Manchester United did well to score a 2-0 victory against their long-standing rival, Arsenal, to advance to Semifinals of the FA Cup. After suffering back-to-back losses to the Gunners, the win marked United’s second consecutive win over the Gunners in the FA Cup, but the result sees the Reds extend their scoreless streak to 338 minutes in this historic competition dating back to 2003/04.
Fabio and Wayne Rooney scored the goals for United, but were either of their performances worthy of Man of the Match against the Gunners?
Edwin van der Sar – 9 (Man of the Match)
Arsenal are always going to get chances to score, and van der Sar was more than up for that challenge with countless world-class saves.
Wes Brown – 6
After a well-documented fall out with the manager, Brown is showing just how vital his contribution could be in the season’s run-in.
Chris Smalling – 7
A much better performance than the one he put in against Liverpool from Smalling and used his height to defend numerous crosses from either flank.
Nemanja Vidic – 7
Assigned with the task to make sure that Robin van Persie remain quiet, Vidic turned in another solid performance following his suspension against Liverpool.
Patrice Evra – 7
Had a very entertaining battle with Samir Nasri in the first half, which saw Arsene Wenger shift him more infield and down the right after halftime.
Rafael – 7
Playing out of place in a more advanced role, Rafael showed that he has the capability to get forward and cause opposing defenders problems with his tenacity and pace.
John O’Shea – 6
Rarely put a foot wrong protecting the back-four and was in charge of keeping Jack Wilshere quiet, which O’Shea did for the most part.
Darron Gibson – 6
Needing a victory to resurrect their season, it was a shocking start for Gibson over the other preferred midfielders, but the midfielder handled the task admirably.
Fabio – 7
A rare start for the lesser of the two twins, Fabio put in a very good 45-minute performance and was full value for his goal.
Wayne Rooney – 7
Seen as the senior player in today’s United attack, the 25-year old acted as a key part in the Reds’ fully deserved victory – and it was fitting that he got the goal that secured the win.
Javier Hernandez – 7
Very unlucky not to have added his name to the score sheet on a couple of occasions, but Chicharito’s pace and movement provided the gaps for his teammates to pick up his slack.
Substitutions
Antonio Valencia – 7
Making his first appearance since breaking his ankle seven months ago, Valencia added spice to the United attack and certainly did not show any adverse effects from that injury.
Ryan Giggs – 6
Came on to add more experience and composure to the United attack, and Giggs should have really padded the scoreline, but he fluffed his chance.
Paul Scholes – 5
Showed a moment of genius with a wonderful pass, but Scholes also showed the red mist that Arsene Wenger talked about with two ill-timed challenges.
Overall – 7
Manchester United played much better against Arsenal than they did in their previous two performances in the FA Cup – against Southampton and Crawley Town – but now the Reds will have to prove that they can replicate their form at Old Trafford on the road as they compete for a place in the final at Wembley.
Submitted by The United Religion
