Manchester United F.C. 8–2 Arsenal F.C.

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Manchester United v Arsenal
Manchester United Panorama (8051523746).jpg
The match was played at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Event2011–12 Premier League
Manchester United Arsenal
8 2
Date28 August 2011
VenueOld Trafford, Trafford, Greater Manchester
Man of the MatchWayne Rooney
RefereeHoward Webb
Attendance75,448
WeatherClear

The first fixture between Manchester United and Arsenal in the 2011–12 Premier League season was played on 28 August 2011 at Old Trafford in Manchester. Manchester United won the match 8–2, making it Arsenal's heaviest league defeat since 1927, 84 years earlier, when they lost 7–0 to West Ham United in the old Football League First Division. It was also the first time they had conceded eight goals in a game since 1896, when they lost 8–0 to the now defunct Loughborough in the old Second Division.

Background[]

Fixtures between Manchester United and Arsenal had seen a number of controversial incidents in prior seasons. The rivalry between the two clubs had grown more intense since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, but had settled down as Arsenal were no longer considered a serious challenger for the title.

Before the game, United manager Alex Ferguson took a shot at Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger's record in recent years, saying he would "not have allowed" such a barren run without trophies,[1] but sympathised with him regarding the recent sales of Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri, citing his experience with the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo,[2] and claiming he was irreplaceable for Arsenal.[3]

Manchester United had started the defence of their title by winning the opening two matches, while Arsenal were looking for their first win of the league season, having drawn the opening match against Newcastle United before losing to Liverpool on 20 August 2011.

Match[]

Team selection[]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson picked the same starting XI to play against Arsenal as had beaten Tottenham Hotspur six days earlier, a side that had only seen three changes from their opening-day win at West Bromwich Albion. Centre-back Rio Ferdinand missed the match against Tottenham with a hamstring injury, but had returned to training ahead of the Arsenal game;[4] however, he was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench against Arsenal, and with defensive partner Nemanja Vidić also out with a calf problem,[4] Jonny Evans and summer signing Phil Jones continued at the back. Right-back Rafael was a long-term injury concern with a dislocated shoulder,[4] so Chris Smalling continued in his place, while Patrice Evra captained the side from left-back and David de Gea played in goal for the fourth game in a row after signing from Atlético Madrid in the summer. The midfield and forward lines were the same as in the two previous games, with Tom Cleverley as the only change from the Community Shield, when he had come on for Michael Carrick at half-time. Darren Fletcher was in contention for a place in the team after a long-term stomach virus infection, but missed out on selection, while Javier Hernández was only picked on the bench for the second game in a row as he continued his recovery from a concussion sustained on the club's pre-season tour of the United States;[4][5] Danny Welbeck started alongside Wayne Rooney in attack.

Arsenal went into the match with more selection issues, having had a player sent off in each of their first two games of the season, which meant Gervinho and Emmanuel Frimpong were ineligible to play, as was Alex Song, who had been charged with violent conduct and was serving a three-game suspension for a stamp on Newcastle United's Joey Barton on the opening day of the season.[4] Wojciech Szczęsny started in goal, having won the job from Łukasz Fabiański midway through the previous season. In defence, Laurent Koscielny recovered from a back injury that had ruled him out of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League win over Udinese four days earlier to partner Johan Djourou in the middle;[4] Armand Traoré started on the left in place of Kieran Gibbs, who had a hamstring injury,[4] while Bacary Sagna was left out entirely, and 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson played on the right. In the absence of Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby due to injury,[4] manager Arsène Wenger picked a three-man midfield of Aaron Ramsey, Tomáš Rosický and Francis Coquelin, who was making his league debut for the club. Up front, as expected, Theo Walcott started on the right, Andrey Arshavin on the left and captain Robin van Persie played through the middle.

Summary[]

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for Manchester United before going off injured.

First half[]

The match kicked off at around 16:00 GMT in front of a crowd of 75,448 at Manchester United's stadium, Old Trafford.[6] United opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, when Welbeck beat Djourou to a scooped pass from Anderson and headed the ball past Szczęsny.[6] Arsenal had a chance to level the scores five minutes later, when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Walcott by Evans; however, De Gea correctly guessed the direction of Van Persie's penalty kick and pushed the ball around the post.[7] A minute later, Traoré could only clear a cross from Rooney as far as Ashley Young, who controlled the ball, shifted it onto his right foot and curled a shot into the top corner to score his first goal for Manchester United since signing from Aston Villa that summer.[8]

In the 35th minute, Welbeck suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted by Hernández.[6] Rooney scored his 150th Manchester United goal in the 41st minute, from a free kick awarded for a foul on Young by Jenkinson, who was booked; Rooney rolled the ball to Young, who stopped it, changing the angle for Rooney to curl it around the defensive wall into the top corner.[7] Arsenal did ultimately pull a goal back in injury time at the end of the first half, when a clearance from Evra only went as far as Ramsey; after Arshavin and Rosický combined on the edge of the penalty area, Van Persie allowed the ball to run through to Walcott, who shot through De Gea's legs for Arsenal's first league goal of the season.[7]

Second half[]

It took almost 20 minutes of the second half for either side to score again, but it was Manchester United who did so in the 64th minute from another Rooney free kick; after he was fouled by Djourou on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, he ran the same set-piece routine as for his earlier goal with the same result.[6] Three minutes later, Rooney was again involved, as he provided the assist for an unmarked Nani to lob Szczęsny from near the penalty spot; that was to be Nani's last contribution to the match as he and Anderson were substituted by Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-sung.[6] Park was involved quickly, first setting up Rooney for a lobbed shot over Szczęsny that came back off the post before combining with Young to find some space on the edge of the box and shooting low past Szczęsny into the far corner of the net to make the score 6–1.[7] Van Persie pulled another one back for Arsenal in the 74th minute; after a cross from Jenkinson was headed away by Jones, Jenkinson headed the ball back across the penalty area, where Van Persie beat De Gea at his near post with a powerful left-footed shot.[7]

Two minutes later, Jenkinson received a second yellow card and was sent off for a professional foul on Hernández, who was through on goal, meaning Arsenal had had a player dismissed in each of their first three games of the season.[6] Rooney completed his hat-trick, the sixth of his Manchester United career,[9] in the 80th minute with a penalty kick awarded for a foul by Walcott on Evra.[7] Young made it 8–2 in injury time at the end of the game with a curling shot from just inside the penalty area on the left-hand side.[7]

Details[]

Manchester United8–2Arsenal
Welbeck Goal 22'
Young Goal 28', 90+1'
Rooney Goal 41', 64', 82' (pen.)
Nani Goal 67'
Park Ji-sung Goal 70'		 Report Walcott Goal 45+3'
Van Persie Goal 74'
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 75,448
Referee: Howard Webb[10]
Manchester United
Arsenal
GK 1 Spain David de Gea
RB 12 England Chris Smalling
CB 4 England Phil Jones
CB 6 Northern Ireland Jonny Evans Yellow card 27'
LB 3 France Patrice Evra (c)
RM 17 Portugal Nani Substituted off 68'
CM 23 England Tom Cleverley
CM 8 Brazil Anderson Substituted off 68'
LM 18 England Ashley Young Yellow card 27'
CF 10 England Wayne Rooney
CF 19 England Danny Welbeck Substituted off 36'
Substitutes:
GK 34 Denmark Anders Lindegaard
DF 5 England Rio Ferdinand
DF 20 Brazil Fábio
MF 11 Wales Ryan Giggs Substituted in 68'
MF 13 South Korea Park Ji-sung Substituted in 68'
FW 9 Bulgaria Dimitar Berbatov
FW 14 Mexico Javier Hernández Substituted in 36'
Manager:
Scotland Sir Alex Ferguson
Man Utd vs Arsenal 2011-08-28.svg
GK 13 Poland Wojciech Szczęsny
RB 25 England Carl Jenkinson Yellow card 40' Yellow-red card 77'
CB 20 Switzerland Johan Djourou Yellow card 63'
CB 6 France Laurent Koscielny
LB 30 Senegal Armand Traoré
CM 16 Wales Aaron Ramsey
CM 39 France Francis Coquelin Substituted off 62'
CM 7 Czech Republic Tomáš Rosický
RF 14 England Theo Walcott Substituted off 84'
CF 10 Netherlands Robin van Persie (c) Substituted off 84'
LF 23 Russia Andrey Arshavin Yellow card 15'
Substitutes:
GK 21 Poland Łukasz Fabiański
DF 49 Spain Ignasi Miquel
MF 46 England Henri Lansbury Substituted in 84'
MF 53 Turkey Oğuzhan Özyakup
FW 15 England Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Substituted in 62'
FW 29 Morocco Marouane Chamakh Substituted in 84'
FW 54 France Gilles Sunu
Manager:
France Arsène Wenger

Match officials

  • Assistant referees:
  • Fourth official:

Match rules

  • 90 minutes
  • No extra time or penalties
  • Seven named substitutes, of which up to three may be used

Statistics[]

Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick.
Statistic Manchester United Arsenal
Goals scored 8 2
Possession 56.3% 43.7%
Shots on target 14 8
Shots off target 10 6
Blocked shots 1 6
Passing success 86.5% 80.1%
Corner kicks 3 5
Fouls 9 8
Tackles success 67.7% 53.3%
Offsides 7 0
Yellow cards 2 2
Red cards 0 1
Source: Sky Sports[11]

Aftermath[]

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger signed four new players after the game.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Arsène Wenger described the result as "humiliating",[12] but claimed it "was not an 8–2 game".[13] Wenger offered his apologies to the club's 3,000 supporters who had travelled to the game, with the club offering free tickets to a future away fixture.[14] Ferguson was empathetic towards Wenger, saying "he has been a big adversary and will continue to be when he gets his big players back".[12]

Wenger moved quickly to strengthen his squad, signing South Korean striker Park Chu-young from AS Monaco,[15] Brazilian André Santos from Fenerbahçe,[16] German defender Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen,[17] and Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta from Everton,[18] as well as loaning Yossi Benayoun from rivals Chelsea.[19] Defender Armand Traoré was the first casualty of the defeat, being quickly sold to newly promoted Queens Park Rangers.[20]

In a poll conducted by broadcaster Sky Sports in 2017, United supporters voted it as the club's greatest ever match in the Premier League.[21]

Despite the magnitude of the victory, Manchester United like Arsenal completed their season without winning any silverware. Manchester City finished level on 89 points with United, but their goal difference was eight weaker than their local rivals', making it the first time the Premier League had been won on goal difference. Arsenal would meanwhile finish third on 70 points.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Rich, Tim (28 August 2011). "Sir Alex Ferguson takes pot shot at Arsène Wenger's barren run". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. ^ Rich, Tim (27 August 2011). "'You tell me, who's good enough to replace Wenger?'". The Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. ^ Stone, Simon (26 August 2011). "Ferguson baffled by Wenger criticism". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Man United v Arsenal preview". Sky Sports. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  5. ^ Bell, Jack (27 July 2011). "Chicharito Sustains Concussion". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "United show no mercy". Sky Sports. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  8. ^ Spencer, Jamie (28 August 2019). "Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal: When an Ashley Young Brace & Wayne Rooney Hat-Trick Saw the Gunners Humiliated". 90min.com. Minute Media. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Hat-Tricks - Wayne Rooney". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Barn End Media. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d Davies, Paul, ed. (28 August 2011). "Today's Officials". United Review. Manchester United. 73 (2): 3.
  11. ^ "Match stats". Sky Sports. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  12. ^ a b McNulty, Phil (29 August 2011). "Arsene Wenger hurt by Arsenal 8-2 defeat at Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  13. ^ Hunter, Andy (28 August 2011). "Grim day for Arsenal but Arsène Wenger says he will not be leaving". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  14. ^ Murrells, Katy (29 August 2011). "Arsenal offer free tickets to fans after Manchester United humiliation". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  15. ^ Ornstein, David (30 August 2011). "Arsenal agree deal to sign Monaco's Chu Young Park". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Arsenal confirm signing of defender Andre Santos". The Independent. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  17. ^ "German defender Per Mertesacker joins Arsenal". BBC Sport. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  18. ^ Hytner, David; Fifield, Dominic (31 August 2011). "Arsenal seal late transfer-window signing of Everton's Mikel Arteta". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Yossi Benayoun completes move to Arsenal". BBC Sport. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Arsenal defender Armand Traore joins QPR". BBC Sport. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  21. ^ Hall, Pete (1 August 2017). "Manchester United's greatest Premier League game - as chosen by you". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
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