Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United, 3 Nov 2007
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Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United – Gallas own-goal, Fabregas, Ronaldo, Gallas.
Phew. Fantastic second half, the game kept building up and just exploded at the end. Both sides deserved the result – United will curse their defending for both goals (what was Hargreaves doing ball-watching when he should have covered the far post where Gallas scored from) and Arsenal will wonder why they couldn’t break through, although to be fair United’s defending was quite good apart from those two goals.
And while we talk about the players, spare a thought for the officials. Howard Webb did well, and the linesman made the right goal at the end, crunch time, the guy should really be commended for his efforts.
Who will take away the most from this game? Both teams have a lot to take away – Arsenal for the way they refused to give up (United-like) and United for the way they played this game away from home and almost won it.
FT: It’s over, 2-2, just about equal on effort and performance. Kudos to the linesman for pointing out that there had been a goal.
92: One minute left, this looks to be a draw. During the goal celebration Fabregas can be seen shouting ‘fuck off’ in Rio’s face, emotional yes, but not something he should be doing.
90: 3 minutes of added time, will Fabregas —- what the fuck? Arsenal goal, Gallas scores.
89: Bad defending by United, the bouncing ball escapes Rio and then O’Shea, Eduardo shoots wide though.
88: Evra falls badly while defending against Walcott, but recovers in a few seconds. Heading for stoppage time this one, 3 minutes?
87: Nicely won foul by Ronaldo, who goes down pretending to be hit on the head when he was anything but. Shameful? Yes.
86: United are good enough to play keep-ball, but something tells me they’ll be going for goal. Not enough noise at the Emirates though, maybe Arsenal need their 12th man to show up?
84: Evra’s defensive clearance kisses the top of the goal, lucky bastards (all of us).
83: Can Arsenal get a goal? I think they can, but with Saha playing up front and Carrick offering solidity in the middle, it’s going to be difficult.
81: GOAAALLLLL!!!! Great move by United, Evra runs on to Saha’s backpass unmarked, cuts it back for Ronaldo and he taps it in, fantastic.
80: Arsenal subs – Gilberto and Eduardo on for Hleb and Rosicky.
79: Poor corner, Vidic cleaned out by Sagna, lands on his back and needs medical attention.
78: Not sure what you expect me to tell you at this point – reporting failed attacks from both sides gets a bit tedious after 5 minutes. United win a corner thanks to Ronaldo.
76: Personally I would have swapped O’Shea for Evra, or brought Nani on for Giggs. Now we have no attacking fullback on the right and no winger on the left.
75: Manchester United subs – Saha on for Tevez, Carrick on for Anderson. Now we’re talking.
74: Arsenal sub – Walcott on for Eboue.
73: Ronny runs with the ball across the front of Arsenal’s penalty area, no Carrick or Scholes to play one-twos off, so it all comes to nothing.
72: Manchester United and Arsenal keep probing, but perhaps they need more than the over the bar potshots and long-range punts that these players are trying right now. Walcott warming up.
70: Manchester United sub – O’Shea on for Brown.
69: Time for Wenger to bring on Walcott for Rosicky methinks.
66: Back and forth, but nothing substantial from either side.
63: Good chance for United and Rooney heads it wide. Arsenal restart, Eboue does well on the right, Hleb tries a shot from outside the box but it’s over the top. Yes, Arsenal are shooting from afar.
62: Who will Fergie bring on? Nani? Carrick? How about both, taking Anderson and Giggs off? Saha’s there too, but would you sacrifice anyone for him?
60: Arsenal with a clear upper hand in the second half, United need to calm down and a major component of that will be Anderson and Hargreaves.
58: Fab gets through the wall but it’s curves into EVDS. If that had gone straight that might have been a goal.
57: Anderson gives away a free-kick at the edge of the box. Silly. United are not closing down as much as they should.
56: United missing Scholes – somehow they’re much calmer when he’s on the pitch, although that’s probably just my imagination.
53: Things are calmer now – United pushing forward as before, but with no luck on the left side as Giggs can’t get past Sagna.
51: A dubious penalty shout, A possible foul in the build-up the first goal, a defensive error leading to the second. Of course, we’re discounting the quality football from both sides, but that’s how this game will be remembered.
49: If there’s an inquisition, it must be asked of the United defence why van der Sar needed to come out and block Ade.
47: GOOOAALLLLLL!!!! FUCK!!!! Fabregas scores for Arsenal, EVDS comes out to stop Adebayor, Sagna does excellent work to whip it in, EVDS out of position and its Rio on the goal line, can’t stop Fab.
45: United kick off.
Half-Time: Manchester United lead 1-0 at the Emirates thanks to a Rooney goal. Here’s the video, in case you want to see it again.
Watching Arsenal – I’m a bit surprised that Rosicky hasn’t done much, but the major disappointment would be the lack of impact Ade and Fab have had. Arsenal will be far more attacking in the second half, should be interesting.
Highlights of the game, going back to the penalty call for the shirt tug on Hleb by Vidic – really, I doubt that Hleb was taken off balance by that tug and the way he fell down it wasn’t as if he was wrestled down or anything. For penalties you need the ref to be sure, this wasn’t something the ref could be nailed on about, so while it’s dubious, it’s not something even close to a definite penalty.
Foul by Brown in the buildup? Shoulder block more like it, but discuss in the comments.
Overall the half had Arsenal dominating in terms of aggression but United were quite good in holding them back and like I said earlier, it took something special – this time from Brown and Ronaldo, and while people will talk about the deflection, you don’t always have the luxury of perfect goals, it happens to the best players, you know.
45 + 1: No point in bitching about the build-up, we’ll get enough time at half time to figure it out. Oh wait, the whistle blows.
45: GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!!! Brown nutmegs an Arsenal defender, passes through to Ronaldo, who whips in a cross, Rooney taps it in. United are ahead right at the end of the first half.
44: United players performing their defensive duties quite well – Hargreaves and Ronny especially (along with the back four). perhaps a fit Saha would have helped with his height? You could argue that United should be keeping possession more but Giggs is being marked very well and that’s cramping them a lot as he doesn’t go wide at all.
41: United are solid defensively but they’re sitting back far too much. One hard man short, I think. Anderson should drop back a bit in my view and play quarterback and Hargeaves should be pushing forward more. Still, away game, gotta give the boys some time.
39: Theatrics by Anderson to get Fabregas booked. Now all we need is for Ronaldo to do the same to Fab, right? Not good, not good Anderson.
36: Anderson asks the ref to book an Arsenal player for tackling Ronaldo – not good to see the United man waving the card in Webb’s face, lucky not to get booked for that.
35: Fabregas whips it in, Gallas heads it, EVDS saves with his feet, corner and United get a good break. Eventually, United clear from the corner.
34: United win a corner. Good work by Ronny against Clichy. Arsenal clear and break but Hleb can’t get past Anderson. Hleb falls over conveniently and wins Arsenal a free kick.
31: Remember how I used to criticise Evra for being out of position and putting his teammates under pressure? Giggs is doing the same now, and Sagna / Ade / Eboue are finding it too easy on United’s left flank. Over on the right side Ronny is tracking back a bit better.
30: Webb plays advantage then calls play back when Anderson gets tackled again. Rooney wastes it though by taking it too quickly.
28: United are growing into this game, Hargreaves and Anderson slowly imposing themselves by keeping possession and passing it around in midfield.
26. United pass it out of their half, but apparently it’s not as significant as Arsenal passing the ball out of their half, which every commentator feels a need to point out.
25: Hargreaves goes through Hleb and earns himself a yellow card.
24: Contrary to popular expectations, this isn’t going to be a game where one player bosses and dominates a game. No one on the pitch is THAT good, and the opposition defences in both cases are quite good.
23: I’ve been impressed by Anderson and Sagna so far, both are playing quite well.
22: Quick update, in case you haven’t noticed. 1 – franky’s unavailable, so it’s me, Ahmed, filling in. 2 – still a United fan at the helm, so excuse the transparent attempts at unbiased commentary.
21: Adebayor pushes Evra down using his height and arm while going for a header, ref sees right through it and calls them back.
19: Evra needs to get his tackling under control, he’s already on a yellow and it’s not going to help United one bit if he keeps tackling like this.
17: Great flow to the game, but I don’t like the fact that a) Giggs is pulled infield too far and Ronaldo still cuts in too much – although with his pace and skills one shouldn’t be complaining. Giggs pulling in leaves United weak on the left, and Tevez and Rooney are taking turns covering.
17: Oh, so close. Giggs could have tapped that one in, but the ball came too fast to him.
16: Cynical tackle by Evra on Adebayor, yellow card. Poor positioning and timing.
15: Hleb falls over in the United box, Arsenal claim that Vidic had pulled him down but replays show that despite a tug on Hleb’s shirt, Vidic wasn’t responsible for it.
13: Arsenal do have a slight upper-hand in the midfield, but they don’t look so solid at the back and they’d be wary of pushing too forward lest United snatch a goal on the counter.
12: Watching 10 minutes of this game, you have to wonder why ‘slick passing’ gets more drooling than lightning-fast offense?
9: United waste a corner, Ade wastes a header although he was too far away.
7: Pretty passing football isn’t going to be enough to beat United, unless someone makes a mistake. Arsenal need something special, either from Ade or Hleb or Fab. I don’t think Rosicky will get enough time on the ball, what with the flying tackles and all.
5: Brown touches Rosicky from behind and he topples over like a certain Portuguese we love to vilify. It’s warming up now, as Arsenal push forward into United’s half and Anderson, Rio and co push them back.
3: It’s quite impressive how Hleb has matured for Arsenal this season. Of course, the same Arsenal fans praising him wouldn’t give him a second chance in the summer.
2: Does anyone really think either club will run away with the game? Of course not. On the other hand, predicting that this will be a cagey game is pretty much like predicting that Arsenal and United will be in the top four at the end of the season.
KO: Hleb and Adebayor kickoof for Arsenal, and immediately its deep into United’s half, only to run tamely out for a goal kick.
I’m predicting a Manchester United win. Yea 
And for anyone who says Fabregas is the key player of the game cleary hasn’t seen Howard Webb prancing around a football pitch.
Welcome to the live blog. The match is about to kick off, the players are coming out, let’s get started.
Team Lineups
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Flamini, Fabregas, Rosicky, Hleb, Adebayor.
Subs: Lehmann, Diarra, Eduardo, Walcott, Silva.
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Anderson, Hargreaves, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez.
Subs: Kuszczak, Louis And His Amazing Powder Bones, Carrick, Nani, O’Shea.
Match Information:
Arsenal vs Manchester United
Emirates Stadium
Saturday 3rd November 2007
Kickoff: 12:45
Arsenal v Manchester United Preview
Arsenal take on Manchester United in a top of the table clash that could, if Arsenal were to win, give the Gunners a significant advantage in the Premier League title race. Manchester United have, after a slow start, picked up the pace and will be looking to cut down the points deficit (Arsenal have a game in hand and with their form, virtually 3 points in the bag) and pull themselves level.
Manchester United lost twice to Arsenal last season in the league but still managed to win the Premier League title. This season, a similar performance will almost certainly condemn Manchester United to second place at best unless Arsenal have a Newcastle-style meltdown (which they’ve had in the past, but it’s not something Manchester United can rely on). A win for both sides is a must, and hopefully we’ll see an entertaining game and above all, quality football from the two sides that play the best football in the Premier League.
Also See:
Interview with former Arsenal player, Adrian Clarke.
The Arsenal View: Red Ranter Chats with ArseBlogger
Topics: Arsenal, Manchester United, Match Reports
Football News 24/7
That game in hand will be played in December, Ahmed, and it will at the St. James’ Park. I would not say it’s in the bag…
A win for both sides is a must – no, it isn’t. At this stage, either could afford even to lose but a draw is the most likely result.
October 29th, 2007 @ 23:59wooo, im getting orgasims over the match.
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:00im fairly confident of a united win, you barely drew an off-form liverpool, you played well but its the result that matters not the performance(im not trying to say thats not important tho) this will be our second challenge this season, and i know there wont be a repeat of the first.
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:03i wanna arsenal win at their home!!
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:05nah Ryan those points are pretty much in the bag. Newcastle has a shoddy defence which Arsenal will tear to shreads. A win for either side will give a significant mental boost therefore a win IS a must. Im pretty sure that this will be the game of the season if the form of these sides is anything to go by. Arsenal will be boosted by their heroics at anfield and Man Utd will be looking to keep up their good form.
Since the Gunners will be at home, id have to go for an Arsenal 2 – 1 or even 2 – 0 win. That is however seeing that they convert all the chances that they create.
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:09United will prove too strong for Arsenal, who haven’t really met any serious competition so far… on saturday they will. United’s attacking game is miles better than what Arsenal have faced so far, and we will expose the weakness of Arsenal that is their defense.
Hargo will eliminate Cesc and the flow of Arsenal’s passing game, and Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs and Tevez will be too good on the counter for Arsenal’s defenders.
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:15Can i have some of what ever you’ve been smoking please Tomas?
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:37being a man u fan, i would like to say that man u will win but man arsenal is so good this year and its kinda scary. and it is going to take place in arsenal so i think man u might even lose. but man u has been improving and is almost fully back to their form. so all i know is that this game will be very interesting and exciting to watch.
October 30th, 2007 @ 00:56Too close to call, think they’ll play out a draw..
October 30th, 2007 @ 01:30Scholesy out for three months…….!! No bother, Anderson’s picking up match time and getting better and better!!
As a Man U fan, I am hoping for a win but naturally will settle for a draw. With Scholes out tho, I worry we’re bleeding midfielders. I get that Anderson is there but what experience are we teaming with him that hasn’t been off on injury recently? I fret.
October 30th, 2007 @ 02:33Arsenal and Manchester United are arguably the two best sides in Europe at the moment. This is a massive game indeed and it can tip either way.
Personally I think the first goal will be of tremendous importance (more than usually that is). Both teams are ridicoulosly good on the counter – the common understanding, pace and movement is out of this world.
As a Manchester United fan I favor my own team; I always seem to do. I don’t think the Gunners were all that impressive yesterday, and frankly United is a much better team than Liverpool (at the moment at least). If you look at Liverpool’s starting lineup yesterday there is only one player I would even consider replacing anyone in the predicted United lineup come saturday – and that is out-of-form Gerrard. That’s how good this United side is.
October 30th, 2007 @ 04:18It will be a close match, and both teams have young talents taking the big stage, if United mark Fabegras out of the match they dominate the midfield, there is a good chance of a slim victory.
October 30th, 2007 @ 04:48arsenal wld lose to man u..
0-6 like how man city lose to chelsea
and arsenal wld go back to their wifes and suck their pussies..BLOODY NOOBS GUNNERS!
October 30th, 2007 @ 09:47I was hoping a 7-1 win for United..
October 30th, 2007 @ 10:57hahaha… when will people stop telling us that we’ve had no serious competition yet… gawd, get a life…. who do we have to play..?? BRAZIL with maradona playing for them???
too close a match to call…… you should remember that liverpool played three men in central midfield to counter arsenal’s attacking passing and couldnt manage…. will be interesting… GO GUNNERS!!!
October 30th, 2007 @ 11:22wow looks like ima be wired prior to game time with music blasting and my sugar and caffeine level extremely high…
ok lets relax and break down teh game
Arsenal XI
1.Almunia
2.Eboue
3.Gallas
4.Toure
5.Clichy
6.Hleb
7.Flamini
8.Fabregas
9.Rosicky
10.Adebayor
11.Walcott
4-4-2
Man U XI
1.Van Der Sarr
2.Neville
3.Vidic
4.Ferdinad
5.Evra
6.Giggs
7.Hargreaves
8.Anderson
9.C.Ronaldo
10.Rooney
11.Tevez
4-4-2 (assumptions)
Arsenal Keys
Offense: Dont let Man U win the midfield!! man u strenght comes from the midfield but i beleive Anderson and Hargreaves will both find it difficult containing fabregas and either Flamini or Gilberto will get shutdown but make no mistake both will be contested constantly Man U fans not being biased but u had difficultys containing adebayor last season Man U center backs r slow but physical arsenal can try sneak a couple in because vidic or ferdinad doesnt have adebayor speed and both r physical walcott needs to take his time not get excited u were n the carling cup final aganst a solid Chelsea XI every opertunity MUST BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF! this is Man U not slavia praha or a beaten up liverpool squad there will be plenty of corners and thats where arsenal will succeed the most attacking the wings crosses adebayor must play well to win if he continues well shades of drogba perhaps?,
Defense:RONALDO MUST BE TAKING OUTTA RHYTHIM! dont let him do his dribbling shows get in his face contest him quickly dont let him get comftrable on that wing side eboue or clichy should play him well again going back to the last 2 gms last season rooney rooney please dont give him time!! or he can pass short to tevez again no time must be given Man U they when given time in the midfield r like a bunch S.A.S. snipers all can shoot all r accurate also when things slow up Man U loves bring there center backs into the midfield be ready be ready to see evra or neville creep like a wolf Man U might play 1 touch football sorta of like how they played aganst AC Milan @ Old Trafford last again in the Champions League NO GOALS LEAKED! MUST NOT LEAK GOALS OR MAN U WILL DEMOLISH US!
i will do Man U in a couple days study those lads in manchester again blokes discuss thats why i wrote this long article
October 30th, 2007 @ 12:55Defensively – especially at the backs – Arsenal don’t have enough quality. The speed of our attack will be too much for Arsenal. When I write that Arsenal haven’t met any serious competition yet this season, I mean attacking wise. I can’t see either Eboue or Cliché coping with their direct opponents, and do you really expect Traore and Gallas to contain Rooney and Tevez, who will match their power but will be quicker on their feet?
We have an aerial comfort over Arsenal as well, and we’ll threaten you from every setpiece.
It’ll be a close match for sure, but MU will edge it out on shere quality.
October 30th, 2007 @ 14:12[...] this question again at the end of the season. There was always a chance that Scholes would miss the Saturday game against Arsenal but to miss 3 months is a blow. Nevertheless, Manchester United have the quality and strength in [...]
October 30th, 2007 @ 16:49hope my team, man utd, will continue thier fine run of scoring for free and win at emirates. will be delighted to watch the young lads demolish the gunners in their own backyard.
October 30th, 2007 @ 19:06i love in arsenal waxaan jeclahay arsenal maxaa yeelay waan taa geeraa sabaab toio ah waxaan jeclahy ciyaar tee da ok pyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
October 30th, 2007 @ 19:18warcaraxctrra aexaratactava7y6a at5acvytavtava6 yt duydkdg7d u76tdkhdgoa7dagd6 d7ddgad8dgop8daygpda guygpjgkpdo8gdofgud[-dg9udj]gdio 44545854465585b
October 30th, 2007 @ 19:24Come now gentlemen lets settle down and talk real football and give proper analysis not these 7-0 and 6-0′s, we all know that’s highly unlikely to happen.
October 30th, 2007 @ 20:40the only one rather thinks that man utd have got the edge cause they are much more direct in their attacking which is totally different to what arsenal have faced this season.they also might not have the lions share of possesion which would see them having to rely on plan B which i don’t think they’ve got.
October 30th, 2007 @ 20:43A defensive system of Evra Vidic Rio Brown and Hargo is much more effective than that of LiverFOOL.In attack the Arse’s wingers won’t have the support of their fullbacks(they’ll have their handsful), so no one-two’s its gonna be one v one.
October 30th, 2007 @ 20:51i cant remember were i heard this but often who ever scores the first goal allways seems to loose so the 1st goal will probaly be big i think with the talent united have out on the wings arsenal lookd shaky with liverpools crossins so the wings might win it for united also if arsenal want to win they must score first because if man utd score first they have allmost perfected the counter-attack no matter how good arsenal are at the counter attack
October 30th, 2007 @ 22:02Tomas, you obviously havent seen much of Arsenal this season. We have the fastest back line in the whole league. Clichy and Eboue coped fine with there counterparts twice last season and this season wont be any different, the key thing is how Rooney and Tevez play. If theyre off form arsenal will win, they will be stronger in the middle with scholes out. If theyre both firing I see a high 2-2 draw or maybe even a Man U win.
October 30th, 2007 @ 22:36I’m sorry for the united boys,cuz Arsenalis goin’ to defeat them not less then 7-0 and Cesc will be the want to finish it up.
October 30th, 2007 @ 17:44Well lots of different opinions. Of course not everyone will agree on the outcome but one thing for sure is it will be a great game between two outstanding teams. As a gooner I’d be over the moon if we win but would still be happy with a draw.
October 31st, 2007 @ 00:06Man Utd should not have too much trouble as long as Giggs plays and Ronaldo is back to his best. There is no need to worry about our attacking line-up because if one of the two Shreks will play well (it is highly likely that both will play well) the other will just be lurking in the background looking to make the best of what the other builds.
Hargreaves should contain Fabregas but not for too long. Hargo has been injured while Fab can play two full matches, take a five minute break and play another one. Expect O’Shea to come on in the 60th minute (+-) in place of Owen. As for Anderson, every game he has playd for Man Utd has been better then the one he played before, so if he continues like this I have no worries that Man Utd could score another 4 goals (assuming that Arsenal will score 3
)
Arsenal’s backline is their weakest spot. Aside from the magnificent Toure and a recovering Gallas, their full back will have trouble containing the Man Utd wingers for speed of power, while Rooney and Tevez will run circles around Toure and Gallas (somebody has already mentioned this)
A draw is not an option. Someone has to win and it could be Man Utd.
October 31st, 2007 @ 03:39This match has a draw written all over it..the two top Premier League teams both hitting top form at the same time…. IMO United have an advantage due to their (slightly more) experienced players, and their watertight defence. However thank god Robin van Persie isnt playing, or L’Arse would certainly have the upper hand no doubt!
October 31st, 2007 @ 05:54Both teams’ greatest strength is speed on the counter and technical excellence. Both teams’ weakest point is dealing with crosses hoofed into the box. Both teams have midfielders who enjoy having the ball and are confident in possession.
What could decide? Fabregas’ mesmerising form could do the trick for the Gunners. Adebayor looked distinctly off the pace against Liverpool so that gives reason for optimism for United, along with the fact that Tevez and Rooney are on fire at the moment.
Arsenal’s performance against Liverpool was impressive but I warn every gooner that don’t judge your team from the way they controlled possession and dictated proceedings in midfield at Anfield. Liverpool have only one midfielder confident in possession and capable of dictating the rhytm, and that is Xabi Alonso who was half-fit and off his form, at the end he had to be taken off. United, with Hargreaves and Anderson is an entirely different proposition.
Clichy and Sagna had all the time in the world and had the space to help attacks due to the lack of quality that Voronin and Kuyt displayed on the wings where they were deployed because of some mind-boggling reason. The two full-backs will find life comparatively more difficult against Ronaldo and either Giggs or Nani.
I’d say it will be a draw: both managers will be keen not to lose and as I outlined above, the teams have similar strengths and weaknesses.
October 31st, 2007 @ 14:43ARSENAL definately goin 2 win tis game.DAMN MAN U!!! GO GUNNERS!!!A 3-0 win 4 arsenal.A FABREGAS hat-rick will be georgeous!!!!!
October 31st, 2007 @ 15:31[16. USA - Arsenal]
Great post
I think its stupid to say this team’s gonna win because we have better players than you, etc. At the end of day, its all about who played better football on the day. Whichever manager employs the best tactics is sure to come out on top. Because both teams are almost equally good in how they play their own style games, I believe it will be down to who can neutralise the other’s style best that will determine the winners.
All said, I believe United has what it takes to nick it from Arsenal (unfortunately, also vica versa).
October 31st, 2007 @ 15:57All you guys who don’t want to predict the score should stay out of this blog.That’s what makes it interesting.So please don’t spoil the fun.
Come predict away boys!!!!
October 31st, 2007 @ 19:063-1 to Man Utd.
I think that rooney and tevez form the best striking duo on the planet,not to mention the dribbling wizzards cristiano and Nani.Id like to take this opportunity to hail sir Alex Ferguson for creating a team that most managers only dream about.Arsenal have been great,but they don’t stand a chance.GLORY,GLORY MAN UNITED!!!!!
November 1st, 2007 @ 10:28I predict a 3-0 win for united.There will be sumersaults all over emirates.
Oh no,its here again.Can someone please stop this disaster from happening.To be honest,i cant take the pressure.I dont know what id do if man u were to lose,but anyway they wont,so pliz stay FOREVER UNITED all you die hard man u fans,and trust in our baby ‘Wayne Rooney’.He has never let us down,and he is not about to start now.SHINE ON WAYNE ROONEY,SHINE ON!!!!
November 1st, 2007 @ 12:03HI AM GERALD AND A FAITHFULL ARSENAL FAN BUT I HOPE THATYOU AINT OFFENDED MAN U FANS KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN FOR TROBLE AND A THOUROUGH BEATING AT EMIRATES COZWE PROMISE YOU NOTHING SHORT OF FIVE NILL
November 1st, 2007 @ 12:12YOU HEARD MAN U?????
November 1st, 2007 @ 14:31WE ARE TAKING YOU DOWN THIS GREAT SATURDAY
PREDICTION ARSENAL3,MAN U1
stop shouting… lose the caps…
November 1st, 2007 @ 15:13The ARSE can forget about getting any points this weekend, coz the juggernault is in town.Rivals have come and gone some last a couple of seasons others a little longer but the common denominator is that ManUtd has always been there.Glory Glory the Champions.
November 1st, 2007 @ 15:24Im tired of listening to arsenal fans yapping about ces fabregas.Who the hell is he anyway,and where the hell did he come from?As far as i know,he’s just an immature little boy,trying to play a mans game.Lets see if he can outshine our very own CRISTIANO RONALDO DOS SANTOS AVIERO,the football magician
November 1st, 2007 @ 19:09Arsenal arsenal arsenal the greatest team in the world.Arsenal Wenger army is ready for battle Saturday will be the greatest battle of all.Gooners victory is at hand .That day we shall shine and forever will shall be gunners arsenal the greatest wenger army
November 1st, 2007 @ 23:223 – 0 Ade to score first
I heard that sir Alex is worried about Tevez.Does any red devil out there know why this is so?
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November 2nd, 2007 @ 18:53If United play their game and try to attack, they will win. If they fall in to a defensive shell with Carrick starting over Anderson, they will lose by two goals. The best defense is the best offense. Throw caution out the window. If I see the slow deliberate and boring style of lay they gave against Chelsea in the FA Cup I will scream. Fergie do not fear these kids. You have the best team in Europe. Act like it. To quote Maximus from Gladiator, “UNLEASH HELL”.
November 2nd, 2007 @ 23:48Ok ‘ABEL’ liston up and liston up good. Fabregas has a huge future ahead of him. He is just outstanding and for his age that is a gift of how he plays. No doubt one day that 17 year old kid who came from Barcelona is going to be one of the best players ever and I mean ever,no seriously!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 00:00[...] Follow the Arsenal v Manchester United game live on Soccerlens. srExecute(); Related Items from Soccerlens [...]
November 3rd, 2007 @ 12:57this is pretty bad no clear cut chances yet
dull!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 18:16really scrappy for Arsenal?
November 3rd, 2007 @ 18:16ROONEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
November 3rd, 2007 @ 18:37WWWWWAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 18:38Not that bad IMO – United don’t have the players to give Arsenal a scare but otherwise doing well.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 18:38In the space of two minutes Andreson took away from United the reason I became a fan in the first place. Disgraceful to see him beg for a card and then dive horribly (although that was a horror tackle).
November 3rd, 2007 @ 18:5090-minute goal???
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:23mofo that’s a good goal….
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:30WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
IT CAN’T BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:32is that true?
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:42well, the arse got their point
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:45FUCK YEAH!!!!!
FUCK YEAH!!!!!
FUCK YEAH!!!!!
Take THAT & THAT & THAT & THAT!!!!!!
BEST GAME OF THE SEASON!!!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:45FUCK YEAH!!!!!
FUCK YEAH!!!!!
FUCK YEAH!!!!!
Take THAT & THAT & THAT & THAT!!!!!!
BEST GAME OF THE SEASON!!!
UP THE ARSENAL!!!!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:46Oh hell….
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:48atrocious defending all around…
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:50Arsenal were happy to be the better team at Anfield and come away with a point, even after boasting pre-game that they’d rip Pool apart.
Spiral, are you happy with a point at the Emirates against United? I’m not happy with a point away from home, at all. United should be winning each game, they’re good enough for that.
Fair play to Arsenal, well played, great second half, took off near the end.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:54FFFFFFFFFFFFF
November 3rd, 2007 @ 19:55UUUUUUUUUUUUU
CCCCCCCCCCCCC
KKKKKKKKKKKKK
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahmed -
If you’ll notice i wasn’t that optimistic about this game in the first place. I respect United’s defensive record & they are 2nd in the league. So yes, Arsenal COULD & probably SHOULD have done better, but considering that we were without RVP (which i have harped on about ad nauseam elsewhere on this site!!!) & that we’ve had problems in the goalkeeping & defense department i am QUITE satisified with this result…& the momentum is STILL with us.
I didn’t agree with many of the Arsenal fans pre-game expectations. I still feel that we’ve got too many shaky areas that still need work (& i hope Wenger realises this too & does something about it in time for Old Trafford!).
But what i love about this team is the ‘never-say-die’ (fuck-off to whoever said it was ‘United like’
) attitude & the fact that they didn’t give up even in the last minute. Props to Fabregas for not fucking-up a sitter of a goal as he did so many times last season & HUGE HUGE props for Gallas for keeping it together for his team. If he continues this form & doesn’t act like a bitch everytime things aren’t going his way, then i’ll take back every rotten cotton-pickin’ thing i said about him in the summer.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 20:05Overconfident MANU stupid defending in the end. We thought that we had won the game and the defence went to sleep. Even after the second goal Rio does another mistake but didn’t cost us.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 20:08Can you just feel your heart rip when the linesman gave that 90th minute goal …..
Probably deserved draw but there is every chance that we could have won the game. Evra is proving himself to be the best left-back in the world and I see now why Heinze doesn’t want to stay and fight with him. Just a thought though, did it feel that MU was never in any danger to lose the game, even when we are in their home plate? I can’t wait til the old trafford showdown where the masterclass will be played …
hehe, building up a game months away from now….
November 3rd, 2007 @ 20:13Reading that minute by minute recap made my heart pound, no joke. Stupid Man U defending; seems to have been their downfall today. Glad it wasn’t anything less than a draw tho.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 20:47Good game and a fair result all round. I don’t agree with Ahmed though about Howard Webb having a good game. I thought he was overfussy and stopped the game when on quite a few occasions he could of let it flow. He also should of booked Anderson for un-gentlemenly conduct when he was flashing an imaginary yellow card in the refs face. As for Fabregas shouting “fuck off” in Rio Ferdinands face well nobody can condone that but what goes around comes around. On plenty of occasions, Ferdinand has had too much to say. To say he’s arrogant would be an understatement. Oh yeah one more thing, what happened to all the predictions of Arsenal not being handle the big teams? Two hard games in a week and still on top and still unbeaten!
November 3rd, 2007 @ 21:02Sorry, I thought this was a site for objective commentary on football, focussing on the EPL. Can someeone suggest where I might look?
Seriously, I’m not a supporter of either side, but this commentary belonged on a MUFC fanboy blog, not a site purporting to be neutral (or did I have that wrong?).
Bad form SoccerLens.
Dean
November 3rd, 2007 @ 21:58Pwned by Gallas in injury time. All that crap about us being happy with a draw at home… well, who’s top of the league?
By the way, what a crap performance by the ref. And Anderson is a wanker; anyways, nothing more to say
November 3rd, 2007 @ 22:18Anderson lost the match for man u today.
Kudos to both the teams for excellent match.
Arsenal were better of the 2 teams, by a whisker, they look like the real deal.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 22:34Crap performance by the ref…but what a good one by the linesman! I hope the media highlights that positively.
November 3rd, 2007 @ 22:52Still unbeaten. SAF says Gunner’s goals were scrappy. Well look at your team’s first goal you old hypocrite………..
November 3rd, 2007 @ 23:10Not too happy with the draw, but what the hell, it looked like we would lose, so no complaints………
Almunia shouldnt have gone out to block Evra. That was a mistake. The linesman made a brave call and that was the correct decision. You dont see too many of those happening. As for Anderson, the less said the better. Fabregas did an excellent impression of him. What a joker……….
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:05it is ironic how Arsenal fans – those who claim their team will win the league – are rubbing it in United’s face after having drawn them at home.
Webb had an alright game, whats your problem with him? He did not make any cleraly wrong decisions, but he should have booked Anderson.
I am livid at the result – unlike Arsenal fans, who seem quite happy – and I am livid at that last minute of play. Good attitude by Arsenal, but the last minute goal is as much a trademark of Man Utd as attacking football is of Real Madird or Brazil.
Overall the football art promised by Wenger was far, far away from the Emirates today. Dissapointing game.
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:18iqnadirshah, at least our first goal, despite being scrappy came from some nice play by Brown and Ronaldo. Your goals came out of thin air. Both of them.
Ahmed, why did you take Rooney’s goal away? It was clearly his. The Gallas deflection only made sure it went past the goalie
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:21Which takes more effort, getting goals out of thin air or getting goals after making good moves? Andrei help me out please.
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:27None of us Gooners are happy with the draw, but it clearly looked as if we would lose, hence the euphoria………..
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:28Almost forgot, the “kids” came back twice in the match. Guess their credentials are safe…………
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:29dam it Liverpool are still 6 points behind arsenal
November 4th, 2007 @ 00:52whats really pissing me off, is that every gooner out there is claiming to be the best in the league, based on the season so far they have a strong case, but when the final whistle went i saw 1 set of players looking like they had just won the league
November 4th, 2007 @ 01:05and another set of players who were disappointed. It funny how arsenal and Arsene Wenger mind you were so excited about o home draw, that IMO should have been a loss, and yet feel like they are the best.
I now have no doubts that united will win the league. reason:we are far too fucking strong.i wonder how long it will be before arsenal begin their” best football” speeches?hmm the goals they scored today were nothing short of flukes!hehe.massively disappointed though i thought we should have won.
November 4th, 2007 @ 01:31it’s interesting how people are complaining about Webb being overfussy. As far as I remember (and I was watching it quite closely) he called a good game, although the Fab yellow card was unfair. The only thing I could hear from the commentators about the ref was this insane plea for letting the game flow. You don’t see commentators talking about ‘letting the game flow’ in other games when players are being fouled, why should this game be any different?
The commentators wanted a spectacle, the ref wanted to get things right. He did, and now people are blaming him for not letting it flow. Idiotic, and what’s worse, the idiocy of the commentary team pretty much replicates itself into the viewers.
Yes, the site in unbiased. I’m not
Feel free to hop in and cover the next Arsenal game, I’ll set things up for you.
November 4th, 2007 @ 02:10i think the arsenal players, coach and supporters were happy that we managed to salvage a draw. the fact that we were at home isnt really an issue for me. its the fighting spirit. man utd’s 2nd goal was scored in the 81st minute and a lot of teams would have given up let alone conceding a goal against man utd in the 81st minute but they didnt.
credit should go to arsenal for two reasons.
1) man utd always went into this game as favourites because they are the reigning champions. they have nothing to prove
2)arsenal will have to come to terms with the fact that they will be proving themselves in every single game until may if they manage to stay at the top
in addition to this, i have not seen a team dominate possesion and place such pressure on man utd for a while. When was the last time Christiano was marked out of the game like that…or even Rooney. in my opinion, arsenal have the right to be happy because we went into this game as underdogs but emerged as equals with man united.
On paper i think our teams are equal. Let me be biased and say man utd were lucky that van persie wasnt there. his left foot makes me feel that we can take anybody on. On paper our squad is marginally better but nonetheless better.
November 4th, 2007 @ 03:18iqnadirshah, I though Arsenal were set on playing awesome footy, like Man Utd ofted do; not winning (because for Arsenal this was like a win) games like Chelsea do. In the end we are all biased hypocrits, but really, we should have a level of decency and not defend our team after every fumble or two.
Making goals out of thin air is all very fine, but do not go around afterwards proclaiming your team in the saviour of sexy football. Or if you insist to make the sexy football claim, do not take pride from such goals.
November 4th, 2007 @ 03:41Yes, dzimbi but we can claim that Scholes was absent, Gary Neville was absent so Van Persie’s injury can’t be such a big factor. If it is more important than the absence of our skipper and our second best player of last season then I have to say it proves our squad is better. We have less difficulty with replacing such players.
Saha, Carrick, Nani, O’Shea… an awesome bench today. United have the strongest squad in the Premiership, much stronger than Arsenal’s and marginally better than Chelsea’s. Arsene’s men need to be lucky with injuries to keep up the pace.
November 4th, 2007 @ 04:37Ahmed –
It was at best an average performance by the ref, not because he didn’t let the game ‘flow’ (i’m not one of those people who cares too much about that, to me a foul is a foul is a foul) but because he got so many calls wrong (for both sides). Thankfully he didn’t make any catastrophically wrong decisions that could have SIGNIFICANTLY affected the outcome of the match.
Andrei -
So our first goal came out of thin air? What a load of crap. It was a good effort by Adebayor which was well blocked & Sagna did EXTREMELY well to keep the ball in play & set Fabregas up for the goal. What’s your point anyway? How many ‘scrappy’ 1-0 victories did Man Utd grind out before they found their current run of form? A goal is a goal is a goal. And yeah, the ‘kids’ kept it together & didn’t give up. Isn’t that what champions are made of? In terms of playing awesome footy, both sides did extremely well. It was complete end-to-end attacking stuff & BOTH teams do that very well. What did you expect? That Arsenal would dominate Man Utd or vice-versa? It was always going to be a tough match-up for BOTH sides. Your comments just show me that you believed all the pre-match hype just like everyone else. I completely agree with dzimibi’s 2nd point. Arsenal are going to have to CONTINUALLY prove themselves, right up to the last day of the season.
Ryan -
Whinging about the absence of your skipper? Remind me how many games William Gallas missed for Arsenal so far this season! We also have 3 unproven strikers in our team (Bendtner, Eduardo, Walcott), you only have one (Fangzhuo). Despite which we’re still at the top of the table. Seems like Man Utd isn’t the only one who has ‘less’ difficulty ‘replacing’ such players.
For all you Arsenal hating Man Utd fans out there just remember, SAF himself said (in the summer!) that Arsenal would surprise everyone this season. So stop with the ‘they didn’t deserve it’ bullshit. The points table speaks for itself.
November 4th, 2007 @ 05:24The draw is a fair result for both teams. Arsenal did not give up, after falling behind twice.
On this form, I will say this is going to be a tight two-horse race.
November 4th, 2007 @ 05:56Spiral -
Your first goal did come out of thin air. It was a bad cross by Sagna, a worse attempt at clearing by VDS and something which was meant to resemble a tackle by one of the defenders. Credit to Arsenal for managing to make an opportunity out of defensive mistakes (which is harder than it sounds), but it clearly should not have been a goal. Nobody but ourselves to balme for that one.
No, I was not expecting domination, I was expecting a spectacle. Maybe I was foolish to do so, but when two teams with the quality of Man Utd and Arsenal come together (maybe five of the world’s best players play for these two), I expected something and IT WAS NOT DELIVERED. Presonally I was much more impressed by that defeat at Old Trafford last year [gasp]. That was a ‘heart-attack’ match.
Also you mention that Arsenal have 3(!) unproven strikers in Walcott, Bendtner and Eduardo. I will challange this claim:
Walcott – you paid close to 10 million for him if I am not mistaken. When we paid close to 10 million, we brought the player into the team and did not complain that he was not world class. When you pay that kind of money, you expect the player to be able to play reasonably well, otherwise it is horrible buissness (like paying money for green tomatoes). Oh, I almost forgot: he is NOT a striker!! For fuck’s sake the boy is a winger (and a reasonably good one too).
Eduardo – he scored more goals than game he played in last season. Enough said. Granted he needs a period of adjustment, he is what you would call a ‘proven striker’.
On top of that you have Adebayor (who is good enough to play for Man Utd
) and van Persie who are both good strikers. Man Utd have: Rooney (one of the five best I mentioned earlier; Tevez (another); Saha (good, but constantly injured) and that is about it, Dong is never good enough to make a Man Utd team unless we play Chelsea.
You have four (five by your count), we have three. Ours are better, but what does it prove when you say that you have more bad players than we do? It is simply ridiculous to count the number of players who do not have enough quality rather than the players who do have enough quality.
How many games did Gallas miss this season? Why do you not count how many Neville missed? Wait, do not bother, I will tell you: ALL OF THEM. Yet we still managed to play magnificent at times (the performance against Middlesbrough was to good to put into words). How many injuries have we had? Hargo, Scholes (twice), Neville, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Rooney, VDS, Anderson, Ronaldo the list stops here but it is twice as long as yours, so yea we have the better squad.
Point speak? So then Tottenham should have finished ahead of you a couple of years back, had it not been for food poisoning? The only thing Arsenal fans would hate more than see Man Utd finish ahead of them is to see Tottenham finish ahead of them. And Arsenal deserve to be ahead of Man Utd as much as Tottenham deserved to be ahead of you in 2006.
November 4th, 2007 @ 08:11Whats your point Andrei? Game’s over. I never claimed we played the most beautiful game. We used to do it a few seasons back, till SAF learned how to counter it and so did Bolton and Blackburn. This season for us have been one of constantly proving ourselves, right from the first game till the one against Man u, and which the guys have been doing in every game. Since you like to go on about the game, do you think Sagna’s was a bad cross? Thats priceless man. There were a lot of messages about the magical defensive combo of Vidic and Rio shutting out the Arsenal attack. What the hell, they couldnt even clear their throw ins. And a central defender came and scored in injury time against them. Brilliant…………
November 4th, 2007 @ 09:55The match itself was heartstopping in many ways. United lead, Arsenal equalized. That shows the quality of both sides to match tit-for-tat. There is no denying the fact that these two sides have proven that they are well-matched to provide really amazing matches.
What concerns me is the attitude of the teams. Arsenal was excited to have turned out a draw. Normally, that’s not a bad result for such a huge match. But the fact of the matter is that the match was held at Emirates. Arsenal drew at Emirates. And the team was very happy about that result. You could just see the elation and relief etched on the players’ faces.
In contrast, United players were absolutely furious about the results. They knew they had the game and should not have conceded goals. That is the attitude that separates the teams. As Champions, they understand that a win is a must and cannot rely on draws. I don’t know why Arsenal is so happy about the draw. They must know that sooner or later they’re going to have to head over to Old Trafford for a game that is equally challenging – and this time, United have home advantage.
True, Arsenal showed their steel and grit. But United revealed that as Champions, they’re hungrier than ever. In that sense, I think Arsenal fans need to step back and realize that no advantage was really gained.
November 4th, 2007 @ 11:13Andrei –
I can’t believe the rubbish i just read. Sagna’s effort was poor? What game were you watching? He sped up & stretched out at full length to cut the ball into Fabregas’s path. He’s a Right-Back for God’s sake! & the speed & skill with laugwhich he reacted was excellent! EVDS did well to clear Adebayor’s shot & was backed up by the most (surprisingly!) shite bit of defending i have seen from Utd in a while.
I also argue that it indeed was a good match to watch. If you wanna talk about ‘heart-attack’ stuff how about the fact that Arsenal was a goal down TWICE & STILL came back from behind to draw in INJURY TIME! Both teams set-up good attacks against each other & i have to admit that Utd’s 2nd goal was a very good move.
You know what? You’re right, i had expectations too. I expected Utd’s defense to be better than this with both Vidic & Ferdinand on the pitch. Maybe i made the mistake of overestimating them eh?
Oh yeah & about Walcott, when Arsenal bought him we still had Henry & Ljunberg in the striker department + Adebayor who just came on board. Walcott has been used primarily as a winger until this season where Wenger has touted him as being a possible striker. Bendtner & Eduardo are untested in the Premiership & i’ve said before elsewhere in this site that i don’t think Eduardo can be thrown in the deep end just yet as another up-front striker in this competition. Should Wenger have bought another attacking player in the summer? Possibly, & that subject is still a hotly contested debate.
We still have only 2 proven ones out of which one is injured for 6 weeks.
About your captain being injured, Henry was injured for the majority of last season & Gallas has been injured for the majority of this season. So what does that say about Utd? They don’t have enough players with leadership qualities to keep the team together? For God’s sake, Fabregas was our on pitch captain at times last year! What’s your point about Neville? That Giggs, Rio or EVDS can’t handle captaincy duties?
You want to play the game of ‘who has the longest injury list?’—- fine, we’ve had Adebayor, Rosicky (at least twice), Senderos, Gallas, Lehmann, Sagna, RVP, Eboue, Hleb. What’s your point? Man Utd can’t handle injuries? You sound like Mourinho last season!
So if you have the better squad what’s the problem then? Shouldn’t you be ahead? & this food-poisoning thing you brought up from 2 seasons ago, yeah alright so what? I ain’t denying Arsenal have played like crap the past 2 seasons but we still managed 4th place despite playing like crap + a CL final spot in 2006.
In the end it’s not about ‘who deserves what’. Its the points that go up on the board & the goals that are scored. Give credit where credit is due & stop harping on non-sensical crap that anyone can say against any team.
I agree with iqnadirshah’s sentiments. SAF has every right to be furious at his team & Wenger has every right to marvel at the fighting spirit of his. I’m done talking about this match. We’re still at the top with a game in hand & undefeated. That’s nothing to underestimate….
November 4th, 2007 @ 11:29i wouldnt be too harsh on anderson,he has been in england for just 2 months,and it will take longer for him to unlearn the dark arts ..players seem to pick up in the portuguese league,i think he is an amazing talent.and arsenal fans must hope and pray fabregas keeps up this sort of form and remains injury free for the entire season ,neither of which is likely to happen..and that is when the wheels are going to come off..
November 4th, 2007 @ 12:44Comparing injuries?there is no doubt united have the better squad.we havent had the chance to show it yet due to our small injury and suspension list .ahem,rooney(our best striker)scholes for 3 months(wont bother to mention how important he is)vidic(best defender),our CAPTAIN neville,evra,brown(for a few games),hargreaves(2 months),vds,solsjaer retiremet for christs sake!(a week before the season) fletcher,o shea,carrick for a month or so, park ji sung since god knows when plus ronaldo for 3 games.tevez missed the first game and played for 5 or 6 with half match fitness,the same could be said of nani AND anderson. oh and did i mention saha?yea great pass yesterday.he too has been OUT.i can assure if even half of these didnt occur we would be top.we have been unlucky.congrats arsenal.played well,still unbeaten,still top.
November 4th, 2007 @ 15:43Ryan… is it a coincidence that when rooney and ronaldo were out of ur squad at the beginning of the season, man utd was not as much of a threat as always. giggs has been absent to be honest and the rest of your bench didnt come to the show so dont say you have the strongest squad in the premrership. your squad is only strong when rooney and christiano are there….period. you had to battle to get 1 nil victories and even though you were winning, no one criticise you for battling to those hard earned victories.
to all you other twats saying that arsenal scored scrappy goals, is that not the hallmark of a good team??? we play sexy football better than anyone else and you all know this but when sexy doesnt work, we get down nd dirty and we stil manage to get goals.
at the end of the day, we shared the spoils sexy football or not and arsenal are stil top of the table. enuf sed.
November 4th, 2007 @ 16:24Ahmed, credit to you for an unbiased commentary, fair result I think. One comment though about cesc and ferdinand. Maybe you should take a look at this to see why the “fuck off”, I would expect more from a professional international footballer who has been in the game for as he long as he was, that was..
November 4th, 2007 @ 17:17Apologies, Here is the link.
http://i2.tinypic.com/680cbpg.gif
November 4th, 2007 @ 17:18dzinbi, playing withough Ronaldo and Rooney is like Arsenal playing without Fabregas and Toure: very hard. Arsenal owe much of their success (so far this season) to those two, the same way as Man Utd owe much of their title last year to their two.
iqnadirshah, I agree Vidic and Rio were disastrous yeaterday.
NB A lot of people were criticizing the 1-0 victories (me included)
Spiral, as I have said elsewhere on this site Neville, out of all the injuries we had, is the most costly one. He is more of a leader then VDS, Rio, Paul or Ryan and a fucking good right back too. Finally, I am making a case that Man Utd CAN handle injuries. I said before that we are all (yea all of us here) biased hypocrits and if we all criticize Mourinho one day and then sound just like him the next, be sure that we do not do it on purpose (most of the time).
Anyways, who here is happy with the result?
November 4th, 2007 @ 18:10Fouz – fair point.
Andrei – I’m not happy at all, we should have closed them down better.
November 4th, 2007 @ 19:21looks to me like rio pushed him so he is well within his rights to tell him to fuck off.
November 4th, 2007 @ 19:46if top 4 club can complain about injuries its us!
November 4th, 2007 @ 20:11Nothing changes. After reading all the blogs one thing shines out like a beacon, Man United fans are the most un-knowledgeable in the land and only follow United because there’s a fair chance that they’ll win most saturdays. How many of the United fans actually go and watch them play? and also how many even live within a 100 miles of Old Trafford?! Not bloody many is the answer.
November 4th, 2007 @ 23:11Great finish. I was pulling for a draw, so a Chelsea win would kick us up to third and only 3 points back. Looks to be a highly competitive season.
Arsenal should be dissapointed with the point. They outplayed Manchester United from the start, and after the tied the match at 1 by Fabregas’ goal, they let off the accelerator and let United dominate the next half hour. Only a furious finish and terrible defending allowed Arsenal to tie it up again. But they relaxed after the first goal when they could have gone on the offensive and buried United.
Wayne Rooney is on fire, even though that goes as an own goal to Gallas. (unfair to both, in my opinion.)
SAF talks too much. He bitches about the refereeing, yet colossal mistakes made in the Chelsea-Man U game at Old Trafford he apparently missed. All managers need to shut up about the ref when their teams disappoint in big matches, it is getting old.
The fixtures that will make the difference between champion and second place this season will be these. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal will need to win these matches at home against each other; they are all going to beat up on the same clubs, and they need 3 points at home. Arsenal takes a hit for failing to do so, so advantage United for drawing at Emirates and taking 3 at OT from my Blues.
November 4th, 2007 @ 23:12so many player r on fire! the premiership needs to be hosed down
November 4th, 2007 @ 23:39Of course Paul, most Arsenal fans live within 100, nay, 200 miles of London and go to see Arsenal everytime they can, right?
As for going to see them, I did so both times I had the chance. Once I travelled 50 miles to Nicossia and once, nearly 100 miles and stood in line for three hours in Bucharest. I am sure I am not the only one to have done this, but there are only so many tickets to Man Utd games and so many more fans. It is the same with your beloved Arsenal/Chelsea/Liverpool, make no mistake.
November 5th, 2007 @ 01:55Brain, this season will be awesome. It will be so very tight all over the table!! SO EXCITED!!
Great result for Chelsea and Liverpool fans! It was sad to see what Liverpool did though and I am afraid that if they keep it up, they will be out of the race before long. Hope that does not happen though.
November 5th, 2007 @ 01:59if we ever go 15 points behind then i wll start to doubt our title hopes but we r only 6 points behind (FOR NOW!) so Benitez hasent balls it up too much just need to get back on track
November 5th, 2007 @ 02:13I think uefa chould let 7 english clubs enter the champions league and the other 3 in the top ten in the uefa cup. English football is really getting the excitement back
November 5th, 2007 @ 02:16Hey Andrei, you noticed you left out the bit about being un-knowledgeable!
November 5th, 2007 @ 23:06SAF feels there should be a limit on the foreign players in the premiership and there should be a minimum no of local players. He also ‘feels’ that would hurt clubs like Arsenal. Apparently he’s still smarting over the last minute equaliser.
November 6th, 2007 @ 15:57Its hilarious really. This froma guy who raids the Portugese clubs on a regular basis! How many English players does Utd have anyway? A lot which will be retiring soon (or should be!). Arseblog has written a scathing commentary about it which i completely agree with.
C’mon Ahmed! Where’s your article about SAF’s latest bout of nuttiness? Is one in the works already? Don’t pull any punches on account of all the Utd fans who read this blog.
November 6th, 2007 @ 16:41He also forgets that Arsenal have two regular under 21 players in Walcott and Hoyte. Post match he accused the referee of favouring Arsenal. He also raised the point about the security for the away team. He claimed the audience who were 20 ft away from him were abusing his team. What did he expect? Gooners singing Hallelujah Manu?
November 6th, 2007 @ 18:24Spiral Architect, United have a squad of just over 70% British players.
November 6th, 2007 @ 19:10Spiral – a bit busy these days, plus Scott over at the ROM blog did one article just today
November 6th, 2007 @ 20:11Karl –
Read Arseblog’s comments on this & think about whether Utd really can depend on its ’70%’ British players. Also, isn’t this the ‘English’ Premiership? So you can’t count the Scots, Irish or Welsh (which probably make up the ‘British’ players you talked about) technically can you? I dunno. There seems to be so many loopholes nowadays (aka give a Brazilian a Spanish passport) its so hard to keep track of them all.
November 6th, 2007 @ 20:44Irish and scots are different from english, karl.
November 6th, 2007 @ 20:58Sir Alex is a bit angry but he has a right to complain and i agree with him
November 6th, 2007 @ 21:49Ferguson complaining about being abused in the dugout is completely hypocritical. Arsene Wenger is always subject to to viles taunts of “sit down you paedophile” at Old Trafford and Jose Mourinho was called a “greasy c**t”. Did Wenger or Mourinho whinge like Ferguson is? Of course they didn’t, they just got on with it. Why don’t you do the same Fergie? Let’s face it, the only reason you’re moaning (again) is because your team can’t hang on to a lead. Get over it!
November 7th, 2007 @ 00:32This is how many English players Man Utd has in its squad:
1. Gary Neville
2. Wes Brown
3. Rio Ferdinand
4. Michael Carrick
5. Owen Hargreaves
6. Paul Scholes
7. Wayne Rooney
Add to that Ben Foster and Danny Simpson which equivalate your TWO English players and we have seven more than you (all of which play regulalry).
Paul about the un-knowlegeable fans, I took it as an attack to me rather than to my club and this is not place to discuss my personal pride. Even though I will mention that I know plenty of Arsenal fans who know very little about footy (not reffering to you).
November 7th, 2007 @ 06:48Thats 7 players(or even 9). According to your last post Man U had over 70% British players. So I guess Man U’s total strength is either 10 or around 12.8……………
November 7th, 2007 @ 07:44In that list, Neville & Scholes are due to retire soon. That leaves 5 (or 7). So where are the replacements coming from? Gonna give the whole Portugese contingent dual citizenship?
The basic point is that SAF is talking crap, as he usually does when things don’t go his way. Sure, other managers do it too & there’s no denying that Wenger has had his bad moments as well. But after the game Wenger chose to highlight the positives of his team & try & make the best of the draw & keep his players positive. SAF on the other hand is just throwing negative criticism at everyone – the refs, the fans, the opposition players – about stuff that has no relevance to the game in question (the same old ‘foriegn’ players argument again, ad nauseam!).
If its all part of his ‘mind-games’ or his way of motivating his players i just don’t care. To me it smacks of stupidity & being blatantly hypocritical. He should know by now that Wenger, of all people, is used to this sort of crap.
November 7th, 2007 @ 09:01If I’m not mistaken, then according to Eufa rules, British qualifies for English.
There was an article regarding the amount of English players at United here on Soccerlens before. (Tried to do a search, but could not find it).
Iqnadirshah, Andrei – squad does not mean first 11.
Paul – “Did Wenger or Mourinho whinge like Ferguson is?”
November 7th, 2007 @ 15:06Did they get thrown with pizza/soup at Old Trafford?
Iqnadirshah, I mentioned only Enlish players, not British. Besides it was not me who said that we have 1 70% British squad.
Karl, obviously ‘squad’ does not mean first XI, but I am not about to include Fabien Brandy who I do not believe has yet made a first team appearance for United. If I would have done that, there would have been another backlash from Arsenal fans aho then would have mentioned 100 15-year olds who supposedley play for the Gunners.
Paul, Karl, do I have the wrong memory of who Mourinho actually was?
Is he not the man who complained about everything from an opposition dive (Johnson – he was not given a peanlty or yellow card) to having Schevchenko in the squad (he must be the only one who can complain about having one of the greatest strikers of this generation in his team)?
Did he not complain about his reserves not being able to play in the Championship?
I dont have much on Wenger, but then again its 6 o’clock so I might come up with something soon
November 7th, 2007 @ 16:26Karl- What has the pizza/soup throwing go to do with what happened on saturday? Witnesses at the emirates on saturday say that it was Fergies own security man who stirred things up when Ronaldo scored Man Uniteds second goal. You wouldn’t of got the whole story from Fergie though would you?
November 8th, 2007 @ 02:14