I didn't really know what to expect today as Manchester United walked out at Old Trafford to take on Arsenal in the FA Cup.Both sides were without their top goal-scorers (Emmanuel Adebayor and Cristiano Ronaldo) and key midfielders (Mathieu Flamini and Paul Scholes), but on paper you'd have to say United looked the strongest.
Darren Fletcher returned for United after missing a number of weeks and was visibly keen to impress.
It was vintage United from the get-go, with the United defence looking stronger, and their young midfield constantly stretching Arsenal's back four.
The midfield play set the tone for the match, as United fired four unanswered goals past the Gunners. Emmanuel Eboue didn't help Arsenal's cause with a straight red card for serious foul play (bordering on violent conduct, I must say).
Wayne Rooney, Nani, and Fletcher (twice) were the scorers—with the latter answering his critics in emphatic style.
The young Scot worked tirelessly for United and was rewarded with his two goals.
So what does all this mean with regards to the EPL?
For starters, United will take a lot of confidence out of the match, having hammered the league leaders and proving themselves the superior side.
Arsenal, on the other hand , haven't lost like this in a while—and Arsene Wenger will have his work cut out to prepare his boys for the Champions League midweek.
A good result in Europe would surely clear any FA Cup hangovers.
As for Liverpool—they're out. The woeful Reds hit 32 shots at Anfield but still couldn't kill off lowly Barnsley. They were then made to pay by a brilliant second half comeback.
With 90 minutes already on the clock, it was Brian Howard who worked his way through a woeful Liverpool defence before being invited to shoot by Jamie Carragher.
The result was a winning goal for Barnsley and another great FA Cup shocker.
Elsewhere Chelsea survived a scare from Huddersfield before going on to win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, and Bristol Rovers beat Southampton 1-0 in the early kickoff.
As it stands, Liverpool and Arsenal must pick themselves up before their European ties, while Manchester United has reminded everyone that they're well capable of winning another famous Treble.
7 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Tim Yu about 1 year ago
Good recap Andrew. While I was really shocked by Liverpool (mentioned in my article), I was even more so with the way United took the game to Arsenal. Talk about making a statement!
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Andrew McNair about 1 year ago
Thanks Tim. Yeah it was a really good day for United fans as my mates kept reminding me.
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Kartik Mehta about 1 year ago
Barnsley over Liverpool was a classic with a great finish. The poor performance Liverpool put out couldn't have distinguished them from a Championship side. In the other poor performance, Arsenal just didn't show up, and Eduardo was the only player trying. Lehman put in some decent saves, put all around we need to get back to normal against AC Milan.
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Andrew McNair about 1 year ago
I had earlier backed Arsenal to be the English threat but the young legs could well be tiring. Man Utd with their greater depth in midfield are I think Englands biggest chance now.
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agooner from goonerTV about 1 year ago
I know many will make a meal of Arsenal's loss to United, and the manner and extent to which they lost, but given both the team that was fielded, and the lack of bite from the first team Gunners that did start, I think another statement, of sorts, was made.
Arsenal have priorities this season (in order of importance).
1) European play; more lucrative, and important for a team of such youngsters. Going as far as they can; perhaps eclipsing the heights they reached last year...
2) Winning the League. Positioning the team for next season's European's plans, and lets face it, being on top after a full season says more about a team than...
3) FA Cup; yes, good to win, especially over your rivals, but besides bragging rights, doesn't really mean that much anymore, not for the top clubs who play in the Champions League every year (or bank on it). A trophy that you get after beating 6 other teams isn't that impressive, when you think about it in the context of the modern game.
4) Carling Cup; remember this was the Worthless Cup. It still is. Teams that can afford it let their young and 2nd string squad members run out for this one, unless you have not won any kind of silverware in decades (Spurs)
So while ManU totally deserved to win, and look good for an FA Cup final, no one can be totally surprised at the outcome. ManU still are a larger force with deeper pockets. Arsenal are still positioning themselves for a new chapter in their history; the new stadium being a large part of that. But vaulting to 5th richest and having better gate returns than even Old Trafford, you know this loss is just a bump in the road.
Everyone knew coming in to the FA Cup game Saturday that the AC Milan game was where Arsenal's focus was at. The result confirms it.
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Andrew McNair about 1 year ago
All your points are valid. Man Utd have the same focus it must be remembered though.
I still wish money wasn't the issue and that every cup meant do or die to every team!
Thanks for your views Dimitry and I'm sure Arsenal have quite a bit left in the tank.
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Kartik Mehta about 1 year ago
You are right in saying that this was not their number one priority. However, I disagree that Europe is number one. Wenger has stated before that the League is the number one priority, even though European success is something Arsenal aim to achieve. However, the performance Arsenal put out against Manchester United was partly due to injury and partly due to the player's not doing what they're paid to do. Hopefully qwe get back on track against AC Milan.
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