From The Telegraph:
‘To lose the 50-50 challenges is one thing but to lose those stacked 60-40 in your favour smacks of a lack of resolve. Surprisingly for Double-winners who pride themselves on their steel as well as silk, Arsenal
kept surrendering the ball to fired up opponents at Old Trafford. Quite simply, Manchester United wanted the ball more and they wanted the points more.The lasting, story-defining image of this compelling Premiership encounter was of Patrick Vieira lying stunned on the floor as Phil Neville scampered away with the ball. Football's celestial scriptwriters are blessed with immense imaginations but Neville outmuscling Vieira was a staggering plot development.
When it comes to big matches like this, the big picture is comprised of such details as who shades most of the individual duels. From back to front, United's passion players won their head-to-heads - often by an embarrassing margin. Each of Sir Alex Ferguson's men seemed to take the sight of an Arsenal player with the ball at his feet as a personal affront requiring immediate remedy.’
Nobody would say that United are anywhere near what we would expect but all those who championed Arsenal’s cause should note Arsenal have now lost four out of seventeen in the League and seven in twenty five matches this season. Their performance against Leeds was breathtaking but best team in Europe?