Arsenal’s stealth bombers

Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0 (Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties)

The heavyweight clash of Manchester United and Arsenal failed to live up to its apocalyptic billing at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, even if Jose Antonio Reyes finally ended Kevin Moran’s less than splendid isolation as the only man ever to be sent off in an FA Cup final.

Reyes’ second yellow card, which referee Rob Styles could just as easily have kept in his pocket, was the last act of 120 minutes of football that was more intriguing than incendiary, and certainly far from the blood-fest that many had predicted.

Nor did the angry fans’ uprising materialise to any significant degree. An hour before kick-off, a sit-down protest briefly blocked traffic on a street near the stadium, but that was quickly and peacefully dispersed by police. Leaflets were also distributed outlining the next phase of the anti-Glazer campaign, and many United supporters wore black to mourn what the more sentimental among them describe as the death of the club. One banner read: “MUFC - 127 years. Glazer - not in a million years.”

Coincidentally, United’s away strip matched the mood of the fans. But there was nothing funereal about the manner in which the team went about its business on the field of play. For this was a game which United could and should have won. Arsenal were forced to play second-fiddle for most of the match but United’s failure to make the most of a string of decent chances allowed the Gunners to stay in contention before finally settling the bout on a technical knock-out.

Arsenal may have the silverware but United are entitled to the bragging rights. In the absence of Thierry Henry, and with Dennis Bergkamp largely anonymous as a lone front-man, the Londoners caused few serious problems for a United defence in which Rio Ferdinand reigned supreme.

By contrast, United’s Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo fizzed on both flanks, the latter giving Lauren an afternoon he would have preferred to forget, had not redemption arrived late on with his super cool opening to Arsenal’s penalty shoot-out.

If Rio Ferdinand’s goal had counted, the FA Cup might now be at Old Trafford. But United can’t blame a tight offside decision for the empty space in the trophy cabinet. The real reason they were unable to turn superiority into victory, was because Ruud Van Nistelrooy failed to make maximum use of the ammunition that came his way from the wings.

In this stadium a month ago, the striker had ended an eight-game goal drought with a brace against hapless Newcastle but the evidence of less than clinical finishing on Saturday strongly suggested that he needs the timely arrival of the summer break to help him fully recharge his batteries.

The Dutchman wasn’t the only guilty party in front of goal for United - Paul Scholes wasted a free header inside the box within five minutes of the kick-off - but at his sharpest, it’s inconceivable that Van Nistelrooy would have been so profligate with a couple of gilt-edged chances, including the point-blank header which Freddie Ljungberg, standing on the line, managed to deflect against the bar.

In what was ultimately a disappointing game for those expecting all sorts of fireworks, Arsenal did have their moments but the hours - all two of them - belonged to United. Rooney was nominated as man of the match but Ronaldo ran him close, having already run poor Lauren into the ground. Mikael Silvestre also had a fine game for the losers, repeatedly finding Rooney on the right with raking, cross-field balls which caused Ashley Cole a lot of discomfort.

For Arsenal, the talented Cesc Fabregas will have better days but another composed performance by Phillipe Senderos at the heart of the defence reinforced the young Swiss man’s claims to a future leadership role at Highbury.

From an Irish point of view, there was much to admire in Roy Keane’s performance - and even more reason to bemoan his absence against Israel at Lansdowne Road next month.

One crunching, full-blooded tackle on his old buddy Patrick Viera just before the break was vintage Keane, as was a surge into the box after exchanging passes with Van Nistelrooy, early in the second half. Throw in smart interceptions, heroic blocks, sensible use of the ball, a pressure penalty coolly converted and even a couple of old-style rollickings, and it all added up to another time-defying display which underlined his still vital contribution to United’s cause.

Until he was substituted in the 75th minute, John O’Shea had also impressed after a rare start in place of Gabriel Heinze. The Waterford man’s languid style means he will never be mistaken for the Argentinian warrior but during an impressive first 45 in particular, he contributed handsomely to United’s attacking play, encouraging Ronaldo up the left side with a series of inviting passes.

But in the end, all United’s good work foundered on the lack of a cutting edge. In a game which also confounded expectations in its absence of goalkeeping howlers, Arsenal could also thank Jens Lehmann for two fine saves from Rooney and Scholes, before stopping the latter’s spot-kick to turn the penalty shoot-out in the Gunners’ favour.

Roy Carroll too had one of his better, if quieter, days. Reyes may have briefly left him floundering at one point but his full-length dive to defy Robin Van Persie’s free-kick was top class.

Unfortunately for Carroll, he was unable to do anything to prevent Arsenal scoring five out of five from the spot to become the first team to win the FA Cup on penalties. Almost inevitably given their national history in this regard, it was an Englishman who failed to convert, Scholes’ powerful shot being too close to Lehmann to elude the keeper’s dive.

And so Manchester United won the battle but Arsenal won the war, on a day when the fire was unexpectedly friendly. As one United fan said afterwards: “Now we know how Bayern Munich felt in 1999.”

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Senderos, Cole, Fabregas (Van Persie 86), Vieira, Gilberto, Pires (Edu 105), Bergkamp (Ljungberg 65), Reyes.

MAN UTD: Carroll, Brown, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O’Shea (Fortune 77), Fletcher (Giggs 91), Keane, Scholes, Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy, Rooney.

Att: 71,876

Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).