Manchester United secured a vital 2-1 victory over fellow title challengers Arsenal at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. The Gunners came in to this clash having won all of their previous two games in the Premier League and two in the Champions League.
Darren Fletcher had the Red Devils only chance of the opening half in the 10th minute firing wide of the Arsenal goal. Arsenal had the better of the first half and the Gunners took the lead on 40 minutes through a excellent long-range crisp drive from Russian attacker Andrey Arshavin.
United came out much the brighter in the second half and got their reward for that bright start in the 59th minute, as Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia brought Wayne Rooney down in the penalty box. The England striker stepped up and put the ball past the Spanish keeper.
Arsenal’s Dutch striker Robin Van Persie then curled a free-kick against Ben Foster’s crossbar. However United took the lead just a minute later. Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby heading past his own keeper from a Ryan Giggs free-kick. It got even worse for Arsenal as boss Arsene Wenger was sent to the stands, after a furious reaction to Robin Van Persie’s injury-time equaliser being disallowed for offside. The three points could prove vital in the end of season standings with the Gunners expected to push United for the title this season.
