‘If Manchester United are to have any hope of regaining supremacy they will have to become masters of the undeserved victory. The trait was not quite perfected yesterday because Jermain Defoe's goal in the 86th minute, when he was a pace offside, was allowed to stand.
Despite that the result did not constitute cruel treatment of United, who had never been in control. With player after player ripped away through injury, the underlying character of Sir Alex Ferguson's side is being bared for the public to see.
They were diligent enough here but that quality can never be enough to make a team champions elect. The manager might think that, in former times, United would have become pugnaciously inspired in a period of adversity. So far they have only one away win in the Premiership, achieved at Charlton.
"I think maybe we don't have the type of team that can be as aggressive against opponents as we were in 1994 or when we have the likes of Roy Keane and Nicky Butt [available]," he said in a weekend interview.
"This team has stayed together for seven, eight, nine years and we wonder whether the continual battles they go through eventually wear them down," the manager said before this match.
He envisages himself remaining, with a contract that lasts until 2005, to conduct any rebuilding that is required. Despite the club's indebtedness to him, however, that is a course that can be followed only so long as the board believe that he, with his 61st birthday approaching, is still the right person for the post.
Ferguson might have recovered exultancy had James not made a marvellous parry from Laurent Blanc's header in the closing seconds. Lacking that flourish, the manager saw Arsenal step further away.
So troublesome is this passage of the season that even United's good news has a whiff of the semi-comic. Lazio could soon have the funds to pay the £12m still owing on the Jaap Stam transfer. If so, it will be because of the largesse of Libya. According to Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the son of the country's leader, a bid for the majority share in the Italian club is being considered.’