Silvestre keeps United on Gunners’ tails

Manchester Utd 1

Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville paid the price for Sunday’s Worthington Cup final failure when they were axed to the bench as Nicky Butt and Quinton Fortune started their first Premiership games since October and November respectively. And there was another central defensive outing for skipper Roy Keane.

United opened brightly although Rio Ferdinand was jeered every time he got the ball by the supporters who used to adore him. But Ferdinand was looking to make an early impact and darted down the right flank to take O’Shea’s lobbed pass, forcing Seth Johnson to concede a corner which Silvestre nodded over the bar.