Arsenal vs Manchester United: Champions League Semi-Final Recap

On Wednesday in their first leg in the Champions League semi-final, Manchester United beat rivals Arsenal 1-0. United got their goal in the 17th minute from John O' Shea, and that was enough for United to win this game at Old Trafford.

Also, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs made his 800th appearance with the club during the match, and United are another step closer to solidifying a spot in the final in Rome. Here are some stats that can tell you about the game.

Final Score: Manchester United 1, Arsenal 0

Shots: Manchester United 14, Arsenal 4

Shots on Target: Manchester United 7, Arsenal 1

Corner Kicks: Manchester United 4, Arsenal 0

Amount of Possession: Manchester United 52 percent, Arsenal 48 percent.

From what you could tell from these stats, even thought they held the ball for about the same amount of time, Man Utd dominated the game in the offensive end, and they took way more quality chances than Arsenal.

Arsenal Highlights

Arsenal didn't play their game at nearly the same quality as Man Utd, and that is the reason why they lost. Fabregas, Adebayor and Bendtner all took their fair share of opportunities, but they weren't able to beat Edwin van de Sar and the great Manchester United defense.

Also, the defense played a terrible game for Arsenal, and they definitely should have lost by a size able amount if it weren't for Manuel Almunia playing one of the greatest games of his career in the net.

Manchester United Highlights

Obviously, the main highlight of this game was John O' Shea's goal. However, several goods chances from Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez should have found the back of the net, and given United an even bigger lead in the game.

But, because of Almunia's great game, United weren't were able to get a bigger lead in the first leg, and they will now have to go to the Emirates Stadium in London to finish off this series.

Finally, we have realized that Manchester United wants to play in the final in Rome more than Chelsea, and if they put up this result next Tuesday at the Emirates, then they will. We also know that if Arsenal wants to have a chance to get to Rome, they will need to play a great game in London.

The biggest question facing Manchester United is Rio Ferdinand's health, as he got injured toward the ending of the game, and they will definitely need him for the game on Tuesday. Another big question facing Man Utd is if they can beat Almunia in the next game, as they will need an away goal for some security in this series.

The biggest question facing Arsenal is will they be able to beat this defense in their next match, as they had problems with it today. Also, they need to know how much longer Almunia can keep them in this series, as he is the only reason why United hasn't clinched their spot in the final.

Finally, Man Utd dominated this first leg of this series, but as normal in the Champions League, we won't know who advances to the next series until the end of the second leg in the knockout round.

Also, Arsenal will need to find an attack in the next game, and if they do, this series will get very interesting.