United cruise into final

Fletcher dismissal mars comfortable night for defending champions

Last updated: 5th May 2009

United cruise into final

Ronaldo celebrates his first goal

Related links

Teams

Also see

Manchester United booked their place in the UEFA Champions League final with a 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

Much of the damage was done inside the opening 11 minutes as United, leading 1-0 from the first leg, scored early goals through Park Ji-sung and Cristiano Ronaldo.

United knew that scoring one goal would leave Arsenal needing three and it took just eight minutes for them to break the deadlock, Park capitalising on a slip from Kieran Gibbs to fire home Ronaldo's cut-back.

Ronaldo then silenced the home crowd and effectively killed off the contest three minutes later with a ferocious free-kick from distance that beat a despairing Manuel Almunia.

The defending European champions remained in complete control and Ronaldo made it 3-0 on the night in the 61st minute following a lightning-quick counter-attack involving Park and Wayne Rooney.

There was some disappointment for United when Darren Fletcher was shown a straight red card on 75 minutes despite appearing to have won the ball from Cesc Fabregas with a fair tackle.

A penalty was awarded and Robin van Persie converted his chance emphatically, but there was never any chance of a fightback and United held on to claim a 4-1 aggregate success.

Early strike

It had been an eagerly-awaited clash but United never looked back after a moment to forget from Gibbs early on.

Gibbs lost his footing as Ronaldo pulled the ball back and hit the ground with a thump. Like lightning, Park seized on the loose ball, delicately lifting it over Almunia, whose arrival came just too late.

The United contingent went delirious. Fans, coaches, manager, players, David Beckham alike all knew what it meant. They knew the prospect of Arsenal getting three to go through was so remote to be beyond comprehension.

But if United's opener came courtesy of good fortune, their next was the result of audacity, mixed with high ability.

To even think of going for goal from the spot when Van Persie had clattered into Ronaldo would be dismissed by most professionals as foolhardy.

Yet, in Porto three weeks ago, the World Player of the Year drove home a shot measured at exactly 39.1 yards. As Ronaldo stepped back and waited from even further out, ready to unleash his missile, Almunia knew what to expect.

Indeed, it could be argued that from such distances, no goalkeeper should be beaten.

But as Ronaldo let fly, with venom, and watched his shot dip and flicker, Almunia was powerless to prevent it ripping into the net.

Experienced

If three was unlikely, four was an impossibility, turning the remaining 79 minutes into an extended wake, leaving Arsene Wenger on the bench wondering what had hit him, knowing his Champions League obsession will not end in Roman triumph.

In fairness, Arsenal tried to rally. It was just that by pushing forward, they left wide open gaps that United are too experienced to ignore.

Almunia's fingertips denied Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo's header from the corner whistled wide, then two more free-kicks from the latter were saved.

When the Portuguese player cut inside Emmanuel Eboue, on as a half-time replacement to put Gibbs out of his misery, the shot would have found the bottom corner had Almunia not denied him.

There was nothing the Spaniard could do when United attacked again, Ronaldo supplying the finish to Rooney's cross.

As his players cavorted in glee, Ferguson ordered them to tone down their celebrations out of respect to the hosts.

It was the only mercy the Red Devils showed all night, although for Fletcher there was a nasty sting in the tail.

The Scot got studs on the ball before sending Fabregas flying in the penalty area, earning him a red card which will rule him out of the final. Van Persie impressively converted the spot-kick - but it was little consolation for Arsenal.

ArsenalTeam StatisticsManchester United
1Goals3
01st Half Goals2
5Shots on Target9
4Shots off Target3
4Blocked Shots0
7Corners6
20Fouls11
3Offsides4
3Yellow Cards0
0Red Cards1
80.2Passing Success75
19Tackles25
78.9Tackles Success68
58Possession42
61.1Territorial Advantage38.9

Comments (41)

  • Page 1 of 3
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Nathaniel P d (man u fan) (Manchester United fan) says...

It was quite a thriller from the first minute especially the first half. Im not sure whether that was a penalty or not however, assuming it was, would it have been deserving of a red card? The only thing which could have been better besides that penalty is ronaldo's facial expressions. But we have to admit that he is much more mature than the ronaldo who had just joined man u.

Posted 08:17 6th May 2009

Sheahan Nasir (Manchester United fan) says...

Fantastic performance by United but feeling awful for Fletch. I don't really understand why he's not adored by the United faithful as much as other players. His performance this season was world-class. I really really hope justice is done and he's allowed to play in the finals. Anyone notice Beckham giddy with joy? haha Well done United.

Posted 07:48 6th May 2009

Kevin Williams (arsenal fan) says...

Firstly Congratulations to Man u, they deserved to go through over the two legs, they were far superior to us in every department. Arsenal need to get rid of a few players especially the lazy good for nothing Adebayor, he was useless over both legs, cannot be bothered to run back from an offside position, I would of played Bendtner or Vela instead of Adebayor, sell him as quick as posssible and make some money on him he should of gone before the season started. I hope we can keep the players like Cesc RVP and Walcott, Nasri was our best player on the night and when Bendtner came on he did more in a few mins than Adebayor did in the whole match he is not even good enough to tie the laces of Henry. I felt sorry for Fletcher but that happens in a split second of judgement. It will be interesting next season but all i can see is us fighting for fourth place with Villa and Everton again.

Posted 07:45 6th May 2009

Andrew S says...

Whilst unfortunate for Fletcher he did deserve the red card as taking the ball first is NOT a justification for going through a player. Look at the contact subsequently made on Fabregas! A tackle from behind anywhere else on the pitch will be blown up for a foul. Why should it be any different because it occurs in the penalty area? How many of you actually know the rules of the game?

Posted 07:36 6th May 2009

Paul Roberts (Manchester United fan) says...

Fletcher's tackle was legit and the red should be rescinded, the ref needs to admit he made a mistake and if Fabregas has any kind of honour he will come out and say that Fletcher got the ball! Oggy, Manchester.

Posted 07:34 6th May 2009

Mwansa Museba (Arsenal fan) says...

We have no leadership on the pitch, we need a captain who can marshal his team even when we are dowm one nil. I Propose Toure for captain

Posted 07:27 6th May 2009

Austin Space (Liverpool fan) says...

Forget the criticism of the referee, or anything else for that matter. This was the most one-sided European semi-final I can remember ... men against boys. I'm fed up with hearing about Arsenal's "young team", and their "potential". Football is about NOW - just ask West Brom, Middlesborough, and Newcastle fans - and right now Arsenal are slipping way behind the other top English teams.

Posted 07:08 6th May 2009

Guy Witcher (Manchester United fan) says...

Good performance by United against a toothless Arsenal side. I feel really sorry for Darren Fletcher, but I do have sympathy for the ref. Exactly the same issues as the Gomes penalty decision, the ref can't see the ball and so can't tell who is moving it where. I hate it when decisions go against my team, but that's part of football isn't it? Refs are human, not perfect.

Posted 07:06 6th May 2009

Tony H (Liverpool fan) says...

The ref was poor he was on another planet half the time, the decision to send Fletcher off was awfull, but having said that the free kick presented to ronaldo for his 1st goal was also a poor one. Ronaldo is a great player I wish for the sake of the game he would grow up and act like a true pro, i would love to have seen him play against the likes of tommy smith, norman hunter & co. At the end of the day when all is said and done arsenal were poor, utd were far supperior in every department. It pains me to say it but i truley believe utd will do the double again this season, liverpool have drawn to many but its been a more interesting and promising season.

Posted 06:36 6th May 2009

Pj J (Manchester United fan) says...

Great performance from united. Really disappointed by the ref though. Darren Fletcher doesn't deserve to miss out on the final and I don't understand why UEAFA does not allow red cards to be appealed in the CL? Ridiculous decision.

Posted 05:43 6th May 2009

Antony D (Arsenal fan) says...

Arsenal fans can't blame Gibbs, it was just one of those unfortunate things in football. It was a real shame however and not just from an Arsenal perspective. If Arsenal scored first then ManU's tactics might not have been to play counter-attacking football, and we would've been in store for a thrilling match. The second goal was conceded just as disappointingly. Until Arsenal gets the buying power of teams like ManU then we're going to have to rely on pure luck with injuries in future. Let's hope that some of our more talented players don't leave just yet. Is it just me or does Sir Alex and Arsene get along much better these days?

Posted 04:40 6th May 2009

Bryan W (Manchester United fan) says...

I would just like to say amazing win. Ronaldo was fantastic. What a strike!!! As for fletcher the boy must be so upset he deserves to be in that final in 3 weeks time He played his heart out and that was a clear tackle not a penalty look at the direction the ball went before fabri fell to the floor let alone no appeal From the other players. Surely they can do something the have the red card changed look at what happened Last year with terry, why should he have special treatment and no one else. There must be a way to do it.

Posted 04:38 6th May 2009

Homzie D (Manchester United fan) says...

I was really surprised how easily Arsenal capitulated last night. Had it not been for the draw I would have loved to see Man Utd and Ars in the Final. Over to you Chelsea and Barca. It is nice to see Gunners fans appreciate a good performance. I was surprised when my friend messaged me at 1:30am (India time) that we had a 3-0 lead. Sorry Gunners fans, maybe next year. I'm glad you reached the semis. Out of all teams, I would prefer Ars to reach the semis. I really like the free-flowing football you play. We are 1 win away from successfully defending our title. Well played lads, keep up the momentum.

Posted 04:11 6th May 2009

Ken Yeehaa (Arsenal fan) says...

Turned it off at half time, can't take no more

Posted 03:27 6th May 2009

Andrew O'rourke (Manchester United fan) says...

What a great performance by United, we should have put 3 or 4 against Arsenal at Old Trafford so I was delighted to see we could do it tonight. I feel so, so sorry for Darren Fletcher, has had such a great season and a great game tonight and has now had the final taken away from, a game he most likely would have started. Now I know people will say "well United got a penalty against Spurs", but Gomes didn't get sent off, Fletch did and very unjustly, hopefully UEFA act because if they don't then there is something terribly wrong.

Posted 03:27 6th May 2009

Lester Chiu (Manchester United fan) says...

No way for Flecther to get that red card. Apparently, he got the ball first. United should appeal for that !!

Posted 03:11 6th May 2009

Phil G (Manchester United fan) says...

First of all, hats off to united, we were absolutely immense out there today, Arsenal never had a sniff and the game was under control from the time the first goal went in. Second of all, I'm almost 100% sure that UEFA will have to overturn the decision that at the moment is costing Fletcher his Champions League final, common sense must rule here, he clearly got the ball and this needs to be addressed. Lastly, I think this result may make Wenger realise that he needs to start spending money to push his team forward otherwise this may be a similar outcome for seasons to come. Arsenal are one of the few footballing teams in the world but they lack the personnel needed to challenge for the major trophies. I would rather them challenge us than Liverpool or Chelsea any day of the week!!!

Posted 02:53 6th May 2009

Bruce Hogan (Arsenal fan) says...

Once ManU scored the tie was almost over. The 2nd removed any doubt and so the rest of the game was non-existant. Wenger should have gone for broke at this stage as they had nothing to lose and reshuffled the team to a more offensive line up. At least the Arsenal fans would have some hope. Again the line-up was wrong from the start given the task at hand. As I've mentioned before Adebayor is a lazy player - in a game like this you would have thought he'd pick up - sadly no. Time to get rid of him. Many people bag Bendtner but at least he puts in an effort. Team needs another decent forward that compliments Van Persie, a midfield play that offer some bite and some decent central defenders. At the end of the day it appears Arsenal were stage struck over the two legs and that's all ManU need. Very poor effort and no heart for such a big game.

Posted 02:26 6th May 2009

Chris Paz (Manchester United fan) says...

UEFA really need to rethink the rules here, because this is just senseless injustice. Fletcher has won the ball quite clearly. An appeals process should be a basic right for a player. And it's not as if UEFA haven't changed their rules before. When Liverpool won the Champions League a few years back, they only managed 5th place in the league the following season, thus only qualifying for the UEFA cup. UEFA changed the rule to allow them to defend the trophy (and rightly so - any team that wins a trophy should have the right to defend it). But likewise, a player who has been unjustly dismissed should at the very least have right to an appeal. I just hope the referee has a look at a video of the incident and admits to UEFA that he got drastically wrong.

Posted 02:26 6th May 2009

Chiwoon Choi (Manchester United fan) says...

What a fantastic game by Ronaldo and Park!!! However...I wonder if PARK is gonna play at the final. I still remember the last year,,,, Ferguson ridiculed him by not listing him even on the substitute.......!!!!! I hope it's not gonna happen this time......

Posted 01:47 6th May 2009
  • Page 1 of 3
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Add Comment*

Send us your views

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private