Bouncing Back in Style, the Manchester United Way

Manchester United 4—Arsenal 0

Venue: Old Trafford

Attendance: 76,000

When the referee blew the whistle to signal the beginning of the first half, you could feel that the game was going to be a big one.

Not just because it was between two of the best clubs in England, but because you could feel that Manchester United were out on the field to prove a point.

Having just lost to Man City at Old Trafford last week, United wanted to prove they were still the best.

With Ronaldo and Giggs rested and Tevez on the bench, you wouldn't have predicted that United were going to be unleashing attack after attack.  But United were dominant in the middle, with Carrick and Fletcher playing their role, stopping Arsenal from keeping the ball.

Anderson was in a class of his own throughout the whole game.  He was unstoppable, quick to react, and quick to pass the ball to Nani or Rooney who were playing upfront.

Having the home advantage and 76,000 fans cheering them up, United quickly got into the game and started creating chances.

Just 16 minutes into the game Lehman was beaten from a badly cleared corner.  Anderson was able to head the ball to Rooney who in turn headed it over Lehman to put United in front and get the crowd up on their feet.

Four minutes later, it was Nani’s turn to turn on the magic.

With a couple of stepovers and feints, he managed to get a couple of yards of space on the left-hand side and cross into the box, and Fletcher made no mistake heading it in. 

2-0 United.

Arsenal were badly missing Adebayor, who was on the sub bench, unable to create any chances.  Fabregas was completely absent, and didn’t do anything.

Arsenal’s defense was shaky and Rooney wasn’t giving them a break.  He was all over the place causing chaos, luckily for Arsenal, he missed several scoring opportunities.

Lehmann had a really bad day.  Hesitating, failing to clear his ball, his goal kicks never made it past the halfway line, and most of the time they went out to a throw-in or fell to the legs of the opposition.

With 38 minutes on the clock Carrick produced a beauty.  His accurate pass fell into the legs of Nani, over the head of the Arsenal defender, with no offside to save Arsenal.

Nani took a left-footed shot beating Lehmann and giving United a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Arsenal were surely happy to hear the halftime whistle, but the worst was yet to come.

Arsenal came into the second half pumped up, trying to get something started.  They were really aggressive and in the 49th minute Eboue was sent off for a really bad challenge on Evra.  This was a big blow for Arsenal’s tiny hope.

The downhill ride had just started, United monopolized the ball with Rooney easily getting pass the defense only for Lehmann to stop him from scoring a 2nd.

Nani and Anderson were amazing, causing so much trouble for Arsenal.  They turned on the show with Nani’s spectacular tricks, which helped him keep the ball and beat the defenders who were on his back.

With 20 minutes to go Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal coach, was desperate, throwing Adebayor in, along with Senderos and Flamini.

Immediately, Sir Alex Fergusson withdrew Rooney and Anderson and replaced them with Saha—who has just came back from injury—and Paul Scholes.

Moments after he came in, Adebayor was booked for throwing himself inside United’s box, claiming a penalty kick.  But the referee had a good view of it and was quick to react.

With 74 minutes on the clock, Fletcher headed in another one from another great cross by Nani.

United didn’t miss either their star player (Ronaldo), or their most decorated player (Giggs).  It seemed that the whole team wasn’t depending on a couple of players, but on the team itself.

Their showing was amazing—coordination and teamwork, the passes were great, the defense was a fortress, and the middlefield was a rock.

The whole second half was a show of style more than a competitive game.

Arsenal created their one chance with a header going over the bar.  But their players lacked morale and confidence.  They looked devastated.

They let their anger get the best of them in the 49th minute with the dismissal of Eboue.

At the stadium, the fans were celebrating a historic win.

They could remember the game against Roma 10 months ago which ended 7-1.

Manchester United never looked stronger, and with a game against Lyon on Wednesday, who lost against Le Mans 1-0, United seem to have the morale, the players, and the confidence to get a win, and get through to the quarter-finals.