A Wayne Rooney hat-trick and a brace for Ashley Young, as well as strikes for Danny Welbeck, Nani and Park Ji-Sung exemplified the gulf in class between the two sides, as Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie replied with strikes worthy of mere consolation. Sir Alex Ferguson insisted that Manchester City’s 5-1 win away to Tottenham earlier on Sunday would have no affect on his team prior to kick-off but with their noisy neighbours raucous in the capital, there can be little doubt that the Scot will have expected a statement of equal intent from his charges against the league’s other north London side.
He named an unchanged side for the clash, with both Welbeck and Tom Cleverley rewarded for their fine recent performances with starting berths.
The youthful make up of the hosts was somewhat mirrored by their opponents, with Arsene Wenger giving 20-year-old Francis Coquelin his league debut, though it appeared a decision borne out of necessity, with the visitors’ squad left threadbare due to a number of recent injuries, as well as the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas.
The champions started accordingly and the mobility of the United front line left the Gunners' prospects looking inauspicious within the opening 10 minutes and Welbeck's break away from Squillaci in the seventh should have yielded more than the limp left-footed effort it produced.
Arsenal were offering promise going forward but the air of inevitability surrounding an opener for the home side was soon justified in painful fashion for Wenger, as Anderson's fine lofted ball was allowed to bounce in the box by the Gunners' inexperienced defence, allowing Welbeck to nod home with ease on the 22nd minute.
As the French boss watched on like a man down on his luck, his side were offered a somewhat fortuitous opportunity of getting back into the game, as Theo Walcott fell in the box under pressure from Jonny Evans. Assistant Darren Cann deemed it worthy of a penalty to the disbelief of the Northern Irishman but as Robin Van Persie saw his weak effort from the spot saved by the under-fire David De Gea, you couldn't help but feel that the perennial nature of Arsenal's decline was being played out with almost satirical predictability.
READ MORE @ http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/60176/manchester-united-vs-arsenal/report
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