Man Utd v Arsenal 02/16/2008

Manchester United 4-0 Arsenal

Wayne Rooney delivered a virtuoso solo display as Manchester United outclassed Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round.

First Half Highlights




Rooney headed United in front from close range after 16 minutes and Darren Fletcher provided another headed finish from Nani's cross four minutes later.

Second half highlights




Michael Carrick set up Nani for a third as United turned on the style.

Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue was sent off after 48 minutes for a foul on Patrice Evra before Nani was the creator again as Fletcher headed United's fourth.

Saturday's Other Matches Highlights




England coach Fabio Capello was in attendance at Old Trafford and showed his appreciation for Rooney's brilliance by applauding his England striker when he was substituted with 20 minutes left.

United left Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs out of their line-up, while Arsenal kept Emmanuel Adebayor and Mathieu Flamini on the bench - and the Gunners suffered most from the changes.

Rooney returned from suspension after missing the defeat to Manchester City - and made up for lost time by destroying Arsenal with a blistering first-half display.

He was on the mark after 16 minutes when a Nani corner was only half-cleared, and when Anderson headed the ball back into the danger area Rooney was perfectly placed to divert a close-range finish past Jens Lehmann.

Fletcher deservedly doubled the lead four minutes later when Nani opened up Arsenal on the left flank and crossed for the Scot to head in at the near post.

Rooney continued to terrorise the Arsenal defence and could have added to his goals tally before United made it three seven minutes before the interval.

Carrick split the Arsenal defence wide open, leaving Nani to control and calmly shoot past Lehmann.

Rooney had already tested Lehmann again before Arsenal's misery increased after 48 minutes when Eboue was rightly sent off for a raised boot in a tackle on Evra.

The Arsenal defender seemed reluctant to leave the pitch after referee Alan Wiley brandished the read card, but he had no excuses because it was an horrendous challenge.

Rooney was in almost unstoppable form, tearing the Arsenal defence apart almost at will, shooting wide after beating Kolo Toure and then bringing a fine save from Lehmann - all in the space of seconds.

And with 16 minutes left, United got the fourth goal their dazzling football deserved when Nani floated up a perfect far post cross for Fletcher to head in at the far post.

Arsenal, who have enjoyed taunting outclassed teams in the past, were not enjoying getting a taste of their own medicine and William Gallas was lucky to escape punishment for an ill-disciplined kick at Nani.

Substitute Louis Saha almost added a fifth with two minutes left but keeper Lehmann - who had been blameless in the defeat - saved well again.
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Team News

Manchester United have Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra back after suspension.

Striker Louis Saha is available after a knee injury after but right-back Gary Neville and left-back Mikael Silvestre remain sidelined.

Arsenal defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are available after their Africa Cup of Nations stint.

But Theo Walcott (thigh), Gael Clichy (hamstring) and Bacary Sagna (personal reasons) are set to miss out, while Philippe Senderos (knee) is a doubt.

Team From

Man Utd

Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, O'Shea, Simpson, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Nani, Park, Scholes, Ronaldo, Anderson, Carrick, Hargreaves, Giggs, Tevez, Rooney, Saha, Welbeck.

Arsenal

Lehmann, Fabianski, Senderos, Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini, Adebayor, Eduardo, Bendtner, Traore, Song, J Hoyte, Gilberto, Gilbert, Randall, G Hoyte, Lansbury.


About the Match

The outstanding tie of the fifth round is Sir Alex Ferguson's 100th as manager of Manchester United.

The top two in the Premier League are also the most successful clubs in FA Cup history; United and Arsenal have won the world's oldest football knockout competition 21 times between them and have appeared in a combined 35 finals.

This is the 35th time Ferguson will have come up against his opposite number Arsene Wenger. Of the 34 previous encounters United have won 11, Arsenal 13. Eight of the 10 other games finished level and two were decided on penalty shoot-outs; United won the 2003 Community Shield, and Arsenal the 2005 FA Cup final.

Head to Head Details

All competitions

Arsenal are unbeaten in three matches against United (won two and drawn one in the Premier League) and have not lost to the Red Devils since a 2-0 league reverse at Old Trafford on 9 April 2006.

This season's one Premier League meeting at the Emirates Stadium resulted in a 2-2 draw on 3 November 2007. William Gallas put through his own goal to give United the lead, Fabregas equalised soon after half-time, Ronaldo put United back in front with eight minutes remaining and Gallas atoned for his earlier error by securing a point in stoppage time.

FA Cup

These clubs have been paired with one another 11 times and met on 12 occasions (one replay). They fought out a goalless draw after extra time in the most recent, the 2005 final at the Millennium Stadium. The Gunners won 5-4 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, to tip the balance in their favour in the FA Cup head to head count.

But the most memorable clash between the pair in recent years was the 1999 semi-final, which United won 2-1 in a replay at Villa Park, courtesy of Ryan Giggs' spectacular solo 109th minute goal, and his subsequent shirt-swinging celebration.