United 2 - 1 Arsenal

It has to be one of the most memorable matches of the season. Man United came back from behind to drive the last nail into Arsenal's coffin (read season) and with that have inched more closer to the title.

The pressure and onus was all on Arsenal for this tie at Old Trafford. And they seemed to be responding to it quite well if the first half was any indication - Arsenal dictated terms for most of the half and created several promising chances in front of the United goal. That was because they controlled the midfield for most part but were found wanting in the finishing department - reminiscent of their poor goal-scoring form last year. Adebayor could easily have had a hat-trick had he taken the chances that came his way - but he isn't a Fernando Torres, is he? United on the other hand didn't look too convincing to start with, yet they had a few clear chances upfront - Rooney had 2 decent chances and I thought he should have converted at least one of them. Somehow it felt as if the score was destined to stay nil-nil at half time and so it did!

With United not looking at their best, Sir Alex was going to pep them up to look better in the second half. But it was the Gunners who took the lead albeit off a shocking goal - Adebayor came up with his own version of the "Hand of God" and suddenly Arsenal seemed to have an edge in this crucial tie. But United were going to see poetic justice done to them at the other end - Gallas, the Gunners' skipper and somebody who always seems do well against United found himself at the receiving end of a penalty - courtesy of a hand ball! In comes Ronaldo and he converts not once but twice - one of them could not be counted though! With that equalizer, the game was left wide open. You could clearly see Sir Alex playing his strategy to perfection. He sent in the energetic duo of Anderson and Tevez and United seemed to have gained an extra edge in most departments of the game. Also United were lucky that Van Der Saar was having a brilliant day keeping things at bay - he prevented at least 2 own goals and saw off several chances created by the Arsenal attack. United weren't going to be left unrewarded for the spring in their game, their second goal came pretty much in line with the run of play and what a beauty it was - Owen Hargreaves, who looked very sharp the whole of the match, came up with a sweetly timed curling free kick which Jens Lehmann could only watch going into the corner of the net. At that point with just ten minutes to go, United seemed to have got the match-winner. With some adept defensive work, they were able to cling on to the lead and finally end any title hopes the Gunners had been nurturing.

Overall, it was a memorable league tie. Arsenal gave most of what they had but United some how seemed to have the edge with their class. From now on, with only 4 games left, if United can win 3 they will certainly retain the title even if they lose at the Bridge. Go United go!