FA Barclays Premiership
Arsenal 0 United 0
Highbury, London
Arsenal against United is rarely a contest for those with a nervous disposition – but there was very little in this match to frighten Chelsea, who now have a 13-point lead at the summit of the Premiership table.
United had more chances to win but really there could be few complaints from either side at the final whistle.
Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes to the side which defeated neighbours Bolton Wanderers 4-1 at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day. Wes Brown was back after recovering from a thigh strain along with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who made a rare appearance from the bench against Wanderers. Kieran Richardson and Louis Saha were the players to step down.
There was, of course, no Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira on parade, but as the United manager so rightly pointed out, this fixture has a long history of providing fireworks. Way back in the 1960s it was Denis Law and Ian Ure who regularly commanded the headlines in high octane encounters between the clubs. Brian McClair and Nigel Winterburn had their moments over a decade ago as the clubs battled annually for the top honours and there have been other such duels in what is unquestionably one of the top fixtures in football.
This was a nostalgic visit to Highbury for United because, save for a pairing with Arsenal in the FA Cup, this was the club’s last ever fixture at the famous north London stadium. The Gunners move just a few hundred yards to their ultra-modern Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove in the summer, thus ending their 95-year association with one of football’s most history-laden grounds.
United’s first visit to Arsenal Stadium was back in the post- First World War era. That was on Saturday 21 February 1920 when two goals from Joe Spence and another from Fred Hopkin gave United a 3-0 victory. United’s subsequent 68 league visits saw them win another 17 times, the last of them being that thrilling 4-2 win last February.
There is little doubt that the best remembered match between Arsenal and United at Highbury was the fabled contest in February 1958 when United triumphed 5-4 just six days before the tragic aeroplane crash in Munich.
United have also appeared in nine other competitive games at Arsenal Stadium including the 1958 FA Cup semi-final replay against Fulham. Alex Dawson grabbed a hat-trick in that match which saw United reach the final just three months after Munich. Lee Sharpe was the only other United player to celebrate a hat-trick at Highbury, his trio coming in the 6-2 Football League Cup fourth round win in November 1990.
United, in an all-blue change strip, started the game attacking the North Bank stand, which will be demolished when Highbury is redeveloped following Arsenal’s departure later this year. The famous West and East stands, both listed buildings, will remain with their use, of course, being adapted to the new complex.
It was a bright opening to the game on a mild evening in north London. As always there was a terrific atmosphere and both sets of supporters had plenty to cheer as the match unfolded.
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo looked particularly lively whilst Alexander Hleb and Francesc Fabregas both had early chances to put the Gunners ahead.
The opening exchanges were typical of United / Arsenal contests, but it wasn’t until the 27th minute that referee Graham Poll was forced to venture into his pocket to produce one of the coloured cards. It was yellow after Ryan Giggs had felled Jose Antonio Reyes right in front of Highbury’s main stand.
The game continued to swing from one end to the other with Arsenal going close when Thierry Henry’s searing free-kick flew past Edwin van der Sar’s left post. The United keeper appeared to collide with the post in attempting to stop the shot but after a few moments’ treatment from United physiotherapist Robert Swire he was all set to continue.
United finished the half on top and could easily have gone ahead in the 44th minute when Ruud van Nistelrooy fired in a cracking drive. Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann pulled off a brilliant diving save to deny the Dutchman. The ball ran to Ronaldo, but the United winger couldn’t control his shot and it flew high over the goal into the crowd behind.
Both sides close to opening the scoring within minutes of the resumption. Rooney’s looping header excited the travelling United fans whilst Gilberto had the Arsenal supporters on their feet with a blocked shot on the turn.
United began to gain more possession and as a result more goalscoring opportunities started to arrive. Ronaldo was more and more involved on the right flank and his crosses caused problems for the Gunners. Ryan Giggs’ shot went wildly wide of the mark, but van Nistelrooy’s shot was only a fraction wide after Rio Ferdinand had picked him out with a fine throughball.
Van Nistelrooy went close again, then Robert Pires latched on to Henry’s ball but he couldn’t make the most of what appeared to be a good scoring position for Arsenal.
The second half was proving to be considerably more combative than the first and in the 70th minute the North Bank regulars were on the feet appealing for a penalty after Fabregas had gone down under Neville’s challenge. Referee Poll was well placed and he immediately waved play on.
Ronaldo almost claimed the glory for himself in the 72nd minute with a shot from the right which very nearly deceived Lehmann in the Arsenal goal.
Five minutes from time and Neville, who’d ghosted up on the right, almost swept the ball home from Rooney’s drilled pass.
The game reached its exciting conclusion with United pressing for the winner and it almost arrived when Wes Brown’s powerful header looked to be on its way until Emmanuel Eboue’s timely interception prevented it reaching the net.
Comments
i smmoke zigarette now....grrrrrrrrrrrrr
thanx god henry don´t score
seems rooney is frustrested i think
0:0
fergi make them fire under their asses
and put saha on the field
Bilbao
vs
Real Madrid
-Tom Waits-
Everybody should believe in something...I believe i'll have another drink - anonymous -
Ah that's just drunk talk, sweet beautiful drunk talk.
-Barney Gumble-
I hope the Vascos make something good this year, i hate Madrid!!
-Tom Waits-
Everybody should believe in something...I believe i'll have another drink - anonymous -
Ah that's just drunk talk, sweet beautiful drunk talk.
-Barney Gumble-
i hear you;) go united!!!
ah the second half beginns no change
what is the best medicine for this match ?
hell i don´t know
grrrrrrr
Barcelona 1
2nd half
i open a beer now :(
Zamora 1
Barcelona 3
no surprise:D
68 minutes
0:1 for united let´s hope
Burton Albion v United
FA Cup 3rd Rnd | 4:00p.m.| Sun 8 Jan
and i can watch this on tv yeappy
madrid got 2 yellows gutti and maija ...
Real Madrid 0
halftime
last minutes
united was better in the second half
1 Chelsea 58 21 19 1 1 46 10 36
2 Manchester United 44 20 13 5 2 40 17 23
3 Liverpool 41 19 12 5 2 28 11 17
4 Tottenham 37 20 10 7 3 29 18 11
5 Wigan Athletic 34 21 11 1 9 25 26 -1
6 Arsenal London 33 19 10 3 6 27 15 12
7 Bolton 32 19 9 5 5 25 20 5
8 Blackburn 30 20 9 3 8 26 25 1
9 Manchester City 28 20 8 4 8 27 22 5
10 West Ham 26 21 7 5 9 27 30 -3
- Newcastle 26 20 7 5 8 20 23 -3
12 Aston Villa 25 21 6 7 8 25 30 -5
13 Charlton Athletic 25 19 8 1 10 24 30 -6
14 Fulham 23 21 6 5 10 25 30 -5
15 Everton 23 21 7 2 12 14 31 -17
16 Middlesbrough 22 20 5 7 8 25 30 -5
17 West Bromwich 19 21 5 4 12 20 31 -11
18 Portsmouth 17 21 4 5 12 16 33 -17
19 Birmingham City 16 20 4 4 12 15 29 -14
20 Sunderland 6 20 1 3 16 15 38 -23
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Match Report: Arsenal 0 United 0
3/1/06 10:40 PM
Reds Held On Last League Trip To Highbury
FA Barclays Premiership
Arsenal 0 United 0
Highbury, London
Arsenal against United is rarely a contest for those with a nervous disposition – but there was very little in this match to frighten Chelsea, who now have a 13-point lead at the summit of the Premiership table.
United had more chances to win but really there could be few complaints from either side at the final whistle.
Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes to the side which defeated neighbours Bolton Wanderers 4-1 at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day. Wes Brown was back after recovering from a thigh strain along with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who made a rare appearance from the bench against Wanderers. Kieran Richardson and Louis Saha were the players to step down.
There was, of course, no Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira on parade, but as the United manager so rightly pointed out, this fixture has a long history of providing fireworks. Way back in the 1960s it was Denis Law and Ian Ure who regularly commanded the headlines in high octane encounters between the clubs. Brian McClair and Nigel Winterburn had their moments over a decade ago as the clubs battled annually for the top honours and there have been other such duels in what is unquestionably one of the top fixtures in football.
This was a nostalgic visit to Highbury for United because, save for a pairing with Arsenal in the FA Cup, this was the club’s last ever fixture at the famous north London stadium. The Gunners move just a few hundred yards to their ultra-modern Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove in the summer, thus ending their 95-year association with one of football’s most history-laden grounds.
United’s first visit to Arsenal Stadium was back in the post- First World War era. That was on Saturday 21 February 1920 when two goals from Joe Spence and another from Fred Hopkin gave United a 3-0 victory. United’s subsequent 68 league visits saw them win another 17 times, the last of them being that thrilling 4-2 win last February.
There is little doubt that the best remembered match between Arsenal and United at Highbury was the fabled contest in February 1958 when United triumphed 5-4 just six days before the tragic aeroplane crash in Munich.
United have also appeared in nine other competitive games at Arsenal Stadium including the 1958 FA Cup semi-final replay against Fulham. Alex Dawson grabbed a hat-trick in that match which saw United reach the final just three months after Munich. Lee Sharpe was the only other United player to celebrate a hat-trick at Highbury, his trio coming in the 6-2 Football League Cup fourth round win in November 1990.
United, in an all-blue change strip, started the game attacking the North Bank stand, which will be demolished when Highbury is redeveloped following Arsenal’s departure later this year. The famous West and East stands, both listed buildings, will remain with their use, of course, being adapted to the new complex.
It was a bright opening to the game on a mild evening in north London. As always there was a terrific atmosphere and both sets of supporters had plenty to cheer as the match unfolded.
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo looked particularly lively whilst Alexander Hleb and Francesc Fabregas both had early chances to put the Gunners ahead.
The opening exchanges were typical of United / Arsenal contests, but it wasn’t until the 27th minute that referee Graham Poll was forced to venture into his pocket to produce one of the coloured cards. It was yellow after Ryan Giggs had felled Jose Antonio Reyes right in front of Highbury’s main stand.
The game continued to swing from one end to the other with Arsenal going close when Thierry Henry’s searing free-kick flew past Edwin van der Sar’s left post. The United keeper appeared to collide with the post in attempting to stop the shot but after a few moments’ treatment from United physiotherapist Robert Swire he was all set to continue.
United finished the half on top and could easily have gone ahead in the 44th minute when Ruud van Nistelrooy fired in a cracking drive. Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann pulled off a brilliant diving save to deny the Dutchman. The ball ran to Ronaldo, but the United winger couldn’t control his shot and it flew high over the goal into the crowd behind.
Both sides close to opening the scoring within minutes of the resumption. Rooney’s looping header excited the travelling United fans whilst Gilberto had the Arsenal supporters on their feet with a blocked shot on the turn.
United began to gain more possession and as a result more goalscoring opportunities started to arrive. Ronaldo was more and more involved on the right flank and his crosses caused problems for the Gunners. Ryan Giggs’ shot went wildly wide of the mark, but van Nistelrooy’s shot was only a fraction wide after Rio Ferdinand had picked him out with a fine throughball.
Van Nistelrooy went close again, then Robert Pires latched on to Henry’s ball but he couldn’t make the most of what appeared to be a good scoring position for Arsenal.
The second half was proving to be considerably more combative than the first and in the 70th minute the North Bank regulars were on the feet appealing for a penalty after Fabregas had gone down under Neville’s challenge. Referee Poll was well placed and he immediately waved play on.
Ronaldo almost claimed the glory for himself in the 72nd minute with a shot from the right which very nearly deceived Lehmann in the Arsenal goal.
Five minutes from time and Neville, who’d ghosted up on the right, almost swept the ball home from Rooney’s drilled pass.
The game reached its exciting conclusion with United pressing for the winner and it almost arrived when Wes Brown’s powerful header looked to be on its way until Emmanuel Eboue’s timely interception prevented it reaching the net.
so know it´s a fight between them:
United
21
13
6
2
+23
45
3
Liverpool
19
12
5
2
+17
41
4
Tottenham
20
10
7
3
+11
37
5
Arsenal
20
10
4
6
+12
34