Abou Diaby own goal lifts Manchester United

WHAT is the difference between Wayne Rooney and Eduardo? “It will be a big difference tomorrow in the newspapers,” Arsène Wenger sniffed.
Regarding the “Scottish conspiracy” he perceives as victimising his football club, perhaps Wenger will add Sir Alex Ferguson to the plotters’ list.
While Arsenal’s manager can play persecuted, it was hard not to feel sorry for him at Old Trafford. His team’s wonderful start to the season evaporated in acrimony and controversy during 90 minutes in which key refereeing decisions appeared to favour Wenger’s old tartan nemesis. Although Manchester United deserved a draw for the way, spurred by Ryan Giggs, that they increased the tempo when behind in the second half, three points seemed a generous reward, if not quite, as Wenger argued, “beyond belief”.
Rooney and Eduardo? Here, a striker went through, a goalkeeper dived at his feet, the striker launched himself enthusiastically, a penalty was given. Wenger, certainly, saw the parallels between how Rooney won the spot-kick from which he equalised in the 59th minute and the award given to Eduardo against Celtic on Wednesday in a Champions League tie.
Yet there were differences. When Rooney raced on to a clever pass from Giggs and Manuel Almunia came to meet him, the keeper was heedless with his challenge and, throwing his arms out, made them a barrier to Rooney over which, upon contact, he went horizontal immediately and with drama.
Eduardo was hardly touched by Artur Boruc when he tumbled over the Celtic keeper but to Wenger the only difference between the two strikers’ actions was one of degrees. A true cynic might say that, according to the mores of modern football, Eduardo’s crime was not to dive, merely not to dive well enough.
The Arsenal striker, introduced as a substitute yesterday to home supporters chanting “cheat”, faces a European ban after the Scottish FA complained on Celtic’s behalf and Uefa, whose chief executive is a Scot, charged the striker using video evidence. Wenger is appealing, although it won’t stop him attending a Uefa coaches’ conference this week, at which he will be reunited with Ferguson.
The two differed over yesterday’s incident. “It was a clear penalty kick,” Ferguson said. “Old Trafford-ish” was Wenger’s wry view of referee Mike Dean’s award.
Rooney did not ponder it. He got up and accepted the responsibilty of trying to beat Almunia from 12 yards, to the relief of Michael Carrick, who missed the last spot-kick United were awarded. After a few meditative moment in which he took deep breaths and stared at the ground, Rooney smashed the ball home to Almunia’s left and gave United parity at a time when it seemed Arsenal, leading thanks to a gorgeous strike by Andrey Arshavin, might close out the game.
Five minutes after Almunia’s rush of blood, composure also deserted Abou Diaby, who scored a crazy own goal to give United a 2-1 lead. Nani and Dimitar Berbatov both missed embarrassingly when given chances to assure their side of victory and there was a twist when, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Robin van Persie turned the ball home, seemingly for 2-2. William Gallas, correctly, was judged to have been offside during an earlier phase of the attack and Wenger demonstrated his anger by booting a water bottle, earning himself a sending-off.
Nine players were booked by Dean — six from Arsenal — though it did not seem a dirty game. United were gleeful in victory. Their performance was light on inspiration, heavy on perspiration, reflected by Ferguson suggesting Rooney should have handed the man-of-the-match award given by television to Darren Fletcher.
Fletcher was at his feisty, dilligent best. He was involved in his own controversy when, with half-time near, he cleaned out Arshavin in his own box. Dean declined to award a penalty, presumably because Fletcher’s initial contact was with the ball. Yet the rules suggest that when a player loses control of his body in a challenge and it results in him taking the man, then, irrespective of ball contact, it is a foul.
Arshavin’s riposte was, 30 seconds later, to collect possession and clump a shot past Ben Foster from 25 yards. It was a wicked strike, resulting in the ball dipping and moving, but at a height where Foster might have been expected to save it. “Ben should be dealing with that, it was a bad goal to lose. It shows that even though he’s had a run of two or three games he needs more experience,” Ferguson said.
Foster redeemed himself early in the second half when, quite brilliantly, he used his feet to block Van Persie’s shot from close range. With both sides overloading the midfield with players, the game had needed Arshavin’s strike to enliven it. Arsenal, at that stage, seemed superior, with United — apart from set-pieces — posing few threats. Arshavin had hit a clever half-volley that skimmed Foster’s post. At 1-1 Van Persie struck the bar with a free kick.
Deepening the visitors’ angst was that, until United’s goals, the defending from both teams had been so sound. Thomas Vermaelen, marshalling Wenger’s backline, was mobile, robust, switched-on; a real find. Fletcher (on Diaby) and Alex Song (on Giggs) made terrific tackles and in this context Arsenal’s sudden outbreak of defensive Tourette’s was all the more baffling.
If Almunia’s challenge against Rooney was rash, what was Diaby thinking? Giggs whipped a free kick into Arsenal’s box and, unthreatened by opponents, the midfielder jumped weakly and — seeming to lose his bearings — placed a firm header past his own goalkeeper. United were 2-1 ahead and never looked likely to relinquish their lead.
MAN UTD: Foster 6, O’Shea 6, Brown 6, Vidic 7, Evra 7, Fletcher 7, Carrick 6, Valencia 5 (Park 63min), Giggs 7 (Berbatov 85min), Nani, Rooney 7
ARSENAL: Almunia 5, Sagna 6, Gallas 6, Vermaelen 8, Clichy 6, Denilson 6 (Eduardo 79min), Song 7, Eboue 6 (Bendtner 71min), Diaby 4, Arshavin 7 (Ramsey 81min), Van Persie 6
DIVE WATCH
Did he or didn’t he? Wayne Rooney appeared to have lost control of the ball when he pushed it past Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia. There was contact between the United player, with the keeper clearly catching Rooney’s ankles, but it could be argued that the striker was looking for a penalty, and it was duly given. In the end, it proved to be the turning point as Rooney took the penalty himself and scored. It brought the teams level, and Manchester United went on to win. All credit to referee Mike Dean — when Arsenal were 2-1 down and striving to rescue a point, Emmanuel Eboue went to ground too easily under a United challenge and was immediately shown the yellow card by Dean. It is the punishment most pundits feel is required if the practice is to be stamped out .
Source:The times