Low, Buried

This was a classic, one that will be talked about for years to come, brimming with the good, the bad and the ugly. The fuse had been lit early, surprisingly by two titans of the Premiership, men with huge respect for each other, Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane.

The tackles kept flying in, particularly United on Arsenal in the first half. Gabriel Heinze upended Vieira and then Freddie Ljungberg. Even Giggs, whose graceful football has lit up the Premiership for more than a decade, clattered into Ashley Cole.

Cheating scarred proceedings, a shameful dive by Ashley Cole after three minutes confirming the win-at-all-costs mentality seizing both sides.

Yet amidst all the heat and dust-ups, the cheating, the obvious winding-up of Rooney by the rather brave Robert Pires, some wonderful football broke out, spell-binding moves from both sides, United eventually but particularly Arsenal in the first half.

A fantastic eight-minute surge set the scene for the champions’ first, the ball racing as if guided by a friendly zephyr between Bergkamp, Pires and Thierry Henry, who won a corner. Henry bent in the spot-kick, and there was Vieira, shrugging off Heinze, to head powerfully in.

Arsenal were in command for now, winning possession through the tireless Vieira and Mathieu Flamini and then counter-attacking sweetly. Yet a defensive frailty has undermined the champions this season. The North Bank was still chorusing ‘‘1-0 to the Arsenal’’ when Sol Campbell lost possession, and United raced through the gears. Scholes passed to Rooney, whose deft lay-off was met marvelously by Giggs. The ball flashed in past Almunia.

Arsenal sought to hit back, flooding forward through Bergkamp, who released Pires. The Frenchman was clearly caught on the ankle by the sliding Mikael Silvestre but Poll waved play on, incensing the North Bank.

Wenger’s men were a cut above in the first half, regaining the lead 10 minutes from the interval. Vieira and Lauren worked a short-free-kick in the centre-circle and Vieira was off, gliding away from Rooney before clipping the ball to the edge of Roy Carroll’s area.

The ball progressed to Henry, who played in Bergrkamp down the inside-right corridor. The Dutchman’s finish was deadly, the ball placed brutally between Carroll’s legs.

United refused to yield and hit back in thrilling style. Stirred by Ferguson’s half-time words, they equalized in sensational fashion 10 minutes after the re-start. Rooney’s touch and vision brought the ball to the rceptive feet of Giggs.

Spotting Ronaldo’s run outside him, the Welshman placed the ball into space and the Portuguese flier did the rest, controlling it instinctively with his right before applying the coup de grace with the left.

United were now irresistible. Rooney hit the woodwork. And then Keane, powering through Pires to win the ball, launched a counter-attack that ripped Arsenal apart.

Giggs accelerated down the right, and Almunia came out, fatefully so. Giggs crossed into the untended goalmouth and there was Ronaldo to nudge United ahead. One goal clear, United were soon one player down when Silvestre departed.

United had not finished, John O’Shea exploiting poor defending to chip Almunia. The North Bank was stunned into silence.

(The Daily Telegraph)