Manchester United vs. Arsenal - Eleven for Number Eleven

Three-peat. Three championships in three years. Such an impossibly difficult feat that in the last 25 years United are the only team to have managed it. Mourinho got back-to-back titles but Wenger has been unable to go past one at a time. The bedrock for this fantastic performance was laid when Vidic became a starter in the autumn of 2006 and Ronaldo started scoring prolifically. Those two are the reason these three titles can be mentioned.

The game itself was rather boring. United were lethargic, not at all cutting and looking for a glass of champagne and maybe a prawn sandwich or two. Tevez was given a start, no doubt to say goodbye to the home fans once and for all. When he did come off his waves signaled just that. I tip my hat to Carlito for being a fan's footballer. I think we will miss him but if he is replaced adequately either from within our without, then he shall be remembered fondly at best.

Arsenal were a little slow too but maintained possession fabulously. I think Diaby had his first decent game in recent memory. Nasri cut in well from the right flank but Arshavin was largely invisible except for one instance where he drew 4 defenders with him. United's midfield trio of Fletcher, Carrick and Giggs tried to get stuck in but it just led to a fragmented game. Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney tended to overplay when they did get into attack mode.

Nothing of note to mention other than that. A few incidents such as targeted tackling on Evra, no doubt for his comments after the semi-final. United wanted to start celebrating and Arsenal wanted to start their summer holiday. That's the sort of game it was. A few close freekicks did fill me with tension but Carrick fulfilled his defensive duties well.

Mission accomplished well in this game. O'Shea will need to be on his game against Barcelona and not leave Vidic isolated as he did today. Were Van Persie a better header of the ball, this point would be mentioned a lot more. It does feel though that Barcelona are going from strength to strength while United are ending at an ambling pace. Doesn't bode well for the final.