United's pride fully restored

Manchester United - 2 Arsenal - 0:ENGLISH FA PREMIERSHIP:Manchester United have been afflicted with injuries to valuable performers and the problems, like lines on a face, have inscribed character on this group. For the first time they are turning into a human interest story.

Much more of this and people may start to fall for United again, as they did in the decades when the flamboyance was counterbalanced by fallibility. Of course, many will recoil on principle from the notion of puppyish lovability existing in Ferguson's band, but this ensemble is more engrossing now than anyone could have anticipated.

Saturday's win over Arsenal was their best Premiership performance of the season as the makeshift side steeled itself to uphold Old Trafford honour. That makes them highly charged, and the crowd, shaken out of its torpor first by anger over results and now through delight in the fightback, is louder than it has been for years. If excitement suppresses the appetite, there will be a steep decline in prawn sandwich consumption.

United merited this victory. It does not prove that they can overthrow Arsenal, and a long period of revival last season petered out. But they have achieved the first objective of being taken very seriously indeed.

Some fans think the resurgence bubbles and hisses with the galvanic fury of Ferguson following the defeat by Manchester City a month ago. More likely United, finding themselves cornered, are reacting like proud men.

There is no sure formula and the side succeed in whatever manner they can. Here, as in the defeat of Liverpool, the accent was on organised resistance. With the game goalless, Thierry Henry shot too close to Fabien Barthez and, soon after, the goalkeeper grazed an exquisite chip by Robert Pires round the post. But Arsenal were usually confined. Carlos Queiroz, Ferguson's assistant, has tutored the squad in fostering midfield claustrophobia.

With Paul Scholes dropping back as a fifth United man in that area, Arsenal were in difficulty and, eventually, in disrepair.

Phil Neville, selected because Quinton Fortune has broken his leg, was responsible for a lot of the visitors' frustration, with challenges and interceptions that plugged the normally volcanic attacking of Arsene Wenger's team.

By the second half it was obvious Arsenal would not be scoring in a 56th consecutive Premiership fixture. When they did unpick themselves from the United midfield, they were generally repelled by Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre. The former could not be confident of his place this season and neither can have dreamed they would come together as a centre-half partnership.

Yet they have the freshness and pace to deal with an opposition who count on mobility. Brown and Silvestre might be more tentative if challenged in the air, but Arsenal and the Premiership are disinclined to give much employment to bullying forwards whose faces lie beneath a web of scar tissue.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is the right height but he is a United player and does not make his impact through attrition. The pass to Paul Scholes, whose cross was turned in by the energetic Juan Sebastian Veron for the opening goal, had verve. It also bore a trace of dubiety since the Dutchman's arm had tamed the ball at the start of the move. Dermot Gallagher was excessively sympathetic in deeming the contact accidental.

Arsenal have too much to reproach themselves for to fault an official. Pascal Cygan cleared wanly to put United in possession for the opener, and Pires was weak in his bid to collect Ashley Cole's throw before the second. Van Nistelrooy fed Scholes and his shot clipped Martin Keown to beat Stuart Taylor, who had come on after Raami Shabaan injured a thigh.

Defeat at Old Trafford should be no cause for continuing trauma. Like Liverpool, and United at an earlier stage, Arsenal are simply finding their weaknesses will sometimes be in open view. Prevented from unleashing Henry, they dwindled into purposelessness.

In theory, Ferguson will have fewer difficulties soon, since David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand are on the verge of comebacks. The manager, however, will look at that prospect quizzically. The return of the stars is a quandary as well as a relief for Ferguson.

Guardian Service

MANCHESTER UTD: Barthez, Gary Neville, Brown, Silvestre, O'Shea, Veron, Phil Neville, Scholes, Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer. Subs Not Used: Ricardo, May, Chadwick, Stewart, Forlan. Booked: Phil Neville. Goals: Veron 22, Scholes 73.

ARSENAL: Shaaban (Taylor 43), Cole, Cygan, Keown, Luzhny, Pires (Toure 77), Silva, Vieira, Ljungberg, Henry, Wiltord (Bergkamp 68). Subs Not Used: Lauren, van Bronckhorst. Booked: Luzhny, Cygan.

Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire)