We reverted to a 5 man midfield to counter theirs with Berba once again being the casualty for this tactical formation. Sir Alex when asked prematch stated that this was the formation that we’ve employed to great effect against Arsenal in our past encounters. So it was tough to argue with that even if Berbatov was our (sort of) in form striker.
The pace of the game was cautious to begin with as both teams tried to ease their way in without opening up too many gaps in the back. Our midfield had the upper hand and seemed to be a littler tidier with their passing than the visitors. Rooney worked hard up front alone and did a more than capable job with Nani and Park supporting him on the flanks. Chamakh who played a similar role for Arsenal didn’t get close to the quality of service he’s been accustomed to and was a quiet figure all night.
Anderson who exploded onto the scene in what feels like an eternity ago with a stellar display tracking Fabregas in his first season played with similar authority in this one shutting down the passing lanes and together with Fletch, quelling the threat of Wilshere and Nasri. Ando seems to be putting together a string of good performances which is an encouraging sign for United fans. Park worked hard as always dropping deep to help out on the left side of midfield with Evra seemingly sucked into the middle on more than one occasion. His industry was matched by some luck/skill a couple of minutes before halftime.
The second half resumed with more of the same although Arsenal did a better job of keeping possession and applying pressure to the backline. Any would be threats however came in the form of crosses into the box that were dealt with commandingly by Rio and Vidic. Van Der Sar had a relatively easy game as he was well protected by the 10 players in front of him.
Wenger brought on a half fit Fabregas, Van Persie, and eventually, Walcott, in an attempt to find a way to goal. Nothing transpired with Fabregas failing to really get into the game. Without needing to press for a goal, United never committed too many players forward and Walcott never really got the chance to show off his pace.
We had a chance to further distance ourselves in the 74th minute when a penalty was awarded against Clichy for handling in the box. It seemed a tad harsh as there wasn’t any clear intention on the Frenchman’s part to deflect the ball with that part of his body. It was given nonetheless and purists would argue that justice was served as Rooney’s penalty was blazed high over the bar. Not often that you see Wazza missing one so badly. Then again, he is English, so that’s never out of the question.
Arsenal tried to push for an equalizer as the minutes ticked away, but never really tested Van Der Sar with their closest effort being a volley that Walcott skied over after he found himself open inside the box.
It is now 9 wins, 7 draws and 0 losses after 16 games played. If we can somehow emerge with the 0 losses still intact after the encounter at the Bridge, we will be well positioned to really create some distance between ourselves and our rivals come the new year.
Some Related Man United Posts:The Berba Show pt 2 (feat Blackburn)Top of the group (vs Valencia)The return of Rooney (vs Wigan)Park to the rescue (vs Wolves)The Berba Show (feat. Liverpool)
Category: Anderson, English Premier League, Manchester United, Match Reports, Old Trafford
Tags: Anderson, Arsenal, Berbatov, English Premier League, Manchester United, Match Reports, Nemanja Vidic, Old Trafford, Premiership, Sir Alex Ferguson« The Manc Bossa-Nova | Home | aderowNot the most exciting of much tbh
Park's header looked more awkward than chicarito's against stoke lolRealM_malaysia89yawn. a very boring match for the neutral i must admit. at what point did either team string more than several consecutive passes together? i should have taken a nap instead.blog comments powered by Disqus
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