was parried and Nemanja Vidic then blocked Chamakh’s attempt. Even in that spell, though, United had shown endeavour that saw Szczelny forced to prevent Anderson from establishing a 2-0 lead.
The visiting fans chanted for the introduction of Robin van Persie, who is yet to rediscover his full sharpness after injury. Those followers of Arsenal were fully aware that United had to be unsettled. Van Persie would come on for Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky was replaced by Cesc Fabregas, who has been short of fitness. The means at Wenger’s disposal are impressive, in terms of technique and imaginative.
However, the usual doubts arose as to whether those attributes could change the course of a game going against Arsenal. Play did become more stretched and a penalty was awarded although it was far from certain that Gael Clichy had any intention of a touching a ball from Nani that came off his arm.
Webb took the decision on the advice of the assistant Dave Bryan, but after Clichy and Nasri had been cautioned Rooney sent the ball over the bar in the 72nd minute. Even so, United were still in command.
Guardian Service
MANCHESTER UTD: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs 85), Fletcher, Park, Rooney. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Brown, Berbatov, Smalling, Hernandez, Obertan.
ARSENAL: Szczesny, Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Song, Rosicky (Fabregas 64), Wilshere (van Persie 64), Nasri, Chamakh, Arshavin (Walcott 77). Subs not used: Fabianski, Denilson, Djourou, Bendtner. Booked: Chamakh, Arshavin, Nasri, Song.
Referee: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire).
Attendance: 75,227
United v Arsenal:
Five things we learned
1 – United’s Anderson has reinvented himself
When Manchester United signed Anderson in 2007 the fee was never officially disclosed but widely put at €21 million. It largely passed under the radar that Porto’s accounts later revealed they had received €30 million for the Brazilian, making him the fifth most expensive player Alex Ferguson has ever bought (behind Dimitar Berbatov, Rio Ferdinand, Juan Sebastian Veron and Wayne Rooney). It is a lot of money for someone who has scored only two goals in 110 appearances for the club but Anderson is, at least, now playing with the drive and purpose that should be expected. He was full of energy here, one of the outstanding performers of the night.
2 – Arsene Wenger will regret not having a better goalkeeper
Perhaps there will come a time when Wojciech Szczesny’s presence in goal will not fill Arsenal’s supporters with a sense of foreboding. The Pole, to give him his due, is entitled to feel he could do little about Park Ji-sung’s goal and, overall, he handled his first league start without showing too many nerves. It is a strange set of circumstances, however, that Wenger is trying to win the title without a goalkeeper on his books who inspires confidence. The shoot-on-sight policy operated by United’s front players in the opening stages, in particular Nani, showed they were encouraged to find a relative novice (albeit one with three Poland caps) between the posts.
3 – Arsenal need to keep Cesc Fabregas fit
Of all the Spaniard’s qualities, he also plays with a big-game mentality. Arsenal were over-run at times in the midfield, particularly in the first half, and though Jack Wilshere is a vibrant and gifted footballer there will be a reassuring feel to the side for Wenger when Fabregas is able to resume his place in the starting line-up
4 – Alex Ferguson’s words were wasted
United’s manager made his point in his programme notes. “Before we get under way,” he wrote, “could I make a special appeal to that small section of our fans who seem to get perverse pleasure from taunting Arsene Wenger with crude chants? He deserves better, much better.” He had said the same on television and radio and the club followed it up in a text message to their season-ticket holders in the morning but on the first occasion Wenger left the dug-out, after 69 minutes, the same abuse began, as loud as ever. “We’re Man United, we’ll do what we want,” they sang.
5 – Nani: potential footballer of the year
He will always jar with the way he looks for free-kicks and exaggerates injuries but the Portuguese has been the club’s outstanding footballer so far this season and he made it a difficult evening for Gael Clichy, usually an accomplished opponent.
Samir Nasri, Arsenal’s best player this season, took longer to get into the game. The Frenchman was involved in many of Arsenal’s more penetrative moments but Nani, the man of the match here, had the greater impact, his cross setting up Park’s goal and his menace leading to Clichy’s handball for the penalty.
Guardian Service
