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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Shinji Kagawa of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford was considered the true acid test to their pretence of a Title Challenger. And, hence it was proved as they returned from the trip licking their wounds with a similar score line and brought down to earth by once revered and now hated “you know who”.
If only the score could tell a true story.
Before the match, Arsenal were rocked by the news that Rosicky & Mertesacker would not be able to make the squad, and Arteta and Gnabry were also not fully match fit. All four were suffering from flu. Conspiracy theory, anyone?
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The game started in typical Man United-Arsenal style of recent years. Arsenal looking nervous in the opening minutes, with the home side making their intent clear by peppering Arsenal’s penalty area with crosses.
Moyes showed why he deserves the Manchester hot seat by making tough changes which proved to be the undoing of the away side. Playing Jones as a midfield destructor was a masterstroke. The rejuvenated Rooney looked every bit the world class player that many old Trafford hopefuls make him out to be. Both Jones and Rooney’s intensity and hard work typified the performance put in by the rest of the team.
This was the first time in a decade that Arsenal was visiting Old Trafford with a lead of 8 points. Many pundits had adjudged them as favourites for this fixture. The first half proved otherwise.
The performance put in by the Red Devils was akin to their Ferguson days, and the goal they scored was a quintessential Man United goal.
It must have come as a surprise to many to see the dynamic trident of Ozil, Ramsey, Cazorla rendered toothless by the industry of Jones, Rooney and Kagawa. Arsenal’s midfield was allowed hardly any time on the ball and seemed to buckle under the constant pressure.
The second half had a different story to tell.
Arsenal came back with renewed vigour which was helped by the absence of Vidic (who was substituted after a clash with De Gea), sending Jones to the centre of defence and Cleverly replacing him in midfield.
Arsenal came back to their elements, as the passes started flowing and the home side was pushed deep inside their own half. Arsenal took the game to their host and took control with a whopping 63% possession in the second half. But the wave after wave of attacks were negated by the Red Wall, as the space in the final third stayed elusive to the guests.
All the possession, and the numbers of men forward made Arsenal susceptible to counter attacks. It seems that Moyes had a word before this fixture with his predecessor as the counter attacking ploy used by him was reminiscent of the great old man. Had Rooney shown a little more composure, this game would have been put to bed at 60 minutes.
The escape provided Arsenal with enough impetus to get back in the game. With the introduction of Wilshere in place of Flamini, Arsenal looked increasingly likely to get a goal, and only a last ditch defending from Jones prevented Giroud to get one in.
The last 20 minutes saw United defend with their bare teeth, as Arsenal kept attacking but were unable to find a breakthrough.
The game highlighted the lack of depth in Wenger’s squad, which was highlighted by the presence of teenager Hayden in the substitute bench. That Wenger had to rely on Bendtner as a last resort made a further mockery of the situation. Bendtner seemed totally devoid of confidence throughout the 15 minutes that he was on the pitch.
Surprisingly, the best attacking threat came from Sagna, as he whipped in some tantalising crosses behind United’s backline which somehow missed the yellow shirts.
How Bendtner missed the chance int the 90th minute to equalise for Arsenal is anybody’s guess.
Considering that Giroud also had his worst game of the season, it is good news that we will be welcoming back Podolski and Walcott after the international break. January cannot come soon enough for Wenger to find an able strike partner for Giroud and may be offload the unreliable dane too.
The red half of Manchester has been through a difficult period and have clawed back to fifth positions by giving a majestic performance when a loss would have buried them deep in the ground.
Arsenal’s fans cannot be too disappointed with the showing of Arsenal as they have had a gruelling week, and have come through a tough fixture list with loads of credit. Also, as most of the other pretenders failed in their games too, this loss might be easier to take.
The way they played in the last quarter of the match emphasized the immense potential that this side has and with key players coming back from injury, we might see this team ride the crest of the league for quite some time.
