I’m going to start this piece by saying something utterly insane… embarking on a four hour journey to watch Arsenal being thrashed at Old Trafford was one of the best ideas my dad has ever had. We had never been to an away match before and were eager to see us play Man United in the FA Cup. Dad was fortunate enough to find tickets and off we went on Saturday morning.

We arrived at the city around noon and were greeted by “Red army” chants from other travelling Gooners. We had a pub lunch and then caught the tram to take us to Old Trafford. In pictures of the stadium it looks alright but only in person can you see the Frankenstein that is Old Trafford. Extension after extension fitted on until it looks like a scrap-heap, it is the second ugliest thing I’ve ever seen… how fitting that the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen plays inside the stadium with a number 10 on his back.

So, we went inside the stadium and found our seats overlooking the goal. We had no idea that we would see four goals and a hilarious Adebayor dive down our end. I looked at the people around and was surprised to see a very solemn nine year old and his loud-as-a-librarian mum. I really under-estimated them as they stayed the whole 90 minutes despite sitting down and staying silent throughout the match.

Surprisingly, the match was quite fun in a dark kind of way. Let’s start with Lehmann. He is so bad at goal kicks it’s not even funny but he did provide the sad away fans with something to cheer about, Rooney kicked the ball away after a foul and the Crazy One was so annoyed about this that he threw the ball, from about 20 yards away, right into Rooney’s oversized head. He is a true Arsenal fan, no matter how thick he is. The defence were so bad that it’s hard to stay positive, but I’ll try. Gallas did have one superb touch though, kicking the horribly cocky Nani like any human being should.

The midfield were about as active as the home support with Eboue going all Kung Fu on us, Hleb doing his great disappearing act and Fabregas creating loads of chances… for Manchester United. Gilberto was alright but not spectacular. Our strikers spent most of the match clearing corners so they did not get many chances to shine.

Arsenal’s best performance was probably the fans as we sang and sang with all the passion that was lacking on the pitch. “We’re going to win 5-4!” was our favourite along with all the Adebayor songs. If you watch the highlights you can hear us singing “Adebayoooor!” I was very pleased that nobody near me left earlier than they do at the home matches (though that’s still pretty early!). After the game, Dad received a text from his Liverpool supporting friend, Greg. “At least it wasn’t Barnsley!” He’s got a point!