A high octane Old Trafford encounter, played out in a strangled middle third, provided the odd flash of quality but ultimately saw United edge the win that took them to the Premier League summit. Ji-Sung Park’s improvised looping header from a deflected Nani cross proved the deciding factor, as Alex Ferguson’s rearguard kept the Gunners at arm’s length to prolong their unbeaten run…
The selection of Wojciech Szczesny in goal dominated the headlines when it came to Arsenal’s team sheet. The young Pole came in to replace compatriot Lukasz Fabianski after he had suffered a hip injury in the Champions League in midweek. Szczesny did his reputation no harm on the night, making an array of smart saves to deny United a bigger winning margin.
Elsewhere in the Gunners lineup, Cesc Fabregas was only fit enough for a place on the bench but saw action on 64 minutes when he replaced Tomas Rosicky in midfield. Arsene Wenger went with five in the middle of the park, with Marouane Chamakh leading the attack, leaving Robin Van Persie also kept in reserve on the bench. Both Fabregas and Van Persie are surely edging closer to starts and Wenger could well throw them in against Stoke this weekend off the back of last night’s damaging defeat.
Marouane Chamakh picked up his fourth bookings of the season last night and are now on the suspension tightrope, just one booking away from a one-match ban.
Aware of Arsenal’s likely 4-5-1 formation, Alex Ferguson opted to pack the midfield. That saw Dimitar Berbatov drop to the bench, allowing Rooney to lead the attack in a 4-2-3-1 formation which had Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick providing midfield cover, anchored by Anderson, with Nani and Park flanking Rooney.
We’ve seen Ferguson abandon the 4-4-2 in previous seasons and clearly he will look at opting for a packed midfield in the big games when up against a 4-5-1 – we could even see a similar setup at Stamford Bridge next weekend. Berbatov, having scored 5 goals in his last start, could well find himself on the bench for a second game running; not amusing for those who invested off the back of his Blackburn blitz.
Ji-Sung Park’s goal was his fourth of the season and, bizarrely his third in three starts against Arsenal. It earned the Korean the maximum 3 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Bonus Points on the night, his second such haul of the season. At just 4.9 in the FPL, Park will attract attention but will be departing Old Trafford after Boxing Day for the Asian Cup and, according to Ferguson, will be absent for United’s seven matches that follow.
Park was not the only player singled out by Ferguson for praise. The United boss also acclaimed the performance of his back four who restricted the Gunners to just brief glimpses of Edwin van der Sar’s goal.
“We defended very well, the back four were fantastic tonight, absolutely magnificent.”
Rio Ferdinand was particularly impressive, while defensive partner Nemanja Vidic was on hand to clear Chamakh’s goal bound effort in the second-half. Rafael also looked solid at right-back and has surely now cemented this role after a string of convincing showings. The Brazilian is by far the cheapest route to United defensive returns and, at 5.6 in the FPL, looks a superb bargain. United have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 league outings, conceding just 3 goals over that spell.
Anderson is another prospect worth monitoring. Like Rafael, his improved performances are beginning to be rewarded with regular starts. He will be under constant pressure from the likes of Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick however, so we need further reassurance before escalating an interest. He does represent a potential mid-price prospect for United’s double Gameweek 24 however.
Wayne Rooney’s missed penalty stained his copybook on the night but he once again hinted at returns to come. Significantly, Rooney did see less of the ball as a result of Berbatov’s absence. With the Bulgarian on the field, Rooney comes deep and has more influence; last night he had half the number of touches (52) that he enjoyed in the 7-1 win over Blackburn. Rooney is still searching for his first goal from open play this season but did fire in 4 attempts on goal, 3 of which were on target. As his performances show promise, Rooney will be beginning to tempt Fantasy investment given the Carlos Tevez situation and the current lack of sharpness on show from Fernando Torres.
