Arsenal 6 Sheffield United 0SHEFFIELD UNITED began the day with a victory but ended it in defeat, and as their players trudged off the pitch last night it was hard to tell which resonated more.
The club may be in line to earn €37 million in compensation from West Ham over the Tevez affair, but first they will have to deal with the humiliation of being outfought and outclassed by an Arsenal side that became the youngest ever to represent the club. It was a case of men against boys, and the boys were supreme.
At times it was hard to believe what was happening. A side with an average age of 19, containing a 16-year-old among the four players making first starts, played through their older and more experienced opponents as if they were ghosts, only pausing to catch breath or celebrate the seemingly constant stream of goals. They registered six but could conceivably have reached double figures.
Arsenal had reduced their ticket prices to €12.50 for adults and half that for children in an attempt to attract as many fans as possible. The policy clearly had an impact as at kick-off the stadium was close to three-quarters full, with those who had made the journey mostly in good voice, excited by the prospect of seeing history made.
Gavin Hoyte, Fran Merida, Jack Wilshere and Carlos Vela were making first competitive starts and it was Wilshere who began most brightly, picking up the ball and distributing it with assurance from the right of midfield. The 16-year-old became the youngest player to appear for Arsenal in a league game when he featured in the recent win at Blackburn and is considered one of the most gifted of the club's latest generation.
Despite the impressive fluidity of Arsenal's forward play they struggled in the opening stages, however, their best effort of the first 15 minutes being a low cross by the left-back Kieran Gibbs that rolled across the six-yard box.
At the other end, Sheffield United offered little. A midfield containg the vastly experienced Gary Speed, the oldest on the pitch at 39, struggled to retain possession and when they did have the ball, they scooped it aimlessly to James Beattie and Danny Webber.
The Blades were almost made to pay for their lack of impetus on 25 minutes when Johan Djourou looked set to finish off a swift move involving Wilshere and Nicklas Bendtner only for his shot on the turn to be saved by Paddy Kenny.
Kenny was finally beaten after 31 minutes, however, when Bendtner, having been played into space by Vela, curled a right-footed shot low into the corner of the goal. And it got even better for the Dane three minutes from half-time, when he finished off the best move of the half to make it 2-0. Vela played a quick pass into Aaron Ramsey, who backheeled it into the path of Bendtner and from a tight-angle, he whipped the ball past Kenny.
It was as much as Arsenal deserved, especially as moments earlier they had been denied a clear penalty after David Morgan took out Wilshere inside the area.The goal finally stung United into action, though, and they came close soon after with a curling shot from David Cotterill. But just as Kevin Blackwell's side thought they were clawing their way back into the contest, Vela made it 3-0 with a shot from inside the area.
Arsenal started the second half as they had conducted the first; on top and intent on scoring as often as possible. And it took only three minutes for Kenny to be called into action again, this time to save Gibbs's lashed left-foot shot.
The left-back then turned provider, playing a pass to Vela, who showed great skill in first lifting the ball over the increasingly hapless Morgan and then chipping Kenny with the outside of his left-foot.
Arsenal continued to push forward and Wilshere finally got the goal he deserved on 57 minutes, scoring with a low drive from the edge of the box. With that the Englishman also became the club's second-youngest goalscorer behind Cesc Fabregas.
Frustrated but not focused, the Blades almost allowed Arsenal to make it 6-0 on 65 minutes, when Bendtner was given time and space and appeared to have secured a hat-trick only for his shot to trickle just wide.
Vela did make it a round half dozen two minutes from time, however, his low drive completing a debut hat-trick.
Guardian Service
ARSENAL:Fabianski, Hoyte, Djourou, Song Billong (Lansbury 70), Gibbs, Randall, Ramsey, Merida (Coquelin 71), Wilshere, Bendtner (Simpson 71), Vela. Subs Not Used: Mannone, Emmanuel-Thomas, Ogogo, Frimpong. Goals: Bendtner 31, 42, Vela 44, 50, Wilshere 57, Vela 87.
SHEFFIELD UTD:Kenny, Halford, Morgan, Kilgallon, Naysmith, Cotterill (Naughton 46), Speed (Hendrie 73), Quinn, Montgomery, Beattie (Robertson 76), Webber. Subs Not Used: Bennett, Sharp, Geary, Ehiogu. Booked: Halford.
Referee:P Dowd (Staffordshire).
