the football post
Not a classic but once again Ferguson won the tactical battle. The team was set up perfectly, he packed the midfield and with the defence performing as they did it meant the goalkeeper was well protected. Arsenal found it hard to keep the ball and spent most of the first half kicking people to do so. Arsenal don't seem to have a middle setting when it comes to fouls, they either play the victims or try to kick every player on the pitch. In comparison to their 17 fouls (14 of which were in the first half hour), United only made 8.
The goal was half fluke and half skil. Reminiscent of the goal Hernandez scored with the back of his head with Ji Sung Park twisting his body so that the ball spun into the net after an earlier shot got deflected into his path. The less said about Rooney's penalty the better I think but I was more annoyed with the miss by Nani earlier in the half. United should have scored more but it was a very controlled performance against a side well known for their fancy play, the best performance I've seen this season in terms of discipline. I expect a different formation to go against Chelsea.
A few words on Gary Speed being announced as the new Wales manager. Out of the ex-players (Rush, Hartson..etc) I think Speed was the best option, while he is still relatively new to management I think he should have the respect of the players. It's hard to know whether he can turn things around but I hope the fans get behind him. It's a very tough job to take on and Speed should be applauded for that. It's a risk and I hope it's one that pays off for both him and Wales.