Hargreaves unimpressed by Arsenal’s ‘beautiful football’

OWEN HARGREAVES has only been at Manchester United a matter of months but already he is showing well-honed skills in one of the club’s favourite past-times: Arsenal-baiting.

William Gallas’ late equaliser was enough to keep Arsene Wenger’s side above United on goals scored at the top of the Premier League table, but not everyone was impressed. Hargreaves betrayed a withering contempt for the Gunners’ purist reputation when he suggested they had resorted to “scrappy” tactics to earn a point.

“They keep the ball and try to play their way, but when a team is as good defensively as ours, you can keep them at bay by playing very tight together,” he said. “We did a good job and controlled their so-called ‘beautiful football’.