Truth Be Told, Arsenal Weren't Good Enough To Beat Manchester United

Manchester United started Tuesday's UEFA Champions League semifinal against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium with a 1-0 lead from the first leg.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team selection appeared to be debatable as Park Ji Sung was given a rare starting appearance with both Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov looking on from the bench.

The South Korean midfielder scored at Riverside in United's lunchtime clash against Middlesbrough and was quick to justify his selection as he hit the back of the net yet again courtesy of a slip from teenage left-back Kieran Gibbs.

United's midfield trio of Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, and Anderson was unchanged from the first leg.

The trio displayed an undying spirit combined with unbelievable work ethic to keep Arsenal on their toes in the initial stages of the game.

Wayne Rooney, yet again, pulled out another decent performance on the left flank. The ex-Everton striker was a booking away from missing the final, but he maintained good behaviour throughout his time on the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo was on fire yet again. The Portuguese hitman was allowed into a central attacking role up front and was constantly causing trouble for Arsenal's back line, which consisted of Kolo Toure, Johan Djourou, Bacary Sagna, and Kieran Gibbs.

Gibbs slipped in the eighth minute, allowed Park to chip over Almunia and provide a 2-0 lead on aggregate for the Red Devils.

Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free kick was absolutely unstoppable, and a look of despair on Arsene Wenger's face after 11 minutes was good enough to convince all United fans that unless Arsenal pulled out an unlikely miracle, their place in the final in Rome on the 27th of May was secure.

United were absolutely sensational on the counter-attack, as Park found Rooney on the left and the English striker's pass allowed Ronaldo to bag a brace. Ronaldo's second ultimately sealed the fate of the match, and as we crossed the hour mark, Arsenal supporters began to leave their seats at the Emirates Stadium in utter dismay.

Darren Fletcher pulled out another fantastic display. The Scottish midfielder was sent off for a tackle on Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. Replays showed it was a poor decision by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti, and while Robin van Persie dispatched the spot kick to give Arsenal a consolation goal, United fans will hope Rosetti reverses his decision, which will allow Fletcher to participate in the final.

Though it was a brilliant performance for Manchester United, it has to be said that Arsenal lacked the quality, the depth, and perhaps even the consistency or maturity that is needed to make the Champions League final.

How is Kieran Gibbs, a young teenager who only just broke in to the first team because Clichy got injured, starting such a massive game?

Unfortunately, William Gallas was injured, and since Mikael Silvestre is deemed "useless," not even Johan Djourou provided enough support to Kolo Toure to fend off United's rampage.

Samir Nasri was largely ineffective throughout the game. The Frenchman looked unwilling to take a chance unlike he did when he bagged a brace in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over United in the Premier League earlier this season.

Theo Walcott's injection of pace was taken out of the equation by Patrice Evra, and Emmanuel Adebayor was kept quiet by Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

Robin van Persie got a rare sight of goal and threatened Edwin van der Sar, but not even the Dutchman could take Arsenal to Rome.

Perhaps if you could put the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Fredrik Ljungberg, Aleskandr Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Ashley Cole, or Robert Pires into the equation, Arsenal might have made a game of it.

Point to be noticed: Arsenal have lost players to injuries, transfer, and retirements, but they haven't been able to replace them.

Arsene Wenger's youth policy has to be encouraged, and it will probably come good in the long run, but for now, Arsenal aren't proving themselves to be good enough to compete with Europe's elite.

To be fair to Wenger, Andrei Arshavin was cup-tied, so perhaps they did miss the in-form Russian playmaker and longtime injured Czech midfielder Thomas Rosicky.

Manuel Almunia pulled out another fantastic display despite conceding three goals.

Sir Alex Ferguson wisely took off Rooney and Evra as the duo were both a yellow card away from missing the grand finale in Rome.

Whoever comes now, Barcelona or Chelsea, we are sure to have a fantastic contest on the 27th of May.

To conclude, I have to say Manchester United deserve to be in the final, and if they go on to retain their European crown, then they truly deserve to do so.

Now the Red Devils will focus their attention to Manchester Derby, where they face Mark Hughes' Manchester City in the Premier League.