The soccer world will be frozen in front of their TVs this Sunday as the FC Barcelona host Real Madrid at 1 PM ET at Camp Nou in most anticipated Spanish football derby in the last years.

These two teams are arguably the two most famous squads on the planet filled with playmakers that can change the course of game with a single kick.

Both teams are coming off wins in the Champions League, however the victory of the “Azulgranas” 2-0 over the Italian Champion Inter Milan said more than the “Merengues” win 1-0 over Zurich; especially since Barcelona played without their best striker Lionel Messi and Swede striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic; both of whom remain questionable for this Sunday.

The big news for Real Madrid this week is that world class winger Cristiano Ronaldo played for the first time in 2 months last Wednesday after recovering from a nagging ankle injury suffered in a World Cup qualifier with Portugal.

Ronaldo still has some bad blood with Barcelona as the “Azulgranas” defeated him and their former squad Manchester United 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final on May. “I’m definitely ready to play in Barcelona. I’m feeling good and I want to play. Now it’s down to the coach whether I start”, said CR9.

This game will be a battle of styles. Despite Real Madrid’s Golden Ball trophy winners Ronaldo and Kaka, Barcelona is a better prepared team with more playing time together and that could end up being a defining factor.

“They are top of the table for a reason; they’ve won almost all of their games this season and we know they can hurt us if we allow them to,” the Barcelona defender Charles Puyol explained. “The most important thing for us is that we keep possession and play as we know how to. I think it will be an evenly balanced game.”

At this point the “Merengues” lead the Spanish league standings with 28 points, just one more than Barcelona. “Is time put distance between ourselves and Barcelona in terms of points on the board”, said RM goalkeeper Iker Casillas. “We know that Barça play good football but we’re not going there with any kind of fear. We’re first in the Liga and top of our UEFA Champions League group. We’ll do our talking on the pitch and we won’t be out there waiting to see what they do. It’s going to be a beautiful and emotional game.”

Real Madrid hasn’t forgotten the last time these two teams met, when Barcelona was unstoppable and ended up crushing the “Merengues” 6-2 in Madrid with outstanding performances from Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi.

The last time when these 2 met in Barcelona the home team also won 2-0.

Consider these soccer betting trends: on the last 10 derbies played at Camp Nou Barcelona have won 3, Real Madrid 2 and have tied 5 times. On totals goals overall Barcelona have scored 153 and Real Madrid 93 in a classic played at Barcelona.
Sourced via betus.com

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Peter Kenyon’s successor at Stamford Bridge wants to lead the club to new heights

On the face of it, Ron Gourlay has taken on one of the cushiest jobs in English football. Chelsea are top of the Premier League, having entranced with a scintillating style, sweeping all-comers aside. The new manager is winning allies, the club’s ambitious owner is enthused, and on a summer tour of the United States games were played in crammed stadiums in a country apparently still sceptical of all things soccer.

Yet, as Peter Kenyon’s successor settled into his new office this week, the clutter in the chief executive’s in-tray will have served as a reminder that everything at Chelsea remains a work in progress. The perception of this as a flashy club, prone to “brashness”, lingers. Neither of the two European Cups targeted for the first decade of the Roman Abramovich era have been secured, with Manchester City usurping the London club in the nouveaux riches of the modern era. Manchester United remain the trailblazers all pursue, while the potential of a 12-month transfer ban over the Gaël Kakuta affair looms large. Gourlay is braced to work seven-day weeks. Daunted? Apparently not.

The Dundee fan who shivered on the terraces at Dens Park from the age of seven and followed Kenyon from United to south-west London five years ago, initially joining as chief operating officer, is in contact with Abramovich “two or three times a week”. The discussions touch upon various aspects of a business whose turnover swelled to £213.1m in the most recent accounts, for the financial year ending 30 June 2008. “Roman wants Chelsea to be the best, and we all do,” Gourlay says. “He wants to win games playing exciting football. He would like us to continue identifying good, home-grown players and nurturing them through our academy.”

Ideally he would also like this business to be self-sufficient, though that will have to wait. That target has, for now, been put back and, rather than make bold predictions of a financial future free of reliance upon the oligarch, the CEO is preaching realism. “It would be nice to go to the owner and say we don’t need any more cash, but that’s not where we are today,” he says. “I like to operate honestly but realistically. Self-sufficiency is still the goal. That’s what we’re trying to attain. Is it going to happen this year? No. I’m not going to make any claim on that front because, realistically, it isn’t going to happen this year but we’re not that far away. But there’s probably more pressure from ourselves as a board of directors [to achieve self-sufficiency] than from the owner.

“You get what you see with me. I like to manage people and I like them to get on with their jobs. I don’t like to do their jobs for them. Brashness? Everybody has a different style. People always say to me: ‘You worked with Peter Kenyon for a long time,’ but we’re two completely different personalities and I do things different. Hopefully, if there was brashness there then maybe you won’t see as much brashness going forward. You’ll still see as much energy, you’ll probably see more will to win with realistic goals.

“We’ve learned a lot in the last five years. And I know exactly what I’ve got to achieve in the next three years. The challenge has always been the cost of running the business. It’s no secret about our wage bill and that isn’t going to go away, so we will be looking to drive up revenue.” Wages made up 70.6% of turnover in 2008 before “exceptional items” – the £23.1m of compensation payments made to José Mourinho, Avram Grant and five coaching staff – were taken into account. The figures to be announced next year will include the pay-offs since forked out to Luiz Felipe Scolari and his backroom team. There is confidence such costly mistakes will not be repeated in the foreseeable future.

“When you look at Carlo [(Ancelotti] and what he’s done in his career, there’s always been stability. He’s been at the same club, Milan, a long time and he’s delivered the top trophy twice. His background is slightly different to where we’ve been in the past. Carlo will be given the time. Of course, we will all feel the pressure if we don’t win any trophies. Not only will there be pressure on Carlo, there will be pressure on me. That doesn’t mean to say we’re going to sack the manager. I don’t think I’ll find myself in that position.

“The goal is to win the Champions League and that does take you up another bar: your sponsorship ability and your commercial ability just rise to another level. The impact on your merchandising sales alone is huge overnight. You can start to generate licensing fees for different products in different parts of the world, the awareness of the football club grows. I witnessed that in a past life [at Manchester United] and I’ve seen just exactly what you can do. In the 10-year plan [drawn up in 2004] there were two Champions Leagues and we’ve been very unlucky. Over the next five years we’ve still got to shoot for the stars. I’d still like to think we can win the Champions League twice in the next five years. That might sound aggressive but I think we can still do it.”

The Kakuta issue could yet have implications on that ambition. Chelsea expect to discover next week whether the Court of Arbitration for Sport is willing to freeze Fifa’s 12-month ban from registering players pending an appeal hearing early next year. Should that be confirmed then the league leaders would have an opportunity to strengthen their squad – potentially for the last time until the summer of 2011 – in January. “But we already have one of the strongest pools of players out there, undoubtedly the most experienced in the Premier League,” Gourlay says. “We have the ability to be in the market if we feel we need it. At the present time, I don’t think we need it.”

The reality is that transfer policy is in limbo while CAS deliberates. “We feel we’ve got a strong case, but who knows? We didn’t expect the ban in the first place. For it to be so severe was very much a shock, but we’ll deal with it whatever way it goes. We won’t go around feeling sorry for ourselves if the ban stands. We still have a top squad and, at times like that, you’ve got to buckle down and get on with it.”

That squad is as settled as it has ever been. Joe Cole should follow the recent trend by signing extended terms imminently. The futures of Nicolas Anelka and Michael Ballack may be revisited over the course of the season, with Chelsea confident they will be able to ward off the likes of City in an increasingly distorted wage market. “We’re setting ourselves goals that will see the percentage of wages of our turnover will remain static,” said Gourlay. “That is still one hell of a lot of money to play with.”

Are Manchester City will be active in the transfer window. Are they yet a threat? “I’m not really sure they’ve signed anybody recently that we were interested in,” he says, glossing over the unsettling interest in John Terry last summer. “It’s a competitive marketplace. That’s something that we’ve got to deal with going forward. With the players they have, they’re certainly going to try and push their way into the top five. Commercially, it’s not that easy. They’re very much a Manchester-centric club. To break into the ‘big world’ and start developing your business in Asia and the US, you need to really start winning some trophies, and not just one Premier League. They can attain it with consistency over the next few years. But there are one or two other clubs out there who may have something to say about that.”

For now, it is Manchester United who focus minds at Stamford Bridge. The champions visit on Sunday trailing their hosts by two points in the Premier League but braced to confront a team that has won all nine home games under Ancelotti. “Anybody who finishes above United will win the league, so I do see them as our biggest rivals,” says Gourlayadds of his former employers. “But we look forward to it. For me, this job is a great challenge. This business is growing. I think I’m the correct person to build on the hard work of the last five years and take it on to the next level.”
Sourced via guardian.co.uk

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Kaka is leaving his Real Madrid transfer aside for now and wants to stay focused on the Brazilian national team.

The newly signed Real Madrid player said he will not talk about the move to the Spanish club until the end of the Confederations Cup in South Africa.

‘I’ve already talked everything I wanted to talk about this subject,’ Kaka said on Sunday. ‘From now on I only want to talk about the Confederations Cup.’ Kaka said that he was thankful to AC Milan and to the Italian fans who supported him during his time in Italy.

‘The only reason I’m recognised as an international player is because of Milan,’ Kaka said. ‘I hope Milan can keep doing well.’

Real Madrid signed Kaka from AC Milan for US$92 million (S$135 million) on June 8. The player reportedly reached a deal for a six-year contract with the Spanish club.

The 2007 Fifa world player of the year, Kaka turned down a record 100 million euro transfer to Manchester City in January. He hopes his move to Madrid will help him regain the title of best player in the world.

‘It’s a great motivation for me, these individual prizes are really a motivation,’ Kaka said. ‘But I know that every time I won one of these prizes was after my team had won an important competition. If my team hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be recognised either. So first I need to think of the group.’

The 27-year-old offensive midfielder will be key for Brazil when the Confederations Cup gets under way, being one of the team’s most experienced players.

‘I consider myself only one of the great names in this national team,’ Kaka said. ‘We also have players like Juan, Lucio, Gilberto Silva, who also have played in other World Cups like me. And even the younger players in this team have a lot of experience themselves.’

Kaka won the Champions League with Milan in 2007 and the Italian league in 2004, scoring 70 Serie A goals and 23 in the Champions League after joining the Italian club from Sao Paulo for US$8 million in 2003. He will play in Madrid along current world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sourced via straitstimes.com

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Nemanja Vidic has warned Barcelona that Manchester United will not be intimidated by the attacking strengths of Pep Guardiola’s squad in the Champions League final next Wednesday.

United travel to Rome on Monday aiming to become the first club to retain the Champions League title in its current form. They will also emulate the feat achieved by Ajax, in 1973, by becoming the first club since the Dutch giants to defend both their domestic and European crowns if they beat Barcelona.

The Spanish champions, who are chasing a Treble in Rome, have perhaps the most fearsome attacking options in world football with the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi supported by midfield creators Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

But United defender Vidic insists that Sir Alex Ferguson’s team have enough strengths of their own to cancel out any fears over the threat posed by Barca.

Vidic said: “Barcelona have some good players, especially up front, so it won’t be easy. They have played some good football and scored a lot of goals this season and we have great respect for them.

“But we must concentrate on ourselves and what we’re going to do. We’re not just going to go there and defend; we want to attack them as well.

“We have players that can cause defenders problems and score goals. When we’ve needed goals this season we’ve scored them.

“In some games we’ve been one or two goals down, but have still come back to win. That shows that when we need to score our attackers have produced.”

Having lifted the European Cup in Moscow last season, United arguably go into next week’s game under less pressure than Barcelona, whose failure to win more than two European Cups leaves them trailing great rivals Real Madrid by seven continental crowns.

Vidic insists, however, that United will still go into the game with expectancy weighing heavy on their shoulders.

He said: “There’s always pressure on you when you play in a final. Of course, you want to enjoy the experience and play your game but you’re very aware of what is at stake in a game like this.

“You just have to try and deal with the pressure. We won it last season and have picked up great experience from doing that.

“Getting to a Champions League final is not something that happens every year so we want to make the most of our chance and win the trophy.”
Sourced via telegraph.co.uk

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Andres Iniesta's equalising goal in the 93rd minute set up a?Barcelona-Manchester United Champions League final.

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1

Andres Iniesta’s injury-time equaliser has put Barcelona into the Champions League final on Wednesday after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Chelsea led through a stunning Michael Essien strike after nine minutes and restricted Barca until deep into stoppage time when Iniesta’s powerful effort deflected off John Terry.

Barcelona will now meet defending champions Manchester United in Rome on May 27.
Sourced via theage.com.au

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Defending champion Manchester United swept into the final of soccer’s European Champions League on Tuesday night by routing an out-of-sorts and out-of-sync Arsenal, 3-1, at the Emirates Stadium in London.

That gave the Red Devils a 4-1 aggregate victory in the home-and-home series and the chance to play the winner of Wednesday’s Chelsea-Barcelona semifinal in the May 27 final in Rome.

Ronaldo had said earlier in the week that, contrary to earlier desires, he would be happy to remain with the reigning English, European and world champions. “I am no longer thinking of Madrid,” Ronaldo said. “That dream is dead.”

But Tuesday’s published report that Manchester United already was seeking other options left Ronaldo with only one way to respond, and he did just that.

Ronaldo, 24, in an imperious performance befitting his status as the reigning FIFA world player of the year, created United’s first goal with a superb cutback pass that caused Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs to slip and fall and allowed United’s Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung to score after only eight minutes.

Three minutes later, Ronaldo unleashed a 39-yard free kick that tore into the back of the net just inside the right post and beyond the fingertips of Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

Sixteen minutes into the second half Ronaldo started and finished a sublime counter-attack by United. He back-heeled the ball to Park, who passed to Wayne Rooney out on the left. Rooney crossed the ball into the path of Ronaldo, who fired it past Almunia for his 25th goal of the season.

“I thought tonight they couldn’t handle him,” Manchester United Coach Alex Ferguson said. “We needed someone to give them real problems, and Ronaldo in that form . . . well, he’s fantastic.”

A smiling Ronaldo acknowledged his performance. “I think I am back to my best, yes,” he said. “Certainly in the last few games.”

Ferguson, who will be seeking his third Champions League title, said experience had mastered youth.

“They are a young team, and I don’t think whatever level you play at teams can recover from two quick goals like that,” he said. Arsenal Coach Arsene Wenger, who believed his team had a chance in the second leg after holding United to only a one-goal victory in Manchester last week, was shell-shocked.

“We do not have the feeling that we played a semifinal in the Champions League because it was over after 10 minutes,” he said. Arsenal got a late goal on a penalty kick by Robin van Persie after a red-card foul by Darren Fletcher that will cause him to miss the final.

Chelsea, last season’s runner-up to United, plays host to Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday after tying, 0-0, in Spain.

“If you ask me who I would like to play in the final, neither of them,” Ferguson joked. “I think we should have a bye.”

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Preview of Arsenal v Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final second leg at the Emirates.

Touchline Duel Arsene Wenger v Sir Alex Ferguson

Arsenal v Manchester United: past Champions League semi-finals

If the past is anything to go by, the touchline battle will potentially be as finely balanced as the match. In 38 matches spread over more than 12 years, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have enjoyed 14 victories apiece, while there have been 10 draws.

A genuine warmth is now apparent between the two old adversaries, although that may be associated with Wenger’s failure to win a trophy since 2005. Given their longevity and regular involvement in the latter stages of the Champions League, it is surprising that this should be their first clash in Europe.

Talking Tactics

Ferguson won the tactical battle last week with a formation that allowed the industry of Wayne Rooney to help nullify the wide threat of Theo Walcott, while Anderson, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher were dominant across midfield.

Similar tactics can be anticipated tonight, particularly as Ferguson rested his three midfielders against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Wenger is considering a switch to a 4-4-2 formation to provide more support in attack for Emmanuel Adebayor, who often found himself isolated at Old Trafford last week. Robin van Persie has recovered from a groin strain and will be fit.

Key battle Cesc Fabregas v Michael Carrick

Wenger’s use of Fabregas will be one of the pivotal decisions following the Spaniard’s struggle to create chances last week in a more offensive position in support of Adebayor. Robin van Persie’s return means Fabregas is likely to revert to his usual central role.

For United, Carrick sets the rhythm and will again be vital in restricting Arsenal’s possession. United’s more physically imposing midfield took a grip of the game last week but Carrick’s main asset is his range of passing, as he proved when he set up John O’Shea’s winning goal.

Key battle Kieran Gibbs v Cristiano Ronaldo

Although partly to blame for the failure to close John O’Shea for the United goal, Gibbs could take some credit last week for restricting Ronaldo. His pace is a major asset, but Ronaldo will again seek to exploit a sometimes questionable positional sense.

Like Carrick, the Portuguese will be well rested after not featuring against Boro at the weekend. As he showed against Porto in the previous round, the winger can shine on the big European stage and will look to catch Arsenal on the counter-attack.

Key Battle Emmanuel Adebayor v Nemanja Vidic

Adebayor was a peripheral figure at Old Trafford and, while the service to him was limited, he seemed to lack the physical presence really to trouble Vidic. Arsenal need much more from the Togo forward to stand a realistic hope of progressing.

Vidic will be heartened to play once again alongside Rio Ferdinand, who has been passed fit after shaking off a rib injury. The Serb will be confident of keeping the clean sheet which would take United to Rome, while he will also worry Arsenal with his aerial threat from corners.

Teams

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Almunia; Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Gibbs; Song, Nasri; Walcott, Fabregas, Van Persie; Adebayor.
Manchester United (4-3-3): Van der Sar; O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher; Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney.
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy).

Who’s saying what:

Arsene Wenger: “I am very confident that the team will produce a magnificent performance and that we will qualify. We are playing a home game where we have a very strong record in the Champions League. For many people we are outsiders but I believe we can do it. There is no Mission Impossible for us. I believe that when we have beaten United at home in the Premier League, there have been plenty of opportunities – and I do not think that would change my belief at all if they score.”

Alex Ferguson: “I still expect it to be a very close game and one that’s very difficult to call. It could even go to extra-time or penalties. That’s why I keep stressing the importance of us scoring a goal. There is nothing I don’t know about Arsenal and there is nothing they don’t know about us. There is nothing you can hide. The challenges and clashes we have had with Arsenal in the past don’t reach the proportion of this one.”

Patrice Evra: “I think Arsenal will attack more at home than they did at Old Trafford last week and I also think that Robin van Persie will be back. Arsenal need to win so they will attack more, but we want to win as well and we won’t be going there to just try and get a clean sheet.”

Statistics

* Arsenal have never beaten an English side in Europe. They lost 5-3 to Liverpool in last season’s quarter-finals and 3-2 to Chelsea at the same stage four years earlier, both after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

* Arsenal, who have progressed to the final from all six previous European semi-finals, have not conceded a single goal in their last six Champions League home games and have let in just two in the last 12.

* Adebayor has scored eight goals in his last nine Champion League matches.

* United are aiming to extend their European record of 24 unbeaten matches as well as their other records of 151 Champions League games played and 79 victories.

* United have conceded just one goal in their last seven Champions League away games. They have not failed to score in a European game against a fellow-English clubs for more than 45 years – since losing 2-0 to Tottenham in the 1963-64 Cup Winners Cup.

* United striker Carlos Tevez has never finished on the losing team in 20 Champions League matches.
Sourced via telegraph.co.uk

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The Gunners are the third English top team to enter this weekend’s Premiership battle on the back of a midweek European encounter. And they will have to put aside the match with United for the Champions League and concentrate on the domestic race – if Arsenal collect three more points, they will be assured a top four finish and a place in the CL playoffs round for next.

Arsenal are fourth with 65 points, six points behind Chelsea in third spot and 10 points above fifth placed Aston Villa.

In the final run of the season, both domestically and on the European front, Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas has called on the club’s website for his teammates not to lose their concentration and to be more clinical in front of goal for the Champions League Semi-Final second leg at home to Manchester United on Tuesday and their remaining Premiership encounters.

“How much stronger are we at home?” he said. “We showed that in the Premier League, by beating them (Manchester United) and scoring two goals.

“We have to be more clinical in front of goal – that is for sure. We passed the ball a lot tonight and combined very well, but we were not clinical enough. That is what we have to improve in our remaining games.”

Meanwhile Portsmouth need six points from the last 12 on offer to be guaranteed Premier League football next season, but going into this game with a seven-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three, Pompey supporters must feel a seventh successive top-flight football is in the bag.

If Portsmouth lose to Arsenal, as they already have lost to Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, they would end the season without a single point against any of the so-called ‘Big Four’.

Pompey are chasing their first league victory over Arsenal in more than 50 years, since the 1-0 victory at Fratton Park on March 29 1958.

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Manchester United's John O'Shea, center, reacts after scoring a goal with team members Rio Ferdinand, right, and Darren Fletcher, left, during their Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match against Arsenal at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. SCOTT HEPPELL / AP

MANCHESTER, England — John O’Shea gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, but the defending champion missed plenty of chances to win by a bigger margin.

The fullback scored in the 18th minute after Arsenal failed to clear a corner. United outplayed Arsenal for long spells and had chances of a far bigger victory, but was foiled by three good first-half saves by Manuel Almunia.

The Red Devils look certain to go to next week’s second leg without center back Rio Ferdinand, who has a suspected broken rib after a late scramble in front of the United goal.

”He’s gone to hospital and we will wait for the outcome of that,” said United manager Alex Ferguson. “It doesn’t look good at the moment.”

The two teams meet again at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium next Tuesday. The winner will advance to the May 27 final in Rome to face either Barcelona or Chelsea, who drew 0-0 in Tuesday’s first leg in Spain.

”We had chances and their goalkeeper made two or three fantastic saves,” Ferguson said. ‘The more pleasing aspect is that, before the game I said [to the players] `Try and win the game without conceding a goal.’ We’ve done that.

“Our forward play was very good and that’s given us a good chance.”

Arsenal was without injured forward Robin van Persie and Russian star Andry Arshavin, who is not eligible to line up for the Gunners in the Champions League having played for Zenit St. Petersburg earlier in this season’s competition. The result was that Arsene Wenger’s men rarely created chances at Old Trafford but are fortunate they only have to make up a one-goal deficit at home.

Wenger believes that his team will play far better in the second leg.

”If you look at the clear-cut chances, they were on top,” the Arsenal manager said. “The positive is that we are only 1-0 down that we take home, and I am convinced that you will see a different Arsenal team at the Emirates. I believe that we have a good chance to reverse the result.

“I believe that the tie is very open. [United] can have regrets because they didn’t score a second goal. It’s down to us to make sure they regret they didn’t score a second goal.”

United’s pressure brought some early chances followed by a goal.

Wayne Rooney’s looping header in the second minute was finger-tipped away by Almunia, and a well-worked move ended with O’Shea’s cross to Carlos Tevez, whose close-range shot was well saved by the Gunners keeper.

From the corner, Michael Carrick beat a defender on the left and his cross deflected off Alex Song to the unmarked O’Shea, who drove the ball into the roof of the net.

After the 0-0 draw between Barcelona and Chelsea, that makes fullback O’Shea, who has scored 13 other goals for United, the only player to score in the semifinals so far although he said United should have had more.

”Possibly with the chances we had. Their ‘keeper has made a couple of great saves,” the Irish international said. “On our first half display we could have been a couple more goals up.

“But we have the goal, we kept a clean sheet and we know we’re capable of scoring an away goal at the Emirates. In the second game we need to improve on retaining possession. Overall we have to be happy.”

The defending champions maintained the momentum, and the busy Almunia saved a close-range header from Cristiano Ronaldo as well as his follow up shot. Later, he raced off his line to dive at the feet of Tevez as United threatened more goals.

”Almunia had a big game in a big game,” Wenger said. “His saves were excellent, top class in every sense. His reading of the game, his decision making, quality, sharpness. He was really top class tonight.”

Although Arsenal had a spell of possession before halftime, the Gunners did little to worry United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, with defenders Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic firmly in control of striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The pattern continued in the second half, with Ronaldo having a shot blocked. After Adebayor made a series of mistakes at the other end, the Arsenal fans began chanting the name of striker Eduardo da Silva.

Adebayor’s response was a powerful shot that just cleared the crossbar, but Ronaldo then replied with a 25-meter drive that shook the Gunners bar.

Ferguson sent on Dimitar Berbatov for the busy Tevez, and Ryan Giggs stretched his record number of appearances for the club to 800 when he came on for Anderson.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned Manchester United that they may look back on the Champions League semi-final first leg at Old Trafford and wished they had scored more than one goal.

While the Frenchman admits it would be the Gunners’ greatest ever achievement against the Red Devils, he is confident his side will punish the holders in the return clash next Tuesday for not making the most of their chances.

“They can have regrets because they did not score a second goal,” Wenger is quoted as saying by The Sun.

“It is down to us to make sure they regret they didn’t.

“The return leg will be a good opportunity to show our character and mental strength.

“I am confident that you will see our strength of character — and next Tuesday I can talk about it in the press conference after the game.

“It will be our biggest win over United if we do it because there is a final at stake.

“And when we play at home and know that there is a final at stake we will be up for it.

“We will be up for it next Tuesday and I am confident we can do it. I believe we will be on top.”
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