Gunners title hopes shredded by Rooney inspired United
By:Ian
2010-02-01
Barely two months ago, Arsenal’s title credentials were put on the line when Chelsea came to the Emirates. This was seen as the acid test for Arsene Wenger’s team and the writing was on the wall when Chelsea cantered to an easy 3-0 victory. Arsenal however bounced back and clawed themselves back into the title race with some impressive performances and victories and so we arrived at the Emirates on Sunday 31st January for the second clash of the season that would define Arsenal’s title aspirations. Surely the same thing couldn’t happen against Manchester United as had befallen Arsenal against Chelsea, could it?
The match was eagerly awaited, chiefly because over the past few years Arsenal and Manchester United have not only provided some of the best live football entertainment you’ll find in the world, but some of the best live sports entertainment you’ll find in the world. With both sides in excellent form, this was expected to be a fast, free-flowing encounter filled with sumptuous football from start to finish; an epic.
Only Manchester United hadn’t read the script.
What we witnessed was possibly the most lucid demonstration of why Arsenal are still some way short of being genuine title contenders, and why Manchester United are now going to push on with Chelsea and make this title fight a two horse race.
Arsenal were undone by one thing. The lack of a truly world class striker. Arsene Wenger stated in the press he had been looking at deals for David Villa. How he wished the Valencia man was spearheading his toothless attack, which was led by the willing, but largely ineffective Arshavin. The mercurial Fabregas in midfield was at the heart of Arsenal’s best moves and they did play their usual flowing football only to find that without the focal point in attack, the moves petered out against United’s well marshalled defence.
United, in contrast, were magnificent and put in a performance entirely reminiscent of their Champions League semi final defeat of Arsenal at the same stadium last season. Then Cristiano Ronaldo was their chief tormentor. On Sunday it was Wayne Rooney. The England man was simply magnificent from start to finish matched only on the day by the unstoppable Nani. The Portuguese winger, so often vilified by the Old Trafford crowd, put on an inspired performance, providing United’s first goal after a wonderful run and chip that Almunia could only turn into his own net and then providing Rooney with the second after a fine run and through pass gave the England man a chance to fire home into the corner.
Game over.
Park Ji Sung, who has a Freddie Ljungberg habit of scoring in these games, added a third shortly after the break as Arsenal over-committed to attack and were once again brilliantly picked off on the counter by Manchester United and though the Gunners tried to rally late on, a deflected Thomas Vermaelen shot giving them hope in the final few minutes, United were never in any real danger of dropping any points from the tie. The gulf wasn’t so much in class, but in firepower. United have it in plentiful supply. Arsenal had a misfiring Arshavin and a 40% fit Nicklas Bendtner who played the last 20 minutes to little effect.
If Arsene Wenger was to load up his office PC this morning and find some of the best betting sites and check out the title odds, he wouldn’t be too pleased at what they read this morning, but he gulf in class on Sunday makes those odds justified.
The title race is now a two horse race. Arsenal can claw their way back into it, but they need to find an answer in the bigger games and they need, desperately, a striker to score the goals to take them to the level that Chelsea and Manchester United are at.
So Arsene, if you have money to spend, sometimes being prudent and sensible about a £40m striker is a good idea. However if he is the one player you need to take you to the next level, it may just be worth investing that money in him to do just that.
Otherwise third will always be the best you can hope for.
