Gunners and Devils

This was a fantastic weekend in Premiership football. I had the opportunity--with my new television and cable service--to watch a number of matches on the Fox Soccer Channel. Far and away, the best match was the one everyone thought would be the highlight: Arsenal at Manchester United. The Red Devils were at home and with a perfect record, thus far. The Gunners were on the road and struggling, even to the point of losing to sides such as Manchester City. To add insult to injury, two starters were injured for Arsene Wenger's club, including Thierry Henry.

The match started out at a furious pace. Watching Cristiano Ronaldo's footwork was a joy. Wayne Rooney wasn't much of a factor, especially as his corner kicks didn't seem to find their target, but Man U was quick and crisp, nonetheless, with speedy dribbling and precise passing. Early on, Gilberto took a penalty kick for the Gunners, but slipped at the strike and put the ball right at the keeper. Keeping may be the story of this match as Tomasz Kuszczak and Jens Lehmann both had amazing saves, one of which was the German blocking a point blank Cristiano Ronaldo strike with his face. Although the Gunners matched the Devils' pace and precision passing, they could never manage to do anything with it in the penalty box. They almost seemed more focused on getting the ball into the box instead of into the net.

But with five minutes left in the match, Emmanuel Adebayor, who had a substitute standing at the line ready to come in for him, punched the ball off the outside of his right foot past Kuszczak and into the net. Three minutes of overage time was not enough for Manchester United to secure the equalizer, and they left a Premiership match for the first time this season without three points and indeed, without any points. This is the kind of match that could turn it around for the Gunners. I have the match recorded and, just like a favorite movie, I plan to watch it again and again and again and again. . . .