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11 points about the Arsenal match

1. A great result.  First things first: what a great result.  Sure, United weren't at their best, more on which below; Arsenal looked deeply impressive at times; and our goals came courtesy of a penalty and an own goal.  But the simple fact is: we beat a team which had scored ten goals over their previous two league games, and which we drew and lost against in the premiership last season.  It will be a great confidence boost for the players, after an uncertain start to the campaign.  And while they may have only earned the points rather than the plaudits, as Rob Draper puts it in the Sunday Mail, that might have something to do with why we've won the league for three seasons running, and Arsenal haven't won anything since 2005.

2. Thank you, Wayne.  We expected more goals, and he's delivering; that's now 4 goals in 4 league games for Wayne Rooney.  He was unusually quiet in the first half yesterday, but came to life in the second and, of course, banged in that crucial penalty.  We could well have found the answer to the great penalty-taker question:



3. Thank you, Diaby.  Yeh, yeh, it's a bit cruel to revel in someone else's misery, but Diaby's own-goal really was something.  What was he trying?  A cushioned header back to the keeper?  A strong header to put the ball behind for a corner?  In the end, we ended up with a bit of both, and it came to a perfect goal in the corner of the net.  Any striker would have been proud...



4. A crucial save.  Still a bit of shakiness with the ball at his feet, but let's not forget Foster's main contribution yesterday: that awesome save from Van Persie, six yards out, which prevented Arsenal from going 2-0 up.  Pure, instinctive, preternatural goalkeeping - and an early contender for save of the season.

5. Penalty controversy.  It just had to happen, didn't it?  After Eduardo's midweek theatrics, penalties - both given and denied - just had to enter proceedings yesterday.  Let's get the Rooney one out of the way first: it was a clear-cut penalty, the ref was right to give it, and Almunia hardly complained.  But, it we're fair, Fletcher's tackle on Arshavin was also a penalty, and you've got to wonder whether the whole diving controversy influenced the ref's decision not to point to the spot.  Either way, Arsenal can't complain too much about it not being awarded, as they still scored from the same move.

6. Super Fletcher.  Aside from the tackle-that-should-have-conceded-a-penalty on Arshavin, Fletcher was flawless yesterday.  We all know he's a big-game player, but now he's becoming the mainstay of the United midfield: solid and combative in defence, and increasingly incisive in attack.  He's even honest, admitting in a post-match interview with Match of the Day that he probably could have conceded a penalty:

"At the time, I didn't think it was a penalty, I thought I got the ball.  But now I've watched it, it's debatable.  But I think I'm due a bit of luck with penalties against Arsenal."

Great stuff.

7. Valencia Watch.  Here's how the Valencia scorecard looks now: great in preseason; underwhelming as a substitute against Chelsea; anonymous against Birgminham; our best attacking player when he came on against Burnley; great against Wigan; and, now, fairly poor against Aresenal.  It's a mixed bag, and has set tonuges wagging about whether he's worth the £18 or so million we paid for him.  We'll keep an eye on the situation, but there's certainly enough there to think he'll develop into an effective performer for United.

8. Taking a dive.  So Arsenal don't dive do they, Mr Wenger?  The prosecution presents Exhibit A: Emmanuel Eboue being given a yellow card for, erm, diving in yesterday's game.  After the Eduardo controversy, Eboue certainly could have picked a better weekend for his amateur dramatics - especially when they're quite so blatant.

9. Comedy Arsene.  Another of the game's main talking points, along with Arshavin's penalty-that-wasn't: Arsene Wenger being sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in frustration at Robin Van Persie's late, disallowed goal.  The Arsenal manager didn't know where to sit, so he ended up standing in an alcove above the dug-outs, surrounded by thousands of United fans, all pointing and laughing.  Classic.



10. Lack of spark.  As I've said above, it's superb that United ended up with three points - it's the mark of champions that they can still win despite not playing at their best etc. etc.  But if you're going to take a worry away from this game, it's that we're still lacking a certain spark.  Aside from the dynamic Darren Fletcher, the midfield lacked cohesion and penetration.  And it showed in a performance which registered only two "shots" on target by the 64th minute - Rooney's penalty and Diaby's own-goal.  Late misses from Berbatov and Nani, both from very promising positions, added to the sense that this team is quite firing on all cylinders.  I expect it will all come together soon enough, as it has on occasion already this season - but there were times yesterday when you half wished Ronaldo was still around.

11. Final word from the manager.  Here's Fergie's take on the game:

"When you are 1-0 down at half time it’s an uphill task against a team of the capabilities of Arsenal. We had to dig deep.  This result can make a difference and the players will gather momentum from this win.

Last season we dropped four points to Arsenal and six against Liverpool. We were a bit unlucky there, but you have to correct these things. Already we’ve made a better start this season in that respect."

Pete

United supporters vote Chelsea as main domestic rival and Barcelona as top European opponent

755 Manchester United supporters voted in MustBeRed's first weekly survey of opinion among United's global fans. You can take part in the second survey by voting here.

CHELSEA SEEN AS MAIN RIVAL FOR RETAINING THE PREMIERSHIP

The vote was taken before Liverpool lost last night at home to Aston Villa and most people had voted before Arsenal's strong start to the season. We'll hold another vote in a month or so.  Only 2% of United supporters see City as a serious rival - despite the Arab-owned team's £216m spending spree.

BARCELONA ARE SEEN AS MAIN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RIVAL

Ten times as many United supporters see Barcelona as the main European rival as see Chelsea as the main rival.  Only 1% see Arsenal as United's main European rival.

ROONEY WILL BE UNITED'S TOP SCORER

It is difficult to argue with the verdict on this one.  A whopping 86% of supporters said that Wayne Rooney - who scored his 101st goal for United on Saturday against Wigan - will be United's top scorer in 2009/10.  More supporters expect Owen to hit the back of the net more regularly than Berbatov.

WE CAN BE STRONGER WITHOUT RONALDO

Most members of the MustBeRed panel are optimists about life after Ronaldo.  A quarter expect United to be weaker without last year's World Player of The Year but two-thirds say we can be stronger.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN THE NEW SURVEY.

United's 100 Club

Courtesy of the great Republik of Mancunia, a graphic showing those United players who have scored 100 goals or more for the club.  Of course, Wayne Rooney became a new entry yesterday, with his goals against Wigan:

Pete

11 points about the Wigan match

1. The perfect response.  Even though there are still some doubts and worries (see below), you can't really argue against 5 goals, scored away from home, and with all of your main strikers getting on the score sheet.  This was pretty much the best response we could have expected after the Burnley game, and sets things up nicely for the Arsenal match next weekend.  We've got six points now, only 84 more to go by Fergie's reckoning.

2. Well done, Wayne: goals #100 and #101.  Remember that debut against Fenerbahce?  Goals 1, 2 and 3 in a United shirt for Wayne Rooney?  Well, four years on he's the Old Trafford hero we all thought he'd be, and he just smashed in goals 100 and 101.  Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the magic hundreth:


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

3. Owen's goal.  To my eyes, Owen's goal was the pick of the bunch.  Not just for the crisp pass by Nani and the pinpoint finish from Owen himself, but for what this could mean for our season - a confident Owen could well start banging them in from now on.



4. Berbatov's genius.  Lazy?  Doesn't add much to the team?  Geddaway.  Especially in the second half, Berbatov's neat touches and cushioned passes were the impetus behind many of United's best attacking moves.  The goal - complete with a chip over the keeper - capped what was an impressive performance.



5. Valencia Watch.  Now, that's more like it.  Against his old club, Valencia looked much more like the player we all got excited about in pre-season: a danger down the flank, peppering the opposition box with plenty of threatening crosses.  There are still question marks about whether he can pull it off against stronger oppostion - Ashley Cole, for instance, coped easily with him in the Community Shield match - but this was encouraging stuff.

6. The New Nani.  Last week we had the Old Nani: wasteful, frustating and lazy.  This week we're mostly back to the New Nani we saw against Chelsea: controlled, constructive and central to much of United's best play.  Again, a player who capped an impressive performance with an equally impressive goal.



7. Solid-(ish) defence.  Aside from a few wobbles - and, yes, a goal conceded against Burnley - one of the great positives that Fergie can take from the opening three games of the season is how our defence has coped with the injuries which have decimated it.  Vidic was back yesterday - which immediately made us look more solid - but none of the stand-ins, from John O'Shea to Wes Brown, have particularly embarrassed themselves or the team.  Special mention must go to Patrice Evra, who has been our player of the season so far, and Jonny Evans, who is one of the most composed young defenders that these eyes have ever seen.

8. The great Wigan run.  Don't you just love it when United play Wigan?  In nine league meetings now, United have come out winners every time - scoring 26 goals, and conceding only 4, in the process.

9. Doubts and worries.  Ok, so everything above has been a positive.  But there's no masking the fact that United looked distinctly off the boil in the first half of the match yesterday.  The main problem was the same one we had in the last two gains: an inability to convert chances into goals, the lack of some vital spark (or the 'X-Factor', as Piers Morgan puts it in the Sportsmail pages today).  Hopefully, the second-half performance will give the team the encouragement it needs, but there's little doubt that a better team than Wigan would have punished us before the first 45 minutes were up yesterday.

10. Where's Carrick?  Like the Birmingham game last weekend, Michael Carrick didn't even warrant a place on the United bench yesterday.  You do wonder what's going on with him.  He's not injured, so far as any one knows, but he does seem to have been the target of some cryptic and critical remarks from Fergie.  Whatever's wrong, let's hope it gets sorted out soon - our central midfield is already looking a little thin, without us effectively losing Carrick.

11. The final word from Fergie.  Here's how the manager summarised the match:

"Overall I thought they played very well. We had six good chances in the first half, and you'd like to take one or two of them, but the important thing was to be patient, and keep playing the way they were playing."

So now back to Old Trafford, and the Arsenal next weekend.

Pete

Photographs of every single one of Wayne Rooney's 99 goals for United

Courtesy of The Sun.

11 points about the Birmingham match

1. Rooney's goal.  We all know the story: now Ronaldo's gone, we're expecting more goals from Wayne Rooney - especially as he's playing in his preferred position through the centre.  In which case, it was good to see him open his account on day two of the league, with his 99th goal for the club (you can watch it here).  Hopefully, there are many more to come.  Fergie certainly expects.

2. United's Zidane. There are plenty of plaudits for Rooney's overall performance yesterday - in the newspapers, on the blogs and from Fergie himself.  But the most eye-catching comes from the Brum manager, Alex McLeish, who said after the match, "Every so often natural footballers come along. You get players like Zidane and Platini and now there is Wayne Rooney."

3. Injury-hit defence.  What's wrong with our defenders at the moment?  They're dropping like flies.  United went into the day without Vidic, while Neville and Rafael are still recovering from knocks.  And then Rio goes and injures his thigh in training, and Jonny Evans hobbles off the pitch after 75 minutes.  Rio will be out for 2 weeks, but there's been no confirmation on Evans - the Beeb are reporting that the young Northern Irish defender was taken off as a "precaution", so hopefully he should be fit for the games ahead.

4. Defensive strength in depth.  Having said that, the defenders that are fit put in a decent performance.  Sure, Birmingham are no Real Madrid.  Sure, there were some shaky moments.  And, sure, Utd will never look as solid as when they have Vidic and Rio paired together at the back.  But captain-for-the-day John O'Shea marshalled his forces well, and Wes Brown and Ritchie De Laet certainly aren't bad options to have on the bench.  The clean sheet is testament to their efforts, as well as to a couple of decent saves by Ben Foster.  Despite some hints in the Times this morning, I'm not sure we need to be looking to the transfer market for defensive cover.

5. Goal-line clearance specialist.  Evra stopped one on the line against Chelsea last week, and then repeated the trick against Birmingham yesterday; getting in the way of Franck Quedrue's goal-bound header.  It capped what was an impressive performance by our left-back - reliable in defence but, also, one of our most effective attacking forces.  Just don't let him take any penalties.

6. Missed chances.  Typical United.  They dominate huge swathes of the game; should have scored a hatful; but only put one away, and end up enduring a more uncertain finish than they need have done.  Nani, Fletcher and Owen all had gilt-edge opportunities - although, to be fair, Owen's came when the match was pretty much over.  It's been said a thousand times, but bears repeating: Utd really do need to start converting more of their chances.  After all, you don't always get Birmingham at home.

7. Birmingham's best player: Joe Hart.  Of course, it didn't help that Birmingham's keeper (on loan from City) put in an impressive performance between the sticks.  Scott the Red, over at Republik of Mancunia, sums it up nicely:

"11 shots saved by the former City keeper, 9 shots off target and a further 10 blocked shots is all you need to know about what a frustrating day it was for us today. Hart was on form and their defenders were eager not to be embarrassed, so whilst I’d like to see us looking sharper in front of goal over the next few weeks, credit has to go to Birmingham’s defence."

8. Owen Watch.  After the Valencia game, Owen won't have appreciated that missed opportunity in the dying minutes of the match.  But he'll have taken heart from the positive reception Old Trafford gave him when he replaced Berbatov in the 74th minute.  I think most people expect the goals to come.

9. A confidence-boost for Foster.  After his wobbly performance at Wembley last week, Ben Foster needed a solid match to reassure both the fans and - you assume - the manager, his teammates and himself.  And that's what he delivered: some fine saves - especially from Christian Benitez late in the game - and less jitteriness with the ball on the ground.  Indeed, Fergie paid tribute to Foster afterwards, saying that, "We know he has ability and he proved that again today."  The perfect tonic for our stand-in keeper.

10. Same old Nani.  The Portuguese winger looked quite good against Chelsea last week - he really did.  But yesterday it was back to the same old Nani: wasteful in possession, lazy when off the ball, and sloppy in front of goal.  He partially redeemed himself with his cross for Rooney's goal.  But this wasn't the performance to make us forget a certain other Portuguese flyer.

11. Mighty Spurs!  United's performance may not have been the best, but a win's a win - and that win was made infinitely sweeter by Liverpool's defeat, later in the day, at White Hart Lane.  Last season, Benitez's men only lost two games.  One match down, and they're already half-way there...

Pete

Rooney goal against Birmingham

So: one match, one goal, one win.  We'll have more coverage of the Birmingham game on MustBeRed shortly, but - for now - here's footage of Rooney's winning goal:


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Pete

Hat-tip: Republik of Mancunia

United 5 - 2 Spurs: A game of two halves

The old football cliche, has scarcely rung more true than yesterday at Old Trafford. United, at sixes and sevens with each other one half. were nearly hitting sixes and sevens past Spurs the other.

It was an amazing game to see, my only complaint can be that all seven goals were down at the other end!

United fans have seen many a great comeback down the years, but despite their air of inevitability, these are still among the most thrilling United games to watch. As Jonathan Northolt writes in the Sunday Times: "No matter how often Manchester United write the script their supporters will never tire of it".

The big decision

Having made few chances in the first half, United needed something to go their way. With Howard Webb deciding Gomes brought down Carrick we got that and it set us on our way. Though Harry Redknapp moaned, and even Fergie said it was fortunate, I would not side with The Sun in calling the decision "a shocker."

Instead as The Mirror put it: "Heurelho Gomes will argue forever he got a touch to the ball when he sent through Michael Carrick. Carrick will always know he got there first. The man who matters decided it was a foul."

Given the penalty we were denied at Wembley, few fans will be losing sleep over how our first goal came.

Our loss, Carlos?

Though it was Rooney and Ronaldo shared the bulk of the goals they were not the only people to receive praise from today's press. Rooney as man of the match may have been "the pivot upon which every action of United's comeback turned," but it was "the tonic of Tevez" that roused the Reds from their first half stupour.

As Duncan White in The Telegraph puts it: "Ferguson’s dressing room rhetoric undoubtedly played a role but it was the half-time introduction of Carlos Tevez for the insipid Nani that catalysed the whole team."

Even Fergie reserved special praise for our number 32:  "He won the game for us. He turned the game… although obviously everyone played their part", but will it be enough to keep Carlos at Old Trafford for another season?

All of Sir Alex's substitutions were spot on today. While Nani clearly failed to rise to the occasion given a rare Premier League start, Fletcher's passing was unimaginative and the introduction of Scholes gave us another huge lift. Rafael, showing exuberance going forward, displayed inexperience at the back, and will shoulder some of the blame for Spurs' second. Once United got their noses in front, trading da Silva for the less flashy mettle of John O'Shea was almost a no-brainer.

Closer to glory

"This is the stuff of which champions are made", writes Steve Tongue in The Independent. Three points clear with a game in hand five games from the end of the season truly puts United in a great position. But was this the day the title was in effect decided?

"It was here, in a match of unrelenting and enthralling drama, that the title race had its most significant moment to date. United deserve all the superlatives for the determination, drive and sheer guts," writes Daniel Taylor in The Observer, while in Paul Wilson's analysis, the title race is all but over:

"They will surely win the league from this position. With five games to play they still have their focus, their best players, a lead and a fresh head of steam. It's just a question of what else they bring home."

However, given the twists and turns that Old Trafford saw over the course of 90 minutes, it would be complacent to think the next few weeks be a smooth ride. Yet if it does come to be regarded as the season's pivotal moment, yesterday we saw a game more than worthy of the label.

Patrick

A Striking Dilemma

After seasons when it seemed that United were a little short of out and out strikers, the Reds now have an embarrassment of riches. With Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez, Ronaldo, Danny Welbeck, Fraizer Campbell and of course Kiko Macheda on the books, who will Fergie have in mind, when he thinks inside the box next season?

 

Wayne Rooney Appearances 229, Goals 95

 

With 17 goals this season, Rooney has once again brought a decent haul of goals. Yet to judge Rooney by goals is to use the wrong metric. You cannot measure his work rate, his vision and his link up play by goals.

 

Despite criticism of his temper, the flipside is an enthusiasm for playing - and playing for United, given his willingness to play out his career here. Any starting eleven would be weaker without its number 10.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo Apps 285, Goals  133

 

Is he a winger? Is he a striker? When, once again, Ronaldo is United’s top scorer any consideration of strikers would be sorely lacking without him.

 

Though his attitude this season has been criticised, and at times his form less scintillating than the vintage 07-08 display, his crucial goals in the Villa and Porto games suggest even £75m may be a bargain for the Bernabeu.

Carlos Tevez Apps 92, Goals 32

Another forward who may be leaving OT behind if the papers are to believed. Carlos’ first team frustrations are easy to understand, the contribution his goals, work-rate and near telepathic link with Rooney played last season.  Despite lack of opportunities he has still turned in the goals, both crucial and spectacular this term.

 

As the chants of “Fergie sign him up” testify, many a Red would hate to see him go.

 

Dimitar Berbatov, Appearances: 36 Goals 13

 

After the drama of his eventual signing, and the record fee that was paid, Berbatov’s first few months were relatively quiet. But just as the scepticism was building, Dimi produced that moment of magic against West Ham, placating most of the cynics.

 

Though his control and passing have given United an extra dimension, there is still a feeling that he is yet to establish himself as one of United’s big game performers. But there’s always next season.

 

Manucho Apps 1 Goals 0 (Hull Apps 14, Goals 2)

 

Having scored arguably the goal of the African Nations cup last year, there is palpable intrigue at just what Manucho could do . Despite an impressive goals to games ratio for Panathanaikos last season, he has only netted twice during his loan spell at Hull, so whether he is ready for the life in the Premier League fast lane remains open to question..

 

Danny Welbeck Apps 12, Goals 3

 

The screamer against Stoke may have announced his arrival in the Premier League, but Danny Welbeck’s appearance have been restricted largely to the  league cup. 

 

After a reasonable performance out wide at Wembley, he might find more joy on the wing if he is stay at United, given the names ahead of him in the queue.

 

Fraizer Campbell Apps 4, Goals 0 (Spurs: Apps 14, Goals 3)

 

Denied opening his United account on the first day of the season by Shay Given’s head, Campbell has been unable to follow up promising spells at Royal Antwerp and Hull with regular Premier League football. Shipped out to Spurs as part of the Berbatov bargain, Frazer has seen his chances at White Hart Lane limited by Spurs policy of buying back their old strikers. Still to prove himself at the top level.

Kiko Macheda Apps 3, Goals 2

 

The least experienced of United’s forward line arguably needs the least introduction after the six crucial points his two United goals have already earned.  Having turned in impressive performances Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reserve team, if Macheda continues to show such promise, we would be mad to le him go just yet.

 

Patrick

'Red Issue' urges Ferguson to build Utd's attack around Berbatov-Rooney in the same way he has built the defence around Vidic-Ferdinand

RED ISSUE
WHY DOESN'T FERGUSON BUILD A ROONEY-BERBATOV PARTNERSHIP IN THE SAME WAY HE HAS BUILT A VIDIC-FERDINAND PARTNERSHIP?

"There seems little idea of how to successfully incorporate both Berbatov and Rooney into the same side... The Guardian has published some interesting analysis of the pair's performances together.  Only once have they managed to link up for a goal - against West Brom back in October.  Meanwhile, out of 551 passes the team made against Sunderland in December, only four were between the pair... What also surely can't help matters is the constant tinkering with the line-up.  Ferguson often talks about the importance of the team's defensive partnership, and it's no coincidence that in a team with so many changes both Vidic and Ferdinand were two of the few genuine first choice personnel in the semi-final starting line-up.  Quite why a similar opportunity isn't afforded to the team's main strike pairing is a mystery."

UNITED WE STAND
MANAGERIAL STABILITY EXPLAINS WHY ENGLISH CLUBS ARE BESTING REAL MADRID

"Spaniards cannot understand why the English persist with coaches like Ferguson, Wenger or Benitez if they don't lift the treble each season.  They call it the patience of the Anglo-Saxon mentality.  For years they mocked as Spanish clubs enjoyed hegemony in Europe.  The scorn has stopped, with English clubs consistently outperforming their Iberian cousins.  Whereas Sir Alex knows every player inside out and his charges know their manager's formidable traits, Madrid's players have to adopt new coaches and egotistical presidents almost annually, an unsettling environment at best.  Madrid's players have adapted domestically against clubs run on similar intolerant lines, but in Europe they look exposed and unsure, two characteristics the club's grand museum doesn't advertise."

RED NEWS
FICKLE PRESS NEED MAN UTD MORE THAN MAN UTD NEEDS THE PRESS

"The Mirror's match report after Liverpool screamed with self proclaimed hysteria: "The warning signs have been there for some time.  But when defeat eventually came, no-one would have imagined it would be so brutal and humiliating."  The warning signs?  Oh yes, Oliver Holt after the game also wrote: "Why Sir Alex Ferguson, not Rafa Benitez, is in danger of cracking up after Liverpool thrashing... the comprehensive manner of Liverpool's demolition of their opponents at Old Trafford suggested there may be nervous weeks ahead for Sir Alex."  Was this really the same Holt who just a week earlier, after our thrashing of Fulham in the Cup purred: "It feels as though there's something special about Ferguson's latest creation... you want to take your kids to a game so that in years to come, they can say they saw United played... most other teams are simply not in United's league... That there is no real perspective from anyone in football journalism is an argument for another day, yet this lack of objectivity over your actual standing and form, prefering rather than to judge each and every team after a small run of games - backed up by many managers across the board lose their jobs so quickly nowadays - defines a declining industry, one that doesn't seem to realise it is they who need United, for the oxygen of publicity, and selling any papers on the back of any such large defeat, certainly not the other way round.  As Fergie stared out at the press pre-Fulham he told them: There were no lives lost last week."  In a way, he watches the tide of opinion (be it from fans and press), without interest anymore, he has nothing left to prove and doesn't need to win either of us over to keep his job, just entirely believing that he'll be proved correct.  Whilst we can wobble with fears about worse case scenarios , he doesn't, and that's a great bit of experience to have that the Scousers simply don't possess."  

Tim