25 October 2004	Monday	10 Ramazan 1425

MANCHESTER, Oct 24: Ruud van Nistelrooy took his revenge on Arsenal in the sweetest possible fashion as Manchester United ended their arch rivals' 49-match unbeaten run in the Premiership with a 2-0 win in controversial circumstances here on Sunday.

Van Nistelrooy, who had been violently jostled and taunted by the Arsenal players after he missed a penalty that would have given United victory in the corresponding fixture last season, coolly sent Jens Lehmann the wrong way from the spot to put United ahead 17 minutes from the end.

His strike partner Wayne Rooney, who had won the penalty, then applied the final fatal blow in stoppage time, side-footing home Alan Smith's cross from close range.

It was Arsenal's first defeat in the league since a loss to Leeds in May 2003 effectively handed United the title and it is one that is likely to leave a legacy of lasting bitterness given the nature of the crucial penalty.

Television replays suggested Rooney had gone down extremely easily after the lightest of contacts from Sol Campbell. But referee Mike Riley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and van Nistelrooy did the rest.

As a spectacle, the match was disfigured from the outset by challenges that spanned a spectrum from the mildly reckless to borderline malevolent and which, for the first 35 minutes, Riley was peculiarly reluctant to sanction.

Ashley Cole was extremely fortunate to escape a booking after clattering into Ryan Giggs inside the first two minutes but he could not escape the lunge from Rooney that followed 60 seconds later.

That set the pattern for a stop-start contest in which neither side was able to play with sustained fluency.

A more open encounter may have ensued had United managed to exploit the eighth minute chance that fell to Ryan Giggs after Kolo Toure charged down Rooney's shot from just inside the area.

The loose ball fell to Scholes who immediately returned it to Rooney. The teenager's cut-back wrong-footed the Arsenal defence but Sol Campbell was able to recover in time to block Giggs' shot from just behind the penalty spot.

Arsenal had another scare shortly afterwards when Lehmann scuffed a clearance straight at Ronaldo, whose first-time pass caught van Nistelrooy only fractionally offside.

It was the visitors however who had the better quality chances and they had considerable cause for complaint when Edu sent Freddie Ljungberg sprinting clear of the United back four mid-way through the opening period.

The Swedish midfielder appeared to be barged over by Rio Ferdinand but referee Mike Riley judged the challenge legitimate.

Another chance went begging when Dennis Bergkamp's control let him down as he received Jose Antonio Reyes's neat dink into the box, allowing Roy Carroll just enough time to close him down and block.

United had further reason to be grateful to Carroll three minutes before the interval when Edu, drifting in from the right, played Thierry Henry in behind his France team-mate Mikael Silvestre.

Again the Northern Ireland goalkeeper was quickly off his line to narrow the angle and block Henry's attempt at a chipped finish.

Arsenal's dominance extended into the opening stages of the second half, which saw Bergkamp squander another gilt-edged opportunity. Ljungberg was the creator, beating Gabriel Heinze on the right touchline before delivering a low cross that Bergkamp pulled wide of the target.

Results:

Manchester United 2 Arsenal 0

Middlesbrough 1 Portsmouth 1

Newcastle United 4 Manchester City 3

Southampton 0 Birmingham City 0 -Reuters