Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal

Well that was somewhat satisfying. Perhaps not as emphatic as it could have been but who cares, a win’s a win and that was fairly business-like as far as those big games go. I was very nervous prior to the game, what with Samir Nasri being touted as the new Lord King of Professional Football and all that, plus this was United’s first match against one of the main title rivals in the league, and I think they came out of it rather well. Which is kinda funny, considering how all season United have been written off as a poor side. Clearly, terrible. They just keep winning though. How annoying, inconvenient and quite frankly rude of them.

A lot of the credit for the win has to go to the midfield five, a good tactical move from Ferguson. I’m a massive Berbatov fan but I can see why Ferguson opted for a 4-5-1 and Rooney is much better suited for that formation than Berba, who works best with a strike partner in a 4-4-2. You could even have done 4-3-3 with a front trio of Berba, Rooney and Nani, but that would have meant sacrificing a midfielder, and the midfielders on this occasion did a very good job. Anderson is finally meeting the high standards expected of him and he did it in a big, important game here which is even more impressive. Hopefully his form continues because he’s been good for a while now since he came back. Fletcher was his usual combative self and really played a vital role in United winning the physical battle in the middle. Carrick was his usual hot-and-cold self but he generally contributed. Nani was a bit wasteful going forward but tracked back when he could, not only helping in the midfield but lending a helping hand to Rafael too. However, Ji-Sung Park may have been the best player on the field. Not only did he grab a good goal but he never stopped running and trying. And he wasn’t a headless chicken either, he was getting involved with everything and was one of United’s better attacking forces. Outstanding. Makes me depressed to think I ever doubted him after his poor start to the season, :-/

The defence deserves a lot of credit too, obviously. They made dealing with some of Arsenal’s attempts at goal look ludicrously easy, simply clearing balls out of the box with no issues, often reducing the likes of Andrey Arshavin to fringe shots from outside the penalty area that dragged wide. Vidic and Ferdinand are probably the best defensive partnership in the world and the full backs were similarly tremendous. Patrice Evra had a good game and seeing him charging forward on his own in injury time was quite a sight. Rafael was also impressive. He’s still slightly naive when it comes to keeping an eye on his direct opponent, like when Gael Clichy would be allowed to wander down the wing with little attention being given to him, but his pace and persistence allow him to make up for that most of the time. Great little player.

Player Ratings: van der Sar 7, Rafael 8, Vidic 8, Ferdinand 8, Evra 8, Fletcher 7, Anderson 8, Carrick 7, Fletcher 7, Park 9, Rooney 7