SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL, FIRST LEG:MANCHESTER UNITED overwhelmed Arsenal yet neglected to leave the full evidence of it in the result. While John O'Shea's opener seemed for an instant to have been followed by a second goal, when the substitute Ryan Giggs turned out to be off-side by a fraction, there ought not to have been a partial escape for visitors who were pounded.

The losers will express hope over the return leg of the Champions League semi-final next Tuesday, but it must be questioned whether they are ready to deny United at the Emirates.

Arsenal are at a tantalising moment in their development. So much has already been achieved but the final steps in re-establishing the team at a level comparable to United are treacherous. It is apparent to Arsene Wenger that the line-up still lacks the physical presence it enjoyed in Patrick Vieria’s time.

The technique of the Champions League holders is prestigious, but it was also insistent waves of power that swamped Arsenal. There was a discomfiting number of opportunities for the visitors’ goalkeeper to contribute. Manuel Almunia excelled in the second minute to turn away Wayne Rooney’s header from a Darren Fletcher delivery that was on the verge of looping into the net.

United enjoyed such command then that they were on the verge of scoring seconds before they actually did.

Tevez popped up twice in a move initiated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Almunia had to pull off a double save once O’Shea had picked out the Argentine. Arsenal’s relief was premature.

A corner broke to Michael Carrick on the left and his ball into the middle, which brushed the former United centre-back Mikael Silvestre, was rifled into the net by O’Shea after 18 minutes.

The harm could have intensified. With half an hour nearly completed, Kolo Toure could not deal with a Tevez delivery and Ronaldo, stealing in behind him, applied force to a downward header. The aim was imperfect and Almunia blocked.

Arsenal had disappointed and their structure looked ill-judged. It is not at all unusual for Cesc Fabregas to operate near the centre-forward, but his influence was seldom felt when his side was being pinned down.

There are still conundrums for Arsenal. The manager, for instance, is on dangerous ground when he attempts to address any deficit in power. His selection for the FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea showed him putting an emphasis on muscle. In the process he wound up playing the opposition on their own terms. Arsenal were ground down and defeated.

Still, he knew what to expect here and accordingly tried, with Denilson left out, to enhance the physical presence.

Alex Ferguson may have had no use for the subtleties of Dimitar Berbatov in the starting line-up but it was predictable that there would be an emphasis on brawn. Anderson, for instance, was picked to play while the likes of Paul Scholes and Giggs were among the substitutes.

Perhaps Ferguson had taken into account Arsenal’s Premier League match at Anfield. They had often failed to cope with the sheer drive of Liverpool. It is true that the occasion ended in a 4-4 draw, but that rested on uncanny marksmanship. Arsenal scored with each of their four attempts on target. Those goals were all notched by Andrey Arshavin, who is ineligible for the Champions League.

That sort of inconvenience reinforced the idea that real achievement is still a little way off for Arsenal. With Gael Clichy injured, Kieran Gibbs continued at left-back. He seems a fine prospect with the ball but it is unavoidable at times that he will be under strain when trying to thwart an opponent. In the context of his career, he was excelling but United were not being put under stress.

Wenger, all the same, saw no reason for radical alteration. Perhaps he felt that the opposition’s energetic domination must wane eventually. It was exasperating for some of his men that they were finding almost no scope to express themselves.

When United went two down to Tottenham before their revival last Saturday it was Aaron Lennon’s pace and trickery that did the real harm. Theo Walcott has those attributes, but was stifled by a lack of supply, as well as by Patrice Evra’s tenacity. Eventually he had to make way for Nicklas Bendtner.

Arsenal were less beleaguered as United appeared to pause, but Ferguson then made substitutions, with Tevez and Anderson withdrawn in favour of Berbatov and Giggs.

This was the latter’s 800th appearance but he can take pride in the fact that there was nothing in the least ceremonial about this outing. He was simply needed.

All the same, it was the audacious Ronaldo who came close to damaging the visitors. He cut inside to crash a dipping 25-yarder that banged against the crossbar. United, so emphatically in control, were still in hot pursuit of a second goal.

There are Old Trafford line-ups of the past who scored with more regularity than this one. Even so, Arsenal were reluctantly compelled to join the long list of clubs who have suffered at this ground on European nights.

• Guardian Service

MAN UTD:Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand (Evans 87), Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs 66), Ronaldo, Tevez (Berbatov 66), Rooney. Subs Not Used: Foster, Park, Scholes, Rafael Da Silva. Booked: Tevez.

ARSENAL: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Silvestre, Gibbs, Song Billong, Diaby, Walcott (Bendtner 70), Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor (Eduardo 82). Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Denilson, Ramsey, Djourou, Eboue.

Referee:Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark).