Semifinal UEFA 2009 , Arsenal 1-3 Man United

Arsenal 1-3 Man United

Like the great Emperors of the past, Sir Alex Ferguson will attempt to rule Rome in three weeks' time.

This was after Manchester United produced an awesome attacking display to destroy Arsenal.

A fortuitous opener from Park Ji-sung was followed by a thunderous 40-yard free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo to effectively book a Champions League final date with Chelsea or Barcelona on May 27 after only 11 minutes.

Ronaldo capped a fine performance and drew howls of glee from David Beckham, who had made the trip from Milan to witness a victory that will go alongside that staggering win over Juventus in 1999 that the former England skipper was a part of, by sliding home a third goal, his 25th of the season.

It was not quite a perfect night for United. How could it be when Darren Fletcher ended it in disbelief at the red card for a tackle on Cesc Fabregas which will rule him out of the Italian job.

However, it was not far off, leaving United to await events at Stamford Bridge tomorrow with so many neutrals, if not a Chelsea side hell-bent on revenge, hoping Barcelona set up what would be a dream decider.

No amount of meticulous planning can legislate for bad luck.

It is the unknown factor that, in an instant, can screw any amount of hopes and dreams into the tightest ball and throw them out of the highest window, never to be seen again.

Kieran Gibbs has not been a first-team regular very long. Fitness permitting, he has almost a decade and a half in front of him in the Arsenal side.

It is a fair bet, at the end of his career, the 18-year-old still regards the horror that unfolded eight minutes into what was such an eagerly-awaited contest as the worst moment he had to endure.

In his head, Gibbs was about to control Ronaldo's cutback, then decide whether to play a short pass out of defence or present Manuel Almunia with a routine clearance. Fate had other plans.

Instead, poor Gibbs lost his footing 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, 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 Robin 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, not 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.

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.

Manchester United 2 - 0 Portsmouth

Chelsea's failure to beat Everton at Stamford Bridge leaves Liverpool as United's only realistic title rivals. And goals from Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick mean Sir Alex Ferguson's men are now three points clear of their north-west rivals, with a game in hand.

It would be Scholes' ninth title medal. He deserves it for the sublime defence-splitting pass that set up Carrick seven minutes from time after United had failed to capitalise on Rooney's early opener.

Unusually for Scholes, until his telling late intervention he was fairly subdued as he joined Bill Foulkes, Sir Bobby Charlton and long-time team-mate Giggs in United's exclusive 600 club.

In fact, it was midfield partner Anderson and evergreen Giggs - who has now turned out an incredible 799 times for his only professional club - who caught the eye.

The pair were at the heart of most United attacking moves, combining in brilliant fashion for Rooney's early opener.

As Sir Alex Ferguson is well aware, quick goals are vital at this stage of the season, when nerves can create so many problems at both ends of the table.

So the United boss must have been delighted to see Anderson sent Giggs flying down the left flank with a brilliant reverse pass that found the Welshman just onside.

With 10 championship medals to his name, Giggs is not in the habit of panicking in such situations. And he calmly rolled his cross along the six-yard box, where Rooney gleefully tapped him.

Had Rooney been allowed to dart onto another precise Giggs pass at the end of a one-sided opening period, United would have had the victory they craved wrapped up with half the game remaining.

Instead, a very marginal offside decision went against them, as did a failure to convert a series of excellent chances, the best of which fell to Giggs.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the provider with a low cross from the right. Giggs deft chip sailed over David James but bounced agonisingly wide of the post.

Substitute John O'Shea, who replaced Gary Neville shortly after Rooney's opener, had a header cleared off the line by Nadir Belhadj, with Giggs spurning another opportunity after Rooney had sent him through, United's stand-in skipper firing straight at James.

The half-time introduction of Jermaine Pennant brought some pace to Portsmouth's forward line. The problem for Pompey was they struggled to get into an area where it might be exploited.

On the one occasion they did, Glen Johnson was the provider. But Edwin van der Sar read his idea and pushed the England defender's low cross away from Peter Crouch.

Van der Sar was one of nine changes to Ferguson's controversial FA Cup semi-final line-up.

Yet still the United manager could afford to leave Rio Ferdinand out altogether and have both Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez on the bench.

Despite Tevez's declaration that he will almost certainly have to seek pastures new in the summer, he remains a major crowd favourite at Old Trafford.

Certainly once O'Shea had limped off, leaving Ferguson with a single remaining substitution, it was the Argentina star most United fans wanted to see introduced.

By then, anxiety appeared to have set in. In addition to Johnson's cross, Van der Sar had to keep out a mis-hit volley from Crouch and a far more dangerous header from the same man that seemed destined for the bottom corner.

Rooney would have restored a sense of calm if he had finished instead of firing straight at James after shrugging off the attentions of Johnson to reach Van der Sar's long punt forward.

Yet Portsmouth's urgency left Ferguson to conclude neither Tevez nor Berbatov would be needed, bringing on Michael Carrick instead to help steady the ship.

The tactic worked a dream, although probably not in the way Ferguson imagined as the England man collected Scholes' superb pass and finished smartly.

It left Pompey dangling precariously six points above the drop zone, facing a crucial trip to Newcastle on Monday.

By then, United will be getting ready to face Arsenal in a Champions League semi-final, with Scholes hoping another of those cherished title medals is within touching distance.

Fergie: Great result, poor display

Fergie: Great result, poor display

Sir Alex Ferguson was relieved after Manchester United overcame Italian champions Inter Milan despite a lackluster display.

The Red Devils booked their place in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League with two goals four minutes into either half.

Nemanja Vidic headed the holders into the lead before Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the win when he nodded in Wayne Rooney's delightful cross shortly after the break.

Inter had their chances too with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano both hitting the woodwork.

"It was the type of match where we had to play a different type of football," Ferguson told Sky Sports 2.

"Inter showed fantastic experience at times and showed that South American mentality and were very difficult to break down.

"The end result was very good. Good result, not a great performance."

The close nature of the tie did not surprise the Scot as his side were made to work for the win.

"When I first heard the draw I thought it was the hardest," he added.

"We played a team at its maximum potential in terms of experience and they played to their maximum. To get through that is a big plus because we will be better in the next round. We can be better."

United join Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in the quarter-finals as Premier League teams once again showed their superiority in Europe.

Mourinho: Inter had no luck

Mourinho: Inter had no luck

Jose Mourinho tried to put a positive spin on Inter Milan's exit at the hands of holders Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Two goals - both four minutes from the start of each half - put paid to Inter's chances of an unlikely upset at Old Trafford.

Althought Mourinho accepted United won on merit, he also thought Inter did not get the rub of the green.

"You have to say that United deserved to win," Mourinho said.

"They scored two goals over the course of the two games and we have to accept that, in football, the team that wins always deserves it.
Great match

"But I don't think we should be negative about my team's display. We played a great match against a great team. We just lacked that little bit of luck you need to win, that little thing that makes difference between winning and not winning.

"We went one down after couple of minutes but we had three chances to score in the first half, more than our opponents, and we hit the bar from three metres out.

"In the second half we lost another goal but we continued to play and we showed great character.

"Always when you talk about luck it seems as if you are trying to forget about the quality of the opponent.

"That's not true United are a quality team and they showed exactly why they are European champions.

"But not all defeats are the same. The players came here with no psychological barriers, they played a great game and I hope they have the same feeling."

After seeing this current United team close up during the two legged last-16 tie the Portuguese boss believes that they are good enough to win all five trophies this season.

"They have basically the same team as when I was at Chelsea," he highlighted.

"There is only Berbatov who is new. But they have been together for four or five years. They are not young anymore, the age average is 26-27 if you forget Giggs and Scholes.

"They are in the right moment to be at the top of their careers. They reached the maximum level.

"They have experience, quality, great physical condition and intensity in their game. That is what the Champions League is about. So yes, I think they can do it."

Despite the defeat the former Chelsea boss believes he has seen his side turn a corner in Europe after a number of below-par performances in the knockout stages over the last few seasons.

"If Inter had a fear problem in the Champions League before, today we showed that we don't have it anymore."

The 'Special One' admitted that his side lacked a certain element when it came to competing at the top level but remained upbeat by vowing to retain their Serie A crown.

"We are missing something, but I'll say this to the club. In any case, now we will surely win the Scudetto"

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Man Alive! United Strike Five Past Helpless West Brom

Man Alive! United Strike Five Past Helpless West Brom

Bottom of the league West Bromwich Albion and top of the table Manchester United were poles apart in the Premier League prior to kick-off, and their contrasting fortunes in England's top division were reflecting on the field, as West Bromwich Albion were hit for five after ninety minutes.

Due to congestion problems on the motorways leading into the Midlands, the game - scheduled to kick off at 19:45 GMT - was postponed for 30 minutes. For visiting fans who had got to their seats early, it would have been well worth the wait.

Chances fell to both sides within the first ten minutes, as some good link up play between hard-working Ji 'three-lunged' Park, and Dimitar Berbatov led to an early effort, but the Bulgarian squirted a tame shot into the clutches of Scott Carson.

Marc-Antoine Fortune and Jay Simpson both then spurned two separate strikes that could have granted the Baggies an early lead. Fortune's shot though was deflected off-target, and Simpson - on loan from Arsenal - failed to get the ball past an adamant and rigid Gary Neville who was all too eager to block with his body.

United began their rout on the 22nd minute when a throw in led to a swift one-two between Michael Carrick and Berbatov, on the edge of the box, and the former Tottenham striker was not as limp with his strike this time round and beat Carson with a low drive.

It was clearly not going to be West Brom's day when key defender, Paul Robinson, was sent off the pitch for an early bath for a slide on Park. Then, one minute from the break, a clanger from Carson led to United's second.

The erratic England international failed to collect a cross, and stocky Argentine forward rushed in to give the Red Devils a two goal, and one man, cushion going into the dressing room for their half-time team talk.

It took just a quarter of an hour for United to extend their lead after the re-start. Veteran winger Ryan Giggs sent in a well-weighted box-bound cross that Nemanja Vidic sent into the net with the help of a nod. He was unmarked, and Tony Mowbray will be fuming with not only Rob Styles' decision to send off his captain and the flapping of Carson in the first half, but the sloppy defending on display in the second.

For the fourth, Giggs and Ronaldo skipped through a static Brom defence and the recently crowned World Player of the Year was in a central position to easily side-foot the ball home for his ninth league goal of the season.

The Portuguese international secured his tenth eight minutes later when Berbatov played the role of provider in a move that bore suspicions of offside, but the goal stood and Carson ended up on the wrong end of a booking for his heavy protests.

United were rampant, and moved three points clear of Liverpool, who travel to Wigan on Wednesday evening.

The clean sheet also meant that Edwin van der Sar had not conceded a Premier League goal for ten games, and has thus broken Petr Cech's (Chelsea) previous record of going 1,025 minutes unbeaten.

LINE UPS

West Bromwich Albion: Carson - Hoefkens; Pele; Donk; Robinson - Zuiverloon; Borja Valero; Koren; Brunt - Simpson; Fortune.

Manchester United: Van der Sar - Neville; Ferdinand; Vidic; O'Shea - Park; Carrick; Giggs; Ronaldo - Berbatov; Tevez.