Manchester United gave Sir Alex Ferguson the victory he would have wanted above all on the day he celebrated 25 years in charge of the club, but it was not the emphatic result some might have expected as a Wes Brown own goal proved the difference in a 1-0 win against Sunderland.
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It may have been a day of personal commendation for Ferguson – who saw the North Stand at Old Trafford renamed in his honour – but that did not stop him surprising once again with his starting lineup, as Wayne Rooney remained in a midfield role and Anders Lindegaard replaced David De Gea between the sticks.
United enjoyed the majority of the first-half possession but struggled to make a real impact, with Phil Jones forcing a decent save from Keiren Westwood after a speculative volley.
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United then got a goal in fortuitous circumstances just before half-time, and it came through one of their former defenders. Having cleared the danger for a corner, Brown found himself nodding home from six yards out, unable to head away Nani’s corner under pressure from Danny Welbeck .
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The second half did not see an upturn in performance, however, with Sunderland growing in confidence as the match went on. United were perhaps fortunate to stay ahead with about 20 minutes remaining, as Lee Mason’s decision to award a penalty against Nemanja Vidic was correctly overruled by his assistant. Mason believed the Serbian defender had been responsible for a handball after a cross was swung into the box, but the linesman correctly identified that Ji Dong-Won was the culprit and the decision was reversed.
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The champions held on to claim one of the more unconvincing wins of Ferguson’s landmark reign, although few inside Old Trafford were that worried as they commemorated the contribution of a club legend.
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Robin van Persie was once again at the centre of matters as Arsenal continued their renaissance with an emphatic 3-0 victory over West Brom at Emirates Stadium.
Van Persie was again the man of the moment as he extended his scoring record to 29 goals in 28 league games, although his opener was one of the easier of the lot. The Dutchman was simply in the right place at the right time to sweep home on 22 minutes, after Theo Walcott’s initial effort had been saved by Ben Foster.
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Shortly after Van Persie turned provider to make it 2-0, cutting back a well-measured ball for an unmarked Thomas Vermaelen to fire home shortly before half-time.
Mikel Arteta was then on hand with just over 15 minutes remaining to clinch the points for the home side, once again collecting a pass from Van Persie after good work by Tomas Rosicky to curl a trademark right-foot effort into the corner. Arsene Wenger’s men had further opportunities to score but ultimately settled for three goals and three points as Roy Hodgson’s men saw their own late mini-revival steadfastly rebuffed by the resolute Arsenal defence.
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