10 Best Man Utd Performances This Decade

6. Arsenal 1-3 Man United, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-b2We0-gKQ 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 Dutchman€™s 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.