fa premiership, Matchday 11
The Emirates Stadium, London, 12.30pm GMT, Saturday 8th November 2008.
Attendance: 60,106

Article by Mark Graham, Editor, Record Keeper & Official Reporter @ MUFCINFO.COM

French International Samir Nasri scored in both half's for Arsenal as the Gunners beat a wasteful Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.  United replied with a left footed volley in the 90th minute from Brazilian fullback Rafael Da Silva, but Arsenal saw out the rest of the game & deservedly took all three points.  With a black cloud hanging over this current crop of Arsenal stars Gunners Manager Arsene Wenger, on a run of bad results & performances was desperate to beat United & show the critics his assembled team are contenders & he must have been immensely pleased on this performance with the response, result & importantly how wasteful his opponent was.

With their two starting forwards out of action Emmanuel Adebayor and the suspended Robin van Persie, Arsenal were expected on paper to be weakened & fielding Diaby who is a natural defender in a 4-5-1/4-4-1-1, Fergie's men were outrun & outshone in a packed midfield where it has to be said Carrick & Anderson were destroyed & negated by Wengers tactics.

Of the several players reportedly 50-50 to play Walcott, Gallas, Silvestre & Sagna all passed late tests as Wenger shuffled his thin pack, SAF on the other hand made several changes to his side as Park, Anderson, Berbatov, Rooney, Evra & Gary Neville all returned to the starting line up.

The frenzied pace of the game was something to behold as chances galore came both teams way, SAF even said after the game "It was fans' football - playground stuff. They attacked, we attacked - but they got the goal that mattered. The number of chances we had was incredible".

In the early stages of the game it just had to be Silvestre make the 1st cock up, as keeper Almunia picked up a poor backpass in the box with Wayne Rooney sniffing, Anderson then drove a low free kick into the penalty box & Michael Carrick had the ball fall in his path only to fluff his shot wide.

Berbatov then scored after an impressive passage of play including Neville, Ronaldo & Rooney, however the Bulgarian was offside.

Arsenal responded with a Gael Clichy & Nasri crosses which Ferdinand & Vidic left Nicklas Bendtner unmarked on two different occasions, fortunate for the Reds that the German missed on two occasions.

Gary Neville was at this point being continually turned & twisted inside out as the United Captain endured a wretched day at right back.

Wayne Rooney then continued the pattern of how the Reds would indeed perform in front of goal as Ronaldo supplied him from the right with a cross which Rooney's consequential shot sailed into the Highbury car park such was the magnitude of the miss.

Punching the ground with frustration was the White Pele's reaction as he knew he should have scored.

United were fully punished soon after when Arsenal took the lead after Evra had fouled Sagna, & from the ensuing free kick Berbatov, defending in his own box headed clear only for the ball to fall at the feet of Nasri who smashed a powerful drive toward goal which Gary Neville deflected into his own net, doing enough to put off EVDS.

MUFCINFO.COM's fierce critics Tanner & Patty

As SAF had said in his post match interview "Playground football" continued as chances exchanged hands, Fabregas shot wide & Almunia saved from a Ji-Sung Park run & shot.

Arsenal scored their second shortly after half time with Gary Neville flummoxed again, Fabregas took advantage on the edge of the box of Ferdinand & especially Vidic who failed to pick up the dangerous run, Fabregas ruthlessly threaded a ball passed Neville & Nasri stretched the net to the maximum with a thunderous shot.

Immediately United responded as Park crossed for an unmarked & onrushing Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward failed to find the net & shot wide, when again United should & normally would have scored.

Rooney saw a headed chance saved by Almunia then miss a Ronaldo cross before Michael Carrick was booked after accidently kicking Almunia in the head, the Arsenal keeper required treatment before he was replaced by Lukasz Fabianski with only 12 minutes left.

SAF tried a change in personnel as Rooney was replaced by Carlos Tevez and the feckless & disapointing Anderson for Ryan Giggs.

Rafael Da Silva who was earlier brought on to put Gary Neville pout of his misery, finally gave United a taste of what is called in the trade "a goal" and with delicious left footed volley beating the Arsenal keeper & with several substitutions & extensive treatment to Arsenal's stickman, United fans as well are Arsenal fans felt a sense of tension as "6" minutes were displayed upon the fourth officials board.

It was hard to pick a clear chance in the remaining 6 minutes for the away side as Arsenal who took "their chances" burned up the remaining minutes before the Emirates Stadium erupted in celebrative mood.

So an open ended game of football swung after disgraceful United finishing Arsenals way & the Critics are off Arsene Wengers back......for now, but taking nothing away from this victory, if they had beaten, Villa, Stoke, Fulham, Boro or Blackburn, would the hysteria be the same....I think not, Arsenals squad is too thin the Gunners have lost three games already.

Its three points per game, no matter who you play.

United now have taken 1 point from an available 9 against our rivals, leaving us trailing by 8 points with a game in hand, is it squeaky bum time already?, with all the top teams still to play at Old Trafford & our hardest fixtures all played before Christmas, the law of averages states we cant go on creating chances & missing them, some one is in for a 6 goal smashing & i think it will be sooner than later.

United must focus & finish teams off now & go on a long run picking up as many maximums as possible before the distraction of the World Club Championships in December & before the task of over hauling the Rentboys becomes too much to ask.

What's your opinion on the Match?.....HAVE YOU'RE SAY BELOW

A big up goes to:

Craig Adams & Neal Fearon for all the driving, Gatey for the ticket, Tanner, Patty, Kevin Killen, Grant "Newsagent" Thompson, Ryan "Cling Film" Cain, Greame Todhunter, Grant Gledhill & Weighty and his massive cranium.

Special thanks to Mary Killen for stopping up & being very accommodation with her gorgeous baps.

And Simon Curwen & Mick Groom

 MUFCINFO's MAN OF THE MATCH