Manchester Knocks Arsenal out of another Tournament

So...after hoping for 4 trophies this season, Arsenal only have a chance at 1: the Premiership.  After losing to Manchester in the FA Cup Quarterfinals today, they'll have to go through Manchester again to take the Premier League and prevent another trophyless season.  Here are my thoughts on the game.

Most Inluential People

This was another masterclass job by Sir Alex Ferguson.  He was without his top 3 wingers: Nani, Valencia, and Park.  To make up for that, he fielded 2 forwards, 1 midfielder, and 7 defenders.  That means at the very least 3 people were playing out of position, but in fact, 7 players were in positions they are not accustomed too.  What coach would even think of that?  2 of those players were the Da Silva twins (Fabio in the middle and Rafael on the right.  Not that it matters).  Both normally play defense, but in this game they were asked to play as the wingers.  It's always interesting to see brothers play together, their is a kind of mind meld and understanding that doesn't exist in other team mates.  The twins showed this throughout the game as Fabio and Rafael were influential in creating and scoring the first goal, and Fabio played a hand in the second goal as well.

Two other players that played a huge role were Rooney and Hernandez.  With Arsenal dominating possession, the forwards for United were never going to get many opportunities.  Fortunately they don't need many.  Hernandez was important in both goals simply by getting in the box and causing problems for the goalie and defenders.  His powerful header was only deflected by the Arsenal goalie, and Fabio got on the end of the deflection to put it in the top of the net.  For the second goal, he created a mess in front of the goalie, which resulted in the ball popping up for Rooney to head home.

Aside from scoring the second goal to lock up the game, Rooney continued to play the role of playmaker and creator.  He spread the ball around connecting with the wingers on both goals.  He's back among the goals, which is a great sign for the future, but his tireless effort to get to the ball and create for his teammates is what makes him so crucial to this team.

This was a fantastic win for Manchester.  Coming off of back to back defeats, they beat their primary rivals this season, which should catapult them to a double: FA Cup and Premier League Champions!