Kevin Whitcher
Yesterday, in previewing Arsenal’s trip to Old Trafford, I wrote that I wished to see “a disciplined performance from a switched-on, motivated, full strength side”. And certainly the approach of the team was a marked contrast to a number of visits to United in recent seasons. The team selection was strong, with Monreal coming in for Gibbs to add maturity to the defence. Giroud was left on the bench, although Danny Welbeck’s contribution justified his starting spot, and the law of the ex can never be underestimated. Szczesny is the cup keeper and there was only one real moment of concern from the Pole, when he dropped a cross.
This was a tale of a game decided by two key aspects – which team defended better and a strong refereeing performance by Michael Oliver. Alex Ferguson was in the directors’ box, but cannot influence matters from there. The pressure on officials at Old Trafford is not what it used to be, and Oliver reffed it like a neutral, in spite of doubts from the away fans that he could do that.
My main concern before the match was the influence of Marouane Fellaini in the air, but the Belgian was not allowed enough service to really damage Arsenal. When United’s goal came, it was Wayne Rooney who converted a cross, in one of the few moments of defensive indiscipline, as Di Maria was allowed too much time to deliver, and the United captain allowed to find space aplenty between the two centre backs.
That was five minutes after Arsenal had taken the lead with a well worked move between Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain (who played terrifically until he left the fray due to injury) and Monreal who finished sweetly. In spite of the idea that both teams would approach the game with an element of caution, it seemed a fairly end to end encounter, and the decisive moment was down to a mistake. Too often in recent seasons, that mistake has been committed by Arsenal, but last night, it was United’s turn to hold their heads in despair. Welbeck had the pace to harry an underhit backpass to the otherwise excellent De Gea, and one can argue the slower Olivier Giroud might not have forced such an error. Having rounded the keeper, he kept his composure and converted the chance before the recovering defenders could intervene.
After that, I had hoped that Arsenal would stop the flow of the game, break things up and halt any momentum United could develop. However, it was United that achieved this themselves by committing fouls in their desperation to gain parity. It was also a huge relief that the diving antics of some of their players were identified by the ref.
The BBC decided that Arsenal’s best player was one of Coquelin or Cazorla, and undoubtedly, the better display of the Gunners’ midfield on the night was a key factor. Yes, United are not the force they were under Ferguson, but Arsenal have played them on three occasions since he called it a day, and lost twice, drawing the other. This season under Van Gaal they defeated Wenger’s side in North London. So, a weaker United or not, this was a huge psychological victory for a team trying to re-establish themselves as authentic challengers. It will be intriguing to see what happens when Arsenal return there in the league before the season is out.
I don’t want to think about favourable cup draws after what happened against Monaco, and indeed the reality that penalties were needed against Wigan in the 2014 semi-final. It doesn’t matter who the opposition is, Arsenal are perfectly capable of beating themselves on the day. The elimination at Bradford in December 2012 lives on in the memory, a penalty shoot-out that did not go so well. But on a surface like Wembley’s it must be hoped that superior football will win the day, whether it is Bradford or Reading that provide the opposition.
So credit to Wenger for picking the right team and making the right substitutions. The energy of Ramsey compensated for the loss of the Ox, and Chambers coming on before Bellerin could get sent off was very timely. The win will have given his players greater confidence, and although too late for a title challenge and with a European exit almost inevitable, there will now be optimism that the club can win a trophy for a second successive season and put together a good run that will make finishing in the top four less stressful than it might be.
The hope, amidst the euphoria of last season’s cup win was that the 2013-14 title challenge might be repeated with greater success, but the incomplete summer transfer business ultimately cost points, and old doubts returned. Those doubts are still there, one result does not quell those, but at least now, Arsenal have visited Manchester twice this season and won both times. It’s a start. Consistency and a deeper squad need to become realities, but winning the FA Cup again would see happy faces at the end of the season. Too often of late, Gooners have left Old Trafford with a long trip home wondering why they turned up when the players didn’t seem to. Not this time.
The man behind the image for this article is Darren Budd. Possibly a bit early for an image of Szcz with the trophy, but we’ll allow him that indulgence this morning. Darren has also created the Arsene Wenger soundboard, a rather amusing webpage with soundbites of the Arsenal manager should you be missing hearing those dulcet tones at any particular moment.
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
The current issue of The Gooner can be bought online here. It will also be on sale at the home game v West Ham and at Monaco and Newcastle away.
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Further Reading
A sequel to Arsènal – The Making of a Modern Superclub and entitled Arsène and Arsenal The Quest to Rediscover Past Glories has been written by myself and co-author Alex Fynn. It takes up the story of the club from the last update of the previous book, and can be bought online here. Use the promo code ‘Gooner’ to get 10% off the publisher’s price of £8.99.
