City Win Spurs United On To Spank The Arse

Manchester is in the ascendancy after an incredible start to the premiership by both the blue & red halves of the city. The blues had humbled Spurs with a 5-1 battering down the lane and went top of the table after Edin Dzeko netted four in the rout of Redknapp’s raggletag team.

City’s top spot seemed assured with United set to face the other North London colossus Arsenal in the late kick off. City were amazingly toppled off top spot as United destroyed Arsenal 8-2 to usurp top spot from City. It has always been thus- in 1968 City were the Champions of England- even then they were in United’s shadow- Busby’s babes were continental champions.

 If Arsenal were in poor shape before this fixture, the devastation at Old Trafford has left them in a chaotic state. Injuries cannot account for this mauling that included the dismissal of Carl Jenkinson, with a second yellow card, when the score was 6-2. Manchester United were pitiless, with Ashley Young lashing their eighth in stoppage time Arsenal have failed to keep pace with United for some years, but this match showed that Sir Alex Ferguson’s team is almost out of view.

Considering the weakness of the line-up Arsène Wenger had to select, with the centre-half Thomas Vermaelen ruled out by a thigh injury and the teenager Francis Coquelin making his debut in midfield, it was natural that the visitors should suffer. Even so, nobody envisaged such humiliation.

Wenger’s line-up inflicted pain on themselves when, with the score at 1-0 for United, their goalkeeper David de Gea dived to his right in the 27th minute and saved a penalty from Robin van Persie that had been awarded following a Jonny Evans challenge on Theo Walcott. Within two minutes, the lead was extended as Ashley Young bent a shot into the top corner.

The United opener had come when Anderson lifted a pass over the defence and Danny Welbeck was too sharp for Johan Djourou as he headed home the bouncing ball that had been lifted into the area by Anderson. The advantage was extended when Young curled a shot high into the net. United’s third, in the 41st, minute was bent into the top corner by Rooney after he had tapped a free-kick sideways to Young, who stopped it and left the forward with a better angle from which shoot.

Theo Walcott would fire home through the legs of De Gea on the verge of the interval, but Arsenal could not really resist here. The second half was even more of a rout. Further United goals followed, with Rooney bending home another attempt, Nani finishing stylishly from the Englishman’s service, the substitute Park Ji-Sung coming off the bench to strike and Rooney himself completing a hat-trick from the penalty spot after Walcott had pushed Patrice Evra.

In the midst of the barrage, Van Persie had scored to reduce the deficit to 6-2. It was hardly the sort of resistance Arsenal had hoped to mount.

Bob "The Voice" McKenzie Twitter: @BobTheVoice About: