The holders dominated an exciting game but have only a John O’Shea goal to show for their efforts.
Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal
Manchester United and Arsenal met for the first time in European competition in a entertaining game at Old Trafford which ended with the home side gaining a narrow advantage to take into the second leg.
The holders began the game in impressive style and had Arsenal on the back front from the off as they poured forward with real pace and verve.
Wayne Rooney was the man who went closest in the opening minutes, sending a looping header back across goal, albeit with the help of a deflection, which Manuel Almunia did superbly to scramble away.
Less than a minute later and a slip in the penalty area by Kieran Gibbs could have proved costly for the Gunners.
Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the loose ball and drilled in a low cross but, unfortunately for United, there was no-one on hand to poke the ball home.
Carlos Tevez, preferred to Dimitar Berbatov in attack, was the next to get in on the act, teeing up Ronaldo for a shot which the Portuguese international fired straight at Almunia.
Yet United were in full flow and continued to create chances, seemingly at will, against an Arsenal side powerless to prevent the red tide.
With just over 15 minutes gone Ronaldo and Tevez combined well to send John O’Shea out wide.
The utility man curled in a superb cross for Tevez to head home but the striker’s effort was too close to Almunia who saved brilliantly.
Yet it was to prove only a temporary reprieve, as from the resulting corner Sir Alex Ferguson’s men grabbed the goal their opening salvo had threatened.
A long corner was picked up at the far post by Michael Carrick who returned the ball across goal and found O’Shea who thrashed the opener into the roof of the net.
The goal roused the Gunners somewhat, but it took until almost the half-hour mark before Arsene Wenger’s men carved out a decent opportunity.
Theo Walcott was the man to initiate matters, cutting inside from the right and playing in Emmanuel Adebayor who set it back to Cesc Fabregas who fired low but straight at Van der Sar.
It was to be the Arsenal’s best chance of the half and the visitors also had Almunia to thank after he pulled off another superb save on the half-hour mark.
Some good work from Tevez down the right saw the Argentinean cross for Ronaldo who looked destined to score but could only watch in agony as Almunia saved his point-blank header.
As the half progressed the visitors manage to gain a foot-hold in the match but despite enjoying some decent possession at times, they struggled to create any clear-cut openings and will have been relieved to have gone in at the break just one goal down.
The second-half began more evenly with both sides threatening yet failed to trouble either goalkeeper.
In fact it took until just over the hour mark before either side had a clear sight of goal.
The chance fell to the Gunners with Adebayor taking a long ball and beating Rio Ferdinand before lashing a shot well over the bar.
With a second goal not forthcoming for his side, Ferguson opted to changes things sending on Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov for Anderson and Tevez.
And within minutes of the substitutions, the Red Devils very nearly did double their lead after Ronaldo struck the crossbar with a thunderous shot from long range.
United continued to press with Carrick going close with a low shot before Giggs did find the back of the net, only to be denied a goal on his 800th appearance by an offside flag.
With time ticking away Arsenal could have grabbed an equaliser, substitute Nicklas Bendtner heading a free kick high and wide but ultimately neither team could add to O’Shea’s strike leaving the tie intriguingly poised.
Manchester United: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand (Evans, 87), Vidic, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs, 67); Ronaldo, Tevez (Berbatov, 67), Rooney.
Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna, Toure, Silvestre, Gibbs; Diaby, Song; Walcott (Bendtner, 71), Fabregas, Nasri; Adebayor (Eduardo, 83).
GOAL
1-0 Manchester United (O’Shea, 17)
Gill Clark, Goal.com
Blog Traffics
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Manchester United Edge Arsenal In Champions League
Player Ratings: Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal
MANCHESTER UNITED
Van der Sar -6.0: An easy evening for the Dutch veteran, who did not have a single save of note to make. Did all the simple things with minimal fuss.
O'Shea -8.0: The Irishman rarely grabs the headlines, but he will tonight. Apart from scoring the winner, O'Shea's all-round play was exemplary. He created Tevez's gilt-edged chance on 15 minutes.
Vidic -7.0: You barely noticed Vidic this evening, but that was mainly because Arsenal made so few in-roads into his territory. Very comfortable.
Ferdinand -8.5: Marked Adebayor, and barely gave the Togolese hitman a kick. Anticipated Arsenal's forward passes, and made the game look very simple.
Evra -7.0: Has been in really poor form recently, but was back to something approaching his normal self tonight. Not troubled at all defensively, he also supported the attack well.
Fletcher -6.5: Did the dirty work in midfield without really making too much of an impact.
Carrick -7.5: Showed his opposite number Song how you should play the midfield holding role. Also proved useful in advanced areas, providing the assist for O'Shea, and shooting just wide.
Anderson -8.5: Dictated the tempo in midfield, particularly in the opening period, and bossed the likes of Song and Diaby. Somewhat surprisingly subbed on 66 minutes.
Ronaldo -8.0: Has occasionally been accused of not performing in the big games, but he was a livewire throughout today. Hit the crossbar with a thunderbolt, but may be disappointed with his first half headed miss.
Tevez -8.0: The best player on the park in the opening 45 minutes. Arsenal could not cope with his movement. Created a great chance for Ronaldo, but should have scored himself on 15 minutes.
Rooney -7.0: Almost scored within 60 seconds, and put in a shift for the team. Not a trademark outing, and not as effective as Tevez and Ronaldo, but still a good showing.
Subs
Giggs 6.5: A few tricks and flicks, but nothing to get excited about.
Berbatov 6.0: Did not make the same impact that Tevez did.
Evans N/V: Only played the last few minutes.
ARSENAL
Almunia -9.0: At least two world class saves, among countless other stops in the first half, to keep Arsenal in the game. Almunia's denial of Tevez was miraculous. Man-of-the-match
Sagna -6.5: Perhaps the best of a shaky Arsenal backline, and did not disgrace himself against Rooney. Made very little headway as an attacking force though.
Toure -6.5: Positionally all over the shop in the first half, and lost Ronaldo for his headed chance. Improved considerably after the break.
Silvestre -5.0: Horrible in the first 45 minutes, he was at fault for the goal, and was sleeping on two other opportunities. After nine years at the club, Silvestre gave Manchester United yet more good service tonight.
Gibbs -4.5: A horror-show by the Arsenal left back. He may be young, but he was exposed time and time again down his left-hand side. What was Sky Sports' Andy Gray watching when he said the youngster had been "fantastic"?
Diaby -5.0 Very disappointing. Offered Gibbs no defensive support, and carelessly lost possession on numerous occasions.
Song -4.5: Was supposed to protect the Arsenal defence, but failed miserably. Song was a tactical disaster, pushing up when he should have held, and vice-versa. Constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Walcott -6.0: A few bursts of pace, but did not get enough of the ball to run at Evra. A shame because Evra has been shaky of late.
Fabregas -6.0: The only Arsenal player to put his foot on the ball in the first half, Fabregas created little, and still failed to supply Adebayor.
Nasri -5.0: Never really got in the game did the Frenchman. In fact, you would have been forgiven for thinking that he was not even on the pitch.
Adebayor -4.0: One of those nights for Adebayor, who lost almost every ball that was played up to him. How he lasted until the 83rd minute is a mystery.
Subs
Bendtner -6.0: Missed Arsenal's best chance of the match, as he headed wide.
Eduardo -N/V: Did not have a chance to get into the game.
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Arsenal confident class of 2009 will come of age
The Gunners face Manchester United in the first leg of their semi-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday with Toure the only survivor from the 'Invincibles' squad that went through the 2003-04 Premier League campaign unbeaten.
That squad, constructed around the French trio of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, broke up after the 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona but Toure believes the north London club is once again on the verge of something special.
"True we lost Thierry Henry, but Emmanuel Adebayor is playing really well; we lost Robert Pires, but we have Samir Nasri," the Ivory Coast defender said.
"All those players have been replaced. The good thing about this team is we have a lot of young players who want to show they have the quality.
"I remember that a team like Ajax - nobody was expecting them to win, but they won (in 1995) and had a really young team as well."
Arsenal will miss the creative edge provided by top-scorer Robin van Persie, who is ruled out by a groin injury, and cup-tied Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin.
But they will take heart from the fact that they have already beaten United this season (2-1 at the Emirates in November) and by the current form of captain Cesc Fabregas, who has been revelling in the role of a deep-lying forward akin to that in which Steven Gerrard has thrived at Liverpool this season.
The brace Fabregas claimed against Middlesbrough on Sunday were his first goals since October and Toure is confident the Spaniard's guile, combined with the presence of Adebayor and the pace of Theo Walcott, will pose the holders problems. The key, he believes, will be matching their offensive contribution with equal vigour in defence.
"We know when we play football against Manchester United, they struggle a lot," Toure argued. "They're are a really good team going forward, but, like us, at the back they have conceded a few goals.
"We have the same type of team - we both like to play, but sometimes you can be caught out at the back. The team that will win will be the one which defends the best."
United's performance against Tottenham at the weekend would not have reassured their fans on that score, although their forwards more than compensation as they turned a 2-0 defict into a 5-2 victory.
The half-time introduction of Carlos Tevez proved critical and the Argentinian forward will hope to have earned a starting slot in a United side that looks certain to see Ryan Giggs make his 800th appearance for the club.
The veteran was rested for the Spurs match and is relishing the prospect of another high-stakes showdown with Arsenal, against whom he scored the goal of his career in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final.
"They don't come bigger than that - a Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford," said the newly-crowned players' Player of the Year. "I can't wait.
"But I'm more interested in beating Arsenal rather than the 800th appearance. They are things I'll look back upon when I finish and I'll be proud. But first and foremost, hopefully I'll be celebrating with a good result."
Toure could have former United defender Mikael Silvestre as his centreback partner at Old Trafford but the French defender has only a 50-50 chance of playing against his old club because of a back spasm while the daunting task of containing Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to fall to teenager Kieran Gibbs, as regular left-back Gael Clichy has his own back problem.
"Kieran is intelligent and I think he is going to perform very well on Wednesday," Toure said. "But it is not only about him, it is about all the players. If we are focused and defend together, then nobody can beat us."
The performance of United's left-back, Patrice Evra, could be just as critical. The Frenchman was given a torrid time by Aaron Lennon on Saturday and Arsenal supporters will expect to see Walcott test him in similar fashion.
John O'Shea's experience should ensure he gets the nod at right-back ahead of Brazilian teenager Rafael.
VAN DER SAR MAKES CASE FOR DEFENCE
United are bidding to become the first club to achieve such a feat since the competition adopted its new format in 1992 and tackle Arsenal in an all-English semi-final at Old Trafford as favourites to reach Rome on May 27.
Four years after the relaunch, van der Sar was part of an Ajax side that became one of three on the trot to fall at the final hurdle, beaten on penalties by Juventus 12 months after AC Milan had been overcome.
But the veteran keeper does not feel the comparison between his young Dutch team-mates and Sir Alex Ferguson's present-day Red Devils is valid.
"This side is much better equipped to retain the trophy than Ajax were," he said.
"Then we had loads of injuries and a lot of young guys had to fill gaps left by older and more experienced players.
"It is hard to say whether we have a bigger chance to win the trophy but we are certainly better equipped to."
The strength in depth available to Ferguson means John O'Shea should start at right-back with Wes Brown not considered fit enough to replace Gary Neville and Rafael probably not experienced enough.
And it would be no massive surprise, either, should Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez find themselves on the bench despite Saturday's heroics against Tottenham, especially if Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs are required to defend the flanks, as they were in Porto in the last round.
In times gone by, a meeting between Ferguson and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger would have provided ample opportunity for a petty squabble.
Not any more, it seems, with Ferguson happy to declare his admiration for the Frenchman and his team and criticise those who lambasted Wenger earlier this season.
"You had me out of the door three years ago," said Ferguson, as he assessed the criticism Wenger has had to endure.
"You had me in a bath chair down on Torquay beach. That is the cynical world we are in.
"But Arsene has always kept his principles the same.
"I like the way Arsenal play and also his use of young players.
"His consistency hasn't changed and Arsenal have reaped the rewards."
There are many common threads; a commitment to passing football, a willingness to embrace youth and a refusal to abandon tradition. Above everything else, they share a hunger and fierce determination to win.
"The history and tradition of both clubs has been the highest for years now," said Ferguson.
"We always looked over our shoulders at Arsenal and they looked over their shoulders at us.
"Our league is very tough. The top four are probably the best teams in Europe. That is shown in the fact we have three teams in the semi-final again.
"But ourselves and Arsenal have certainly been the dominant forces.
"Those epic times are back with us and I am looking forward to a great match."
RED DEVILS IN KL OPENER
Manchester United will open their summer tour of Asia against a Malaysian Select XI in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, July 18.
United's whistle-stop visit - they will arrive on July 17 and leave immediately after the game - should at least be some compensation for having to cancel a trip to the country two years ago due to arguments over their presence during the AFC Asian Cup.
The Red Devils have specifically asked for an earlier 5.30pm kick-off to allow more supporters to get to the 90,000-capacity Bukit Jalil, where the Commonwealth Games were held seven years ago. It will be United's fourth visit to Malaysia.
Earlier this week, the Red Devils confirmed they will close their four-match trip in Hangzhou in China. They are also set to play matches in Jakarta and Seoul, where they received such a rapturous welcome two years ago.
Alex Ferguson Believes Manchester United Can Retain Champions League Title
Sir Alex Ferguson has attested that his Mancheter United side have what it takes to be the first team to retain the Champions League title.
"You say to yourself it would be great if we could be the first do that [retain the Champions League trophy]," said the United boss, as quoted in the Daily Express.
"We are good at winning things for the first time and maybe that is a good omen for us."
If Manchester United are able to win the Champions League for the second year running, it would be the first time that particular feat will have been achieved by a club since the competition's format changed from the European Cup.
Milan, Ajax and Juventus all made it to the finals the year after winning, but none of the teams were able to raise the trophy after the last game. Ferguson, however, feels that his team are capable of being the exception.
"Some might say I am tempting fate but at Old Trafford we have always set our sights high," continued Ferguson.
"No one is saying it will be easy, and we will certainly need to enjoy that little rub of luck and freedom from injury that can make you or break you."
Stephen Crawford, Goal.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Nani's shortcomings highlight question of Ryan Giggs's successor
Evergreen has featured in many descriptions of Ryan Giggs since he landed the Professional Footballers' Association's player of the year award on Sunday night but the inaccuracy of the tribute must torment Sir Alex Ferguson. Not only is time marching against the great Welshman, he is also a glaring illustration that a problematic succession at Manchester United is not confined to the manager's chair.
While 35-year-old Giggs accepted the votes and applause from fellow professionals to take the top award for the first time in 18 seasons, this weekend brought a new low in the Old Trafford career of his heir apparent, the Portugal international Nani. Hauled off at half-time by Ferguson with United trailing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, the 22-year-old responded in a way that confirmed to his many doubters inside Old Trafford that he is not fit to succeed Giggs on or off the pitch; he left the stadium before United had completed their latest stirring recovery and kept their noses in front in the race for the Premier League title.
United say that Nani did not break any club rules by making a hasty exit and no disciplinary action is therefore planned. The player's representatives claimed he was "very upset" at being replaced and received permission from the club to go home. To those United supporters who witnessed the winger outside the stadium on Saturday, however, and the many who posted on internet message boards yesterday, it was a lack of professionalism that should hasten his exit permanently in the summer.
Bought for £18m from Sporting Lisbon in 2007, Nani, according to Ferguson, would be groomed to replace Giggs on United's left wing while Anderson, the £17m signing from Porto on the same day, would follow suit for Paul Scholes. Almost two years later the search for Giggs' successor continues – United have since also acquired Zoran Tosic from Partizan Belgrade – while Nani's development appears to have gone into reverse.
Saturday was only the sixth time this season that he has started a league game for the champions. Not once has he lasted longer than 70 minutes in those six. In fairness to the winger he has scored six goals during this campaign, although even that roll-call illuminates where he resides in the order of selection at Old Trafford, the opponents being Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion, Blackburn Rovers, Southampton and Derby County. The Portugal international remains capable of moments of individual brilliance, but it is his lack of game intelligence that has left a greater impression on an Old Trafford crowd now exasperated with his anonymous talent. In stark contrast to compatriot and fellow Sporting Lisbon product, Cristiano Ronaldo, there has been scant improvement in Nani during his two seasons with United.
Nani claimed that his grievance at Old Trafford on Saturday stemmed from his own performance level. "I was not satisfied with my work against Tottenham but I accept the orders of the coach with the half-time substitution," he said last night. "In the second half the team changed in every respect but I alone am not responsible for the bad performance in the first 45 minutes. I finished the game unhappy with my work but I still believe I can demonstrate my level at United."
Whether he will get that opportunity, or can take it, is in serious doubt. Ferguson has been tolerant with Nani to some extent, giving up on his attempts to curb the winger's somersault goal celebrations, for example, and dismissing the head-butt on Lucas Neill last season that brought him a three-match ban as a sign of "immaturity". But the manager must be acutely aware that patience with the Portuguese is fading at Old Trafford.
Nani is, unsurprisingly, close to Ronaldo and shares the same agent, Jorge Mendes. It is suspected the 22-year-old may follow Ronaldo out of Old Trafford at the end of this season should the world player of the year get his wish to join Real Madrid, with Italy and Internazionale, coached by another Mendes client, Jose Mourinho, a possible destination.
"My head is in Manchester United and the rumours about other clubs are not true," added Nani. "I am at the best club in the world and it is my desire to stay here. My dream is to secure a place in the first team. I have not shown my best this season because of injuries but I am a professional and I will fight for this club. I do not have any problems with the coach. I will always be grateful to the manager for this opportunity and I am still learning. I will never reject the challenge to be a star for this team." A genuine star, Giggs, meanwhile, looks ahead to Arsenal and his 800th appearance for United.