Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal: The Gunners have been put in their place

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Robin van Persie of Manchester United (not pictured) scores the opening goal past Wojciech Szczesny of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on November 10, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Watching Arsenal in the last 15 minutes was like watching a helpless rabbit, kicking and screaming while being devoured by a King Cobra, possibly still harboring hopes of survival, not knowing that its fate was sealed when the snake caught it in its vice like grip. The game was over in the first half, an inevitable fate, given United’s 100% home record after taking a half time lead.

It is fair to say that Manchester United toyed with Arsenal, making a complete mockery of their title credentials. It is back to 2010-11 for the gunners, when they came to Old Trafford as league leaders only to completely surrender. United pressed Arsenal early on, got the goal and then sat back to absorb the Arsenal ‘pressure’. It was too easy.

On the surface, it may have looked like a tough fight, but in reality it was yet another Arsenal capitulation. The glitterati of Arsenal’s midfield couldn’t get three passes together and never tested the Manchester United back four, let alone De Gea. Every time Arsenal managed to get possession, they lost it, even if they attempted the simplest of passes. Every Arsenal clearance went straight back to a red shirt only for a new wave of bombardment.

The first goal was classic Arsenal. The failure to close down Rooney on the touchline led to a completely avoidable corner which was easily put away by Robin Van Persie. Gooners who have been crowing about RVP’s decision based on United’s 8th (now 5th) place will go quiet for the remainder of the season. As for Arsenal, they have inexplicably shifted to zonal marking, apparently taking a leaf out of Benitez’s book on how to lose to the Red Devils.

Arsene Wenger may have bought Mesut Ozil, but tippy-tappy football is not going to help against raw aggression, which the Gunners havent had since 2005. To put it simply, Arsenal are not winners. They haven’t been for a long time and such games show it.

In the barren years, Arsenal have rarely had anything to show from their Old Trafford visits and they look far away from overcoming this demon. It proves that Arsenal will once again come up short if and when they reach the latter of stages of the Champions League or the FA cup. The premier league looks complicated now, especially with Chelsea and Manchester City stumbling. It seems, Manchester United could win it after all.

It is fair to say that Arsenal are to Manchester United as Spurs are to Arsenal. Every year it seems Arsenal are improving and Manchester United are declining. Every year, Gooners claim they will beat Manchester United. This year, Manchester United started badly, languishing in 8th. Arsenal, having invested 40 odd million on Mesut Ozil and riding high on the top of the table claimed a victory at Old Trafford was possible. And then, the inevitable happened yet again. Sounds a lot like Spurs and Arsenal to me.

Fans and pundits point to the Dortmund and Liverpool victories as proof of Arsenal’s title credentials. Having seen Arsenal over the last decade, I wont rate Arsenal’s chances even if they win the next 5 matches. Yes, even if they beat Chelsea and Man City, I dont expect them to be champions. Because, they will surely choke against the likes of Stoke and Norwich towards the end of the season. They havent overcome their Old Trafford demons and they will not overcome their Wembley/Birmingham City demons either. Some things never change.