FA PREMIERSHIP / MAN UTD 0 ARSENAL 1: Arsenal surged towards their third league and FA Cup double, and their second under Arsene Wenger, here last night with a rugged demonstration of the mental strength which has characterised so many of their performances this season.
A draw would have been enough to end Manchester United's latest reign as champions but in the event Arsenal took the lead with a goal from Sylvain Wiltord just before the hour.
The retiring champions were well below their best; too often gave the ball away and struggled to find the accuracy and imagination required to penetrate Arsenal's dogged, disciplined defence.
Historical neatness demanded that Arsene Wenger's team finish the job without delay. They had won their seventh championship in 1953, Coronation year, so why not their 12th at the home of Coronation Street and in Jubilee year to boot?
With each manager keeping an influential Dutchman on the bench - Ruud van Nistelrooy for United, Dennis Bergkamp for Arsenal - there was even more of an air of suspense about the evening. Arsenal's attack was also without the injured Thierry Henry but Ray Parlour and Fredrik Ljungberg had won them the FA Cup at the weekend so why worry?
Why indeed. Within two minutes Nwankwo Kanu had nodded a clearance from David Seaman out to Ray Parlour from whose centre Wiltord's half-volley ricocheted wide off Laurent Blanc.
Before five minutes had passed United forced successive corners, left and right, each of which might have produced a goal. First a 20-yard shot from Paul Scholes then a close-range header from Wes Brown took deflections on their way wide and high.
Part of Arsenal's plan involved Edu keeping a weather eye open for the forward runs of Roy Keane while Patrick Vieira watched Juan Sebastian Veron. Parlour, meanwhile, looked ready to take on anybody. Arsenal also upped the tempo whenever they could, making it difficult for United to settle into a regular rhythm.
Midway through the first half Scholes introduced his own particular brand of blank verse to the proceedings with a reckless late lunge at Edu which brought the United man a yellow card. Earlier, Edu himself had been fortunate to escape a booking for a rough tackle on Keane.
Scholes's caution introduced a yellowish tinge to the game which deepened as Phil Neville and Keane received bookings for fouls on Wiltord and Patrick Vieira. Some of United's tackling, like their championship challenge this season, was becoming a little late, although the fact that Edu did not see a card until he fouled Mikael Silvestre in the 41st minute was a mystery in itself.
Fabien Barthez did his best to encourage Arsenal by mis-hitting a clearance straight to Wiltord, who was unable to do anything with it. Otherwise United were left to maintain some sort of attacking momentum, that is until Arsenal went ahead four minutes before the hour.
A mistake by Silvestre allowed Parlour to gain possession on the right and find Wiltord, whose pass sent Ljungberg clear. Barthez managed to parry the Swede's shot but Wiltord, who by this time had moved into the middle, slipped in the rebound.
Almost immediately Ferguson replaced Veron with Van Nistelrooy, who quickly entered into the spirit of things by indulging in a spot of push-and-shove with Martin Keown. United needed something more from the Dutchman if the championship was going to be kept open a while longer. However, they did not receive it and Arsenal were left with an academic last game against Everton on Saturday. Let the party begin.
Guardian Service
MANCHESTER UNITED: Barthez, Phil Neville, Blanc, Brown, Silvestre, Scholes, Keane, Veron (van Nistelrooy 58), Giggs, Solskjaer, Forlan (Fortune 68). Subs Not Used: Carroll, O'Shea, Wallwork. Booked: Scholes, Phil Neville, Keane, Blanc.
ARSENAL: Seaman, Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira, Edu, Wiltord, Kanu (Dixon 89). Subs Not Used: Jeffers, Bergkamp, Wright, Stepanovs. Booked: Edu, Lauren. Goal: Wiltord 57.
Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).
