Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal

A win is a win, but we got out of jail a bit yesterday. I was pretty disappointed with the performance, why did we start the match by sitting back and letting them take the match to us. I know we were never going to get a repeat of the 4-0 drubbing we administered to them in the cup. But we saw what happens to them when they are put under pressure, and we saw what happened when the scousers went after them after being passed off the park for the first half hour last week. It was a game that Arsenal didn't deserve to lose, and were the better team for the first half and at least our equals in the second half. But when we did manage to put some good moves together we did manage to open them up.
Vidic wasn't fit so Pique was handed the responsibility of playing centre half for his first really big game for United. It looks like Giggs isn't an automatic first choice any more as Park was chosen to play on the opposite flank to Ronaldo. It is a pity Nani wasn't fit for this game as i would have liked to have seen how he performed against a full strength Arsenal team after the shenanigans in that cup tie. Hargreaves was preferred to Anderson alongside Carrick and Scholes in midfield, but it has to be admitted that their mifield had the better of the match yesterday. Arsenal started the game the better, and seemed to be in the mood to try and put their champions league exit behind them. This can't have been much of a surprise to United, yet i don't think United ever really showed the confidence you would have thought they would have gained from the last couple of months events. One thing Arsenal certainly did manage to do yesterday was put the shackles on Ronaldo. He did still manage some quality moments that could have resulted in United goals, but in the main they kept him quiet. Rooney tried hard and was easily United's best player in the first half, and was unlucky as Lehman managed to deny him twice, the first after a brilliant piece of Ronaldo trickery. But United were constantly under pressure at the other end and fortunately for United Adebayor was as out of touch in front of goal as he has been for the last couple of months. Most of Arsenals best chances ended up at the feet of the tall African but he didn't really hit the ball with the conviction of someone who expected to score. Pique had some hairy moments, but it would be hard to single him out, no United players shone apart from Ferdinand and Van Der Sar.
The second half carried off where the first finished with Arsenal playing the more fluent football. I had thought Ferguson might change things at half time, but he stayed true to the line up he had picked. Two minutes into the second half Arsenal did take the lead with what at the time i thought was a soft goal, but after seeing the TV replays it shouldn't have even been given as Adebayor handled the ball over the line, accidentally but with his hand all the same. It was a horrible mix up between Van Der Sar and Ferdinand and shouldn't have even reached adebayor. Four minutes later Arsenal showed why United's cautious approach was hard to understand as a completely innoccuos ball into the box from Carrick induced Gallas to needlessly handle the ball and leave the ref with no hesitation but to give a penalty. It took two attempts but Ronaldo remained ice cool and dispatched the ball into the back of the net to bring United level almost straight away.
Now Fergie did indeed change things around bringing on Anderson for Scholes and Tevez for Park. I would have brought Anderson on for Hargreaves but with what was to come it was a pretty good decision. Arsenal brought Walcott on as both teams were now going all out for that winning goal. Twice United almost gifted Arsenal a second goal, first a deflection from Wes Brown sliced against the upright after Van Der Sar managed to get a hand on it, and a complete howler from Ferdinand who almost took Van Der Sar by surprise as he cut out an Arsenal cross by hitting it straight at Van Der Sar who made a magnificent reaction save. Now it was United's turn to attack and Evra found himself just outside the box and fed rooney whose shot found the feet of Lehman yet again. The ball rebounded back out to Evra who was upended just outside the D. Up stepped Ronaldo, but to the complete surprise of Arsenal it was taken by Hragreaves who bent the ball over the wall and into the opposite corner from the side of the goal Lehman was defending. Lehman never moved, he seemed to be taken by surprise even more than the Arsenal wall was which was saying something. Arsenal kept coming as United tried to consolidate, when it seemed to me it would have been better to have really tried to get the third whilst their heads were down. But they held out just, and a big big three points were in the bag.

Daniel Taylor in the guardian on yesterdays game
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/04/14/ronaldo_shows_he_has_courage_t.html

David Pleat on yesterdays tactics
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/04/14/adjustments_to_stop_flow_from.html

Pass the blame
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/stephen-king/stephen-king-politicians-acts-of-denial-give-the-game-away-808671.html

Hamish MaCrae on the economic shift in the balance of power
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mcrae-the-numbers-are-stunning-from-the-emerging-nations-thats-insult-to-injury-as-we-lick-our-selfinflicted-wounds-808305.html