Arsenal started with Bergkamp not even dressed and Henry on the bench, which seemed a little cavalier. On the other hand, Jeffers' recent form for club and country may have justified a place and the overall risk, given Ajax on Tuesday, was relative.

The press have already made a meal of Ryan "I'll bet they're queueing up for my signature in Milan now" Giggs' wonder-miss shortly before Edu's opener. Truly woeful, no argument here. But even had he put it in, there were few other glimpses of goal for the home side. And those that did arrive were fluffed almost as comprehensively as Giggs' open-goal effort. But whenever that goal from the '99 semi is shown from here on, Arsenal fans must be grateful to wee Ryan for providing us today with a reason to smile through the pain...

Enough about skill. Truth be told, United had clearly decided that Arsenal "didn't like it up 'em" and from the kick-off got straight into the karate. That no-one, particularly Surly Schoolboy Scholes or Rudy the Diving Horse, got sent off was some kind of miracle -- or not, given where the match was played. Three yellow cards to United (plus one to Vieira for being Vieira, apparently) put paid to that approach and United settled down to being edged in overall quality of play: slightly in the first half, and comprehensively in the second.

Finally, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arseweb's question to you: When Will the Moaning End? If you send out your players to kick the other team rather than play, somehow survive two righteous sending-off moments, oversee routine cynical fouling, and then bottle it for the entire last 45 minutes against your biggest domestic rivals, exactly whom are you trying to kid about the game turning on "Arsenal players intimidating the referee"? Specious, laughable, and futile [no, surely an example of cunning mind games? ed.]

Rupe adds...
For the record, Alex Ferguson's moaning about Arsenal in front of the cameras after the game was nothing compared to the wrath he directed at hus players. It seems that he lashed out in the dressing room, kicking a boot from the floor which hit David Beckham in the face (he turned up for training on Monday with a plaster covering a cut above his left eye, which needed stitches). Becks was none too pleased, it seems. Ferguson has admitted to it, describing his outburst as a "freak act of nature". Or was it "natural act of a freak"? Wenger told reporters on Monday: "I don't like to comment on other people's dressing rooms." Can't help thinking there might have been a little smirk as he said it.

I also wanted to point out that the build-up to Arsenal's second goal featured every single outfield player. Jeffers was the only one not to touch the ball, but his contribution was almost as vital as Edu's (with the superb pass), as it was his run across the edge of the box which created the space into which Wiltord skipped past Wes Brown.