Manchester United 0-0 Dirty Arsenal - Report


Penalty Miss

By Cristiano-Ronaldo.com / Chris O'Brien
September 24 2003

The clash between United and Arsenal is normally memorable for the football, but Sunday's 0-0 encounter will be remembered for the malicious conclusion, following Ruud Van Nistelrooy missing a last minute penalty to deny United a place on top of the Premiership. Macnhester United 3 - 1 Juventus Match Report

Manchester United 0-0 Dirty Arsenal - Match Report
The deadlock between Manchester United and Arsenal refused to be broken today in a draw that finished with a malicious conclusion. A sending-off, missed penalty and an intense rivalry between the two clubs saw a controversial ending to what had been an open and exciting second half.

The Old Trafford crowd witnessed a goalless first half but one which was dominated by the home side. Giggs’ free-kick in the 14th minute hit the outside of Jens Lehman’s right hand post. The slightest of touches from a United player would have stuck it into the back of the net. The best chance of the first half came after another Giggs free-kick in the 20th minute, Ruud Van Nistelrooy found the ball at the back post but his header was just over and landed on the roof of the net.

The second half was a more open game with both teams pushing forward. It started with Freddie Ljunberg getting in on goal as Gary Neville slipped. Ljunberg did as well but his looks around the pitch for a possible penalty were rightfully overlooked.

United made several good moves with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy getting shots on target after good play.
Ronaldo also crossed the ball dangerously on several occasions but still United couldn’t force a goal.

In the 79th minute Patrick Viera was booked after losing control with the referee. 2 minutes later the red card was justifiably shown to the Arsenal skipper after he kicked out at Van Nistelrooy after he tumbled onto him. Although contact wasn’t made, referee Steve Bennett saw clear intention and Viera was ordered off the pitch. The red card sparked off scenes of pushing and shoving between the two sets of players, with Jens Lehman squaring up against the Dutchman.

In the second minute of injury time Martin Keown pulled down Diego Forlan in the box, and referee Steve Bennett, who also took charge in the Community Shield clash between the two sides, showed little hesitation in pointing to the spot. Van Nistelrooy stepped up to take the resultant spot-kick awarded by the referee but it struck the bar and fell back into play. The Old Trafford faithful couldn’t believe it – it was Ruud’s 3rd missed penalty this season. The previous two seasons have seen him miss just one spot-kick.

As the final whistle blew, more heated conflicts erupted with several Arsenal players lashing out at Ruud. Martin Keown was seen jumping on his back, and gloating to the Dutch striker following the miss. The F.A are set to look into the incidents throughout the match, with up to 9 players inline for a ban. There has even been talk of the Gunners getting points deducted.

United would have deserved the three points – creating more chances and playing the better football, but Arsenal hung on leaving the Theatre of Dreams only to wonder what might have been if Ruud’s shot would have been a yard lower. Unfortunately, it didn't, and ManUtdWeb's 0-0 prediction was spot-on, which sees the Champions drop into third place, below Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Line-Ups
Manchester United: Howard, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O'Shea (Forlan 76), Ronaldo, Keane, Phil Neville, Fortune, Giggs, Van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Carroll, Butt, Djemba-Djemba, Fletcher.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Keown, Cole, Parlour, Vieira, Silva, Ljungberg, Bergkamp (Edu 82), Henry.
Subs Not Used: Stack, Pires, Wiltord, Cygan.
ManUtdWeb Man of the Match - John O'Shea
A faultless display from the Irish international at the back, who is fast becoming recognised as one of the Premiership's best defenders.

The Irish international put in another solid performance, dealing with everything thrown at him, and also managed to avoid getting involved with the trouble between the two sides throughout the game!

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