Arsenal 0 - 0 Manchester United

Highbury, London
3rd January 2006

It would have been billed as the game of the season last year, but oh how things have changed. Arsenal are no longer the force they once were, and United are only now starting to look like their old selves.

Both teams wer fireed up for this one, with gary taking a lesson from Keano in how to deal with the Arsenal scumbags - not shaking hands and refusing to even look at Arsenal's captain, Thierry Henry.

Truth be told hoever, the challenges to each other ended there - both teams set out to defend the first half, with Arsenal being especially negative and packing the midfield despite being at home?!

The first booking was handed out to poor Giggsy, after Silva had got away with a crunching two-footed lunge on the United boys - something the FA panel can have a look at in their video of the match I hope.

Ronaldo had the best chance of the first half, with Rooney's cross-cum-shot being palmed into his path, only for our hero to attempt a tricky side-footed lob rather than just hammer it home a la Rooney.

Half-time brought with it a fresh impetus from United, with the boys in blue stringing together move after move, particularly down the right where Ronaldo and Neville were linking up well, with even Wes Brown getting in on the act, one-twoing with Ronaldo before breaking into the box.

Brown it was who ahd United's best chance, with his header from a Park corner having to be cleared off the line.

United were the only side with any kind of attacking aggression, whilst Reyes, Pires and Toure's foul-play timewasting and over-the-top reactions to mere glances summed up the Gunner's approach to the game.

It's definitley two points lost!

Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cygan, Pires, Fabregas (Flamini 80), Silva, Hleb (Bergkamp 73), Reyes (Eboue 89), Henry.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Senderos.
Booked: Lauren, Cygan.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Ronaldo, Fletcher, O'Shea, Giggs (Park 73), Rooney, van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Saha, Bardsley, Pique.
Booked: Giggs, Rooney, O'Shea.

Att: 38,313.
Ref: G Poll (Hertfordshire).