Barclays Premier League
Emirates Stadium, Sat 3 November
ARSENAL 2
Fabregas (48), Gallas (90)
MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Gallas o.g (45), Ronaldo (82)
William Gallas netted at both ends at the Emirates Stadium, including Arsenal's last-gasp equaliser after Cristiano Ronaldo looked to have scored the winner.
The Gunners’ captain struck two minutes into injury time to earn Arsene Wenger’s side a 2-2 draw after the Reds had twice taken the lead in a pulsating match.
United went in front on the stroke of half-time when Gallas turned in Wayne Rooney's effort with his arm. Cesc Fabregas drew the hosts level three minutes after the restart when the Reds were slow to react in their own box, but Ronaldo then put United 2-1 up eight minutes from time. Victory was then in United's grasp until Gallas intervened again.
Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes to the side that had thrashed Middlesbrough a week ago with recalls for both Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra, who had missed the Boro win through injury. The Reds boss also had significant options on the bench with Louis Saha and Michael Carrick back in the frame after returning from knee and elbow injuries respectively. Tomasz Kuszczak, Nani and John O’Shea took up the remaining sub spots.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, stuck with the same eleven who earned a point at Anfield last weekend. Both sides went into the game in top form - the Gunners unbeaten with six league wins out of six on their own patch, while United had eight consecutive league victories under their belt.
The game began at a frantic pace as both sets of players took time to settle. Arsenal’s first sight of goal arrived on 10 minutes with Gael Clichy firing in a cross for Emmanuel Adebayor but his header was off target. A minute later, Carlos Tevez fired an effort wide of Manuel Almunia’s right-hand post after a fizzed centre from Ryan Giggs.
Shouts for an Arsenal penalty rang round the Emirates 15 minutes in when Aleksandr Hleb went down under Nemanja Vidic’s clumsy challenge. Replays showed the Serbian centre-back had a handful of Hleb’s shirt, but referee Howard Webb, a somewhat fussy officiator throughout, waved away the Gunners’ appeals.
Two minutes later Ryan Giggs, making his 37th appearance against Arsenal, poked the ball just wide after an excellent break from United and a fine cross from Ronaldo into the Welshman's path at the back post. The Reds’ skipper fired an effort just over the bar soon after, picking up Tevez’s deflected knock down before turning and hitting it first time. Almunia looked to have covered had it been on target.
United seemed content to let Arsenal have possession and play on the counter-attack with the Reds’ backline and midfield duo of Anderson and Owen Hargreaves standing firm. Kolo Toure found a glimmer of an opening after exchanging passes with Hleb just before the half hour but his shot flew over.
Arsenal’s possession percentage continued to grow as the half drew to a close and their best chance of the opening period duly arrived on 36 minutes. Fabregas whipped in a free kick to the near post where William Gallas stooped in front of Patrice Evra to head the ball goalwards. Edwin van der Sar saved well with his legs as United’s travelling army breathed a sigh
Having gone s
o close at one end to opening the scoring, it was Gallas who got the final touch as United made the vital breakthrough in first half injury time. Wes Brown shrugged off a challenge from Hleb, before slotting the ball into Ronaldo who in fired a low cross. Rooney took a swing at it at the near post with the last touch coming off Gallas and past Almunia.
After a somewhat cagey opening 45 the game burst into life three minutes after the restart. Having looked so solid in defence during the first half, United found themselves stretched for the first time in the match and it led to Arsenal's equaliser. Van der Sar bravely blocked Adebayor’s effort and as the ball ran loose, Bacary Sagna was quickest to react slotting the ball into Fabregas’ path. The Spaniard picked his spot and fired into the bottom corner.
Fabregas found the target again three minutes before the hour mark, curling a low free kick under the United wall. Thankfully, van der Sar was alert to the situation grasping the ball on the line.
United continued to weather the Arsenal storm and went close through Rooney on 64 minutes. The England front man picked up the ball in midfield after Fabregas had given possession away and slipped a pass through to Giggs. The Welshman chipped a superb cross back into Rooney’s path, but the striker was unable to guide his header on target.
Rooney flicked a ball through to Evra soon after but the Frenchman's cut-back eluded Ronaldo who was unable to get there in front of a cluster of Arsenal defenders.
Ronaldo was not to be denied eight minutes from time, however, as United snatched the lead once more. Saha, on for Tevez, slid a superb ball into the onrushing Evra who crossed brilliantly for Ronaldo to simply slot the ball home.
The drama was not finished though as Arsenal went in search of another equaliser. As the game entered added time the Gunners grabbed a point through Gallas who guided the ball home brilliantly from a tight angle. Van der Sar looked to have saved it, but an eagle-eyed linesman spotted that the 
Dutchman was behind his goal line when he parried the ball clear. It was a sickening moment for the Reds who were so close to avenging their loss to Thierry Henry’s late goal last season.
It felt like a defeat when the final whistle sounded but many United fans would have taken a point before kick-off, and it could prove to be a vital point in the long run.
Teams
Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy; Eboue (Walcott, 74), Flamini, Fabregas, Rosicky (Eduardo, 81); Hleb (Gilberto, 81), Adebayor. Subs not used: Lehmann, Diarra
Booked: Fabregas
United: van der Sar; Brown (O'Shea 71), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Anderson (Carrick, 76), Hargreaves, Giggs; Tevez (Saha, 76), Rooney. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Nani
Booked: Evra, Hargreaves
Attendance: 60,161
Sunday, November 4, 2007
EPL [ 12 ] : Arsenal 2 - 2 Manchester United
EPL [ 11 ]: Manchester United 4 - 1 Middlesbrough
Barclays Premier League
Old Trafford, Sat 27 Oct
MANCHESTER UNITED 4
Nani (3), Rooney (33), Tevez (55 & 85)
MIDDLESBROUGH 1
Aliadiere (6)
Middlesbrough have traditionally held something of a hoodoo over United at Old Trafford, but even they had no answer to another vibrant attacking display from Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
Goals from Nani, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez (twice) invalidated an early equaliser from Jeremie Aliadiere and put United on top of the Barclays Premier League, ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
Following on from convincing victories over Wigan, Aston Villa and Dynamo Kyiv, the scoreline also marked a fourth-consecutive four-goal haul, equalling a club record set back in the 1907/08 season.
The only noteworthy change to Sir Alex Ferguson’s line-up saw Owen Hargreaves return for only his fourth United appearance, his first taste of action since the victory over Sunderland on September 1.
Whereas Boro traditionally come to Old Trafford with a stifling approach clearly at the fore, Gareth Southgate’s 4-4-2 formation suggested the potential for an open game, and Nani's early goal bore that out in style.
Just three minutes had passed when he picked the ball up on the left flank, just inside the Boro half. The Portuguese winger beat three defenders, cut inside and sent goalwards a scorching 30-yard drive which arced over the flailing Schwarzer.
Less than two minutes later, Tevez could have doubled the Reds’ lead. The Argentine striker was sent clean through, but his attempt to lift the ball over Schwarzer was thwarted by the Australian stopper.
United would rue that miss moments later as the visitors drew level. Turkish striker Tuncay, who scored a hat-trick for Fenerbahce in his last appearance against the Reds, did superbly to outfox John O’Shea and send in a cross, which Aliadiere glanced in off van der Sar’s far post.
The Turk proved troublesome again after 24 minutes, curling in another fine cross which Stewart Downing headed wastefully past the far post. Boro were by no means bossing the game, but they were certainly proving a handful on the counter-attack.
United, as per, were enjoying the lion’s share of possession, and responded to Downing’s near-miss with one of their own, as Ronaldo latched onto Rooney’s pass and s
ent a left-footed shot skidding just past Schwarzer’s post.
Downing was heavily involved again as United retook the lead after 32 minutes. The England international dwelled on the ball inside his own area and, as he attempted to pass clear, Nani nicked the ball to Rooney, who hammered a shot past Schwarzer and in.
The Australian was called into action again moments later as United sought to extend their lead. A spell of heavy pressure ended with O’Shea sliding the ball back to Ronaldo, whose low sidefooted effort was held just in front of the line.
A defensive slip allowed Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo to break against just one Boro defender, but Rooney’s overhit pass to Tevez was half-cleared to Nani. In the ensuing melee, the winger’s cross fell invitingly to Ronaldo, but the b
all merely bounced off him and ricocheted straight to Schwarzer.
The lead stayed at just the one goal going into the break, but it could easily have been extended further within a minute of the restart as Tevez fed Rooney, but the England striker could only fire narrowly over the crossbar with a diagonal shot.
Much had been made of the burgeoning English-Argentine partnership upfront after their prominent role against Aston Villa and Dynamo Kyiv, and they combined again to devastating effect to put United 3-1 ahead.
Tevez flicked a long ball straight to Rooney and continued his run into the box. The Argentine then slipped below Boro's radar as he crept into the box, but Rooney was able to find him with a sumptuous back-heel, which teed up a simple slid finish.
Parallels have been drawn between the infamous Cole-Yorke partnership and the current Tevez-Rooney pairing of late, and this goal was the most glaring sign of similarity yet. The duo’s interplay immediately evoked memories of Cole’s much-heralded 1998 goal against Barcelona, scored with similarly intuitive front-play.
With a two-goal lead established, Sir Alex opted to bring on Darren Fletcher and Gerard Pique for some much-needed playing time, as they replaced Hargreaves and Ferdinand respectively, while Ryan Giggs replaced Anderson. There was no disruption to United’s attacking flow, however, and they grabbed a fourth goal with five minutes remaining.
Rooney broke from deep inside his own half and left Cattermole trailing in his wake before picking out Tevez, who cut inside and, although his goal-bound shot struck Taylor’s arm, it bounced down into the ground and past the hapless Schwarzer.
And with that, United had equalled a century-old record and moved to the top of the Premier League table, with a tantalising trip to title rivals Arsenal looming next weekend.
Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand (Pique, 73), O’Shea; Ronaldo, Hargreaves (Fletcher, 66), Anderson (Giggs, 78), Nani; Tevez, Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Simpson.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer; Young, Woodgate, Wheater, Taylor; O’Neil, Cattermole (Boateng, 90), Rochemback, Downing; Tuncay (Lee, 80), Aliadiere (Hutchinson, 55).
Subs not used: Turnbull, Hines.
Attendance: 75,720
UCL [ 3 ] Kiev 2 - 4 Manchester United
Champions League Group F
Olympiyskiy Stadium, Wed 23 Oct
DYNAMO KV 2
(Rincon 34, Bangoura 78)
MANCHESTER UNITED 4
(Ferdinand 10; Rooney 18; Ronaldo 41, 68)
Centre back Rio Ferdinand opened the scoring, but United's frontline ran riot in Kyiv during a free-flowing and frenetic Group F encounter.
Despite pre-match predictions of a tight tussle likely to be settled by a single strike, the net bulged six times in the Ukraine capital as Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed the freedom of the Olympiyskiy Stadium's vast pitch.
Dynamo Kyiv did score two of the six goals, but never seriously threatened United's stranglehold on a third successive Champions League victory. The win leaves the Reds with maximum points so far in this season's competition and the opportunity to secure group qualification when Kyiv travel to Manchester in a fortnight.
United's first-half performance was as good as any European display in recent memory, with the Reds carving out a number of chances in the first half-hour. With Kyiv desperate for a win and manager Jozsef Szabo adopting a three-pronged strikeforce, United found gaps aplenty in the home side's defensive armour.
Szabo's tactics left Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo with boundless space in which to operate and it was the Reds' no.7 who looked most menacing in the game's early stages. Tiberiu Ghioane decided the easiest way to halt the 22-year-old was illegally, but his 9th minute foul on the Portuguese winger ultimately led to United's opener.
Giggs curled the resulting free-kick teasingly into the space in front of Kyiv goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy, who remained rooted to his line. Instead, Rio Ferdinand,who scored the Reds' third at Villa Park on Saturday, met the ball early to thump home a header and send United into the lead.
It must have been tempting for Sir Alex to then issue stifling instructions to his troops, but United continued to push forward in search of a second goal. It duly arrived on 18 minutes when Ronaldo fed Wes Brown on the right hand side of the penalty area. Kyiv's Goran Gavrancic slid in to intercept Brown's first-time cross but could only divert the ball into Rooney's path, who found the net for a simple tap-in.
It was Rooney's fifth goal in his last four United appearances and no less than the Reds deserved. Sir Alex's European sides are often criticised for a lack of attacking ambition but the manager's decision to attack Kyiv so early must surely be applauded.
Indeed, United would have killed off the game a minute later had Rooney or Tevez been able to get onto the end of yet another searching Ronaldo ball. The front two then went close again when Rooney stung Shovkovskiy's palms before Tevez's shot from the rebound was bravely blocked.
Such frenetic pace could never be sustained and the match slowed, albeit marginally, until the Ukrainians pulled a goal back on 34 minutes. Anderson did well defensively to break up a rare foray into the penalty area but Diogo Rincon gave John O'Shea the slip at the resulting corner and headed home unmarked from 10 yards.
It was a poor goal to concede from United's point of view, although the Reds almost restored the two-goal advantage immediately when Cristiano Ronaldo forced Shovkovskiy into a smart save down to his right. The Reds were on the march and John O'Shea missed a gilt-edged opportunity five minutes before the break when he miscued a shot from six-yards after good work on the right from Wayne Rooney.
A third United goal did arrive before half-time and again it was Ryan Giggs who provided a telling cross from the left flank. This time it was Ronaldo in the middle and, although he was unmarked, there was still a lot of work to do. Indeed, the no.7 was forced to back-pedal quickly before leaping to direct his header beyond Shovkovskiy and into the corner of the net.
The half-time whistle provided both players and fans a chance to draw breath (but not before the Reds fashioned another chance, which Rooney blasted narrowly over the top) and inevitably the second half was slightly more subdued.
But only just. The major difference was that now the team in white were fashioning the better chances, although United's defence, marshalled superbly by Rio Ferdinand, denied the home side again and again.
Rincon saw a glancing header go just wide on 52 minutes before Carlos Correa's free-kick curled around the wall and narrowly past van der Sar's left-hand post. It did send a scare through United's travelling support, as did Nemanja Vidic when he looked to have brought down Kyiv substitute Artem Milevskiy inside the area. But Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai blew for a foul the other way and a relieved United side restarted the match.
Kassai was under the spotlight again seven minutes later when Goran Gavrancic was adjudged to have handled the ball… initially on the edge of his area. After consultation with his assistant, however, the man in the middle pointed to the penalty spot, where Ronaldo coolly sent the hapless Shovkovskiy the wrong way to notch United's fourth and effectively seal the win.
Kyiv, rooted to the bottom of Group F and with nothing to lose, weren't about to surrender and Bangoura doubled the home side's tally with a long-range rocket on 78 minutes. Despite the revival, however, Sir Alex opted to withdraw Edwin van der Sar and Ryan Giggs, with Tomasz Kuszczak and Danny Simpson given a chance to impress.
There could have been even more goals in the final 10 minutes, but in the end United ran out 4-2 winners after a thrilling, open-ended 90 minutes that gives United every opportunity to secure passage into the knockout stages when the Ukrainians arrive at Old Trafford next month.
United: van der Sar (Kuszczak 80); Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea; Ronaldo, Anderson, Fletcher, Giggs (Simpson 80); Tevez (Nani 73), Rooney
Subs not used: Pique, Evans, Eagles
Dynamo Kyiv: Shovkovskiy; Ghioane (Belkevich 46), Gavrancic, Yussuf, Diakhate; Gusev, Correa (Rotan 83), Nesmachniy; Bangoura, Rincon, Shatskikh (Milevskiy 46)
Subs not used: Rybka, Vaschuk, El Kaddouri, Markovic
Booked: Diakhate
