It was a vintage display of counterattacking, summed up by a goal of real beauty. With Arsenal having found themselves 2-0 down at the Emirates Stadium, and 3-0 down on aggregate in their Champions League semi-final encounter with Manchester United, they began to chuck even the kitchen sink at the Red Devils in an effort to find a way back into the tie. In the space of ten seconds, Man United won the ball back, broke forward with Ji-Sung Park, who laid it off to Wayne Rooney on the left-hand side of the box who stroked it across the face of goal for a sprinting Cristiano Ronaldo to slot into the top corner of the net. Quick, efficient and ruthless. The game was essentially over after the first eleven minutes, with Ji-Sung Park having pounced on a defensive lapse to put the Red Devils ahead after eight minutes, before Ronaldo doubled their lead three minutes later with a 40-yard free-kick. Robin van Persie did net a late penalty for the hosts, but by then, it was a goal met with ironic cheers from the away end, and in truth, it was probably games like this that began to chip away at the Dutchmans decision to eventually swap north London for Manchester. Wenger had promised a magnificent performance from his players, but in reality, they were brushed aside with ease, as Man United cruised into the Champions League final, displaying the swagger, speed and panache befitting of a side about to clinch the Premier League trophy for the third time in a row.