Wojciech Szczesny has had to make his first big save, coming off his line in the 55th minute to close down the angles on Anderson, the Brazilian midfielder fed through the Arsenal line by Wayne Rooney. Anderson tried to lift the ball over Szczesny from 12 yards out only to see the 20-year-old Polish goalkeeper keep the match 1-0, United.
Manchester United Vs. Arsenal: Opportunities Abound, Even If Goals Do Not
One minute later, Arsenal created their best chance of the match, finally testing Edwin van der Sar. Samir Nasri let a 19-yard shot goal from the left of goal, forcing van der Sar into a diving save. But the United keeper was not able to do more than palm the ball to his left, when Marouane Chamakh looked to have a chance on an open net. Nemanja Vidic was able to recover, block the shot, and keep Arsenal scoreless. Still, Arsenal seems to be making progress.
Of note is Nasri's positioning. He took the shot from center-left of the pitch, a drastic departure from the right flank positioning he held in the first half. With Manchester United playing very deep and compact, Nasri's presence in the middle may be what unlocks the Red Devil defense.
But until they do, United’s going to rely on the counter attack, a tactic that has already generated three scares for Arsenal in the second half. In the 59th minute, Nani missed a golden opportunity from 16 yards out, putting a ball over goal after Szczesny, coming of his line, committed prematurely to going low.
The action is wide open in the second half, with United holding a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute.
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