Even after winning the game, Wenger still blasted the referee's refereeing standards. Perhaps it was to divert the attention of the outside world and avoid putting too much pressure on Arsenal. Or perhaps it was just Wenger looking for an excuse for Arsenal's poor performance this season.
Finally, after winning against their old rival, Ferguson, Arsenal's team shook off their recent slump and defeated the Red Devils 1 – 0 at home, narrowing the gap between the two sides to five points. The Gunners did not continue to fall behind and seemed to have dragged Manchester United into the ranks of the Champions League qualification battle or defense battle!
"We had a very good performance today. Everything was done well."
Wenger spoke about Arsenal's overall performance after the game. "Discipline, fighting spirit, and our passing control. I felt that we were in complete control of the game only after we scored the goal. As we haven't won the game recently, we worked hard to maintain the victory after the goal and were under more pressure. Overall, I think our performance was worthy of this victory. "
Arsenal's biggest contributor in this game was undoubtedly Ramsey. Since the injury in the game in February 2010, the Welshman had only recently recovered from his injury and gradually regained his form.
"I'm happy for him. It reminded me of his accident 14 months ago. Now he looks like he's back to his best condition." Wenger praised Ramsey after the game.
"If you look at the age of our lineup today, you'll be excited for this team. We have a very young midfield lineup and their performance in the game is very optimistic."
However, Wenger also admitted that the team's young lineup also made the team's performance this season unstable and immature. They still had a lot of areas to improve. "We went through a difficult period. Looking back at our performance this season, in the Champions League and the Premier League, the players were not mature enough under heavy pressure. It was difficult for them to cope when they encountered a major defeat. This will have some impact on the team's performance."
There were two controversial decisions in today's game. Vidic's handball in the penalty area in the first half and Clichy's stomp on Owen in the penalty area in the second half. The referee did not whistle for these two penalties.
After the game, Wenger spoke about these two controversies. "That was a handball, absolutely. I don't think the referee saw the situation at the time. In fact, we have been facing injustice this season. So far, there have been 17 penalty kicks against us. "
As for Clichy's foul, Wenger said, "Maybe it should have been a penalty kick, but compared to Vidic's handball, this foul is obviously much lighter."
"That was a clear penalty, and I think a red card should have been shown." Van Persie also spoke about Vidic's handball after the match.
"The reason he didn't give a penalty at the time was because he wasn't sure of the situation at the time. However, I told him the truth during halftime, but the referee told me that it wasn't a penalty. If he went back and watched the replay, I think he would agree with me."
Although Arsenal had won the game, they had become even more nervous.
Because their competitors had won and there were only three rounds of games left in the Premier League, Arsenal had yet to return to the Champions League in the standings.
Looking at the Premier League table, Liverpool, which was at the top of the table, had 85 points that could be ignored.
In second place, Manchester United had 70 points.
In third place, Chelsea was only two points away from Manchester United. They now had 68 points.
In fourth place, Manchester City had 66 points.
In fifth place, Arsenal now had 65 points.
The difference between second and fifth place in the Premier League was only five points.
In the last three rounds of the league, even Manchester United could theoretically lose the qualification for the Champions League.
This might be the most exciting stage of the Premier League's qualification for the Champions League.
Four teams, three places.
Who would collapse in the closing stages?
This would be a question that Premier League fans all over the world would be interested in.
Ferguson was a little caught off guard.
In fact, he felt that with the Gunners' sluggish state, Manchester United would be able to take at least one point at the Emirates Stadium as long as they did not make the mistake of underestimating their opponent.
What did one point mean?
It meant that Manchester United did not have to worry about the qualification for the Champions League.
If Manchester United tied with Arsenal, then the gap between Manchester United and the fifth-placed Arsenal would still be eight points!
With three games left in the league, Manchester United could not lose the qualification for the Champions League unless they lost three games in a row.
But now, it was hard to say.
Because in the next round of the league, Manchester United would face Chelsea at Old Trafford!
And it would be played after the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.
Obviously, such a schedule would make the Premier League's final battle for the top four even more confusing.
Now, Ferguson couldn't care less about that.
The most important thing at the moment was the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Liverpool would arrive at Old Trafford without any distractions and excessive losses!
In the pre-match press conference, Ferguson said that Manchester United would give Liverpool a head-on blow at home, advance to the Champions League final at Old Trafford, and then go to Wembley to play the Champions League final!
However, Fleet Street was not interested in Ferguson's words at all.
Manchester United had recently lost two games in a row!
They lost to Liverpool and Arsenal.
On the other hand, Liverpool did not lose in the league, even if they conserved their strength and conserved their energy.
At the pre-match press conference, a reporter from The Sun asked Ferguson a sharp question.
"Sir Alex, a month ago, you insisted that Manchester United had a chance to reverse Liverpool and win the title. At that time, Manchester United was only behind Liverpool in the league and pulled away from the opponents behind them. But Manchester United eventually failed to reverse Liverpool, and Liverpool won the league four rounds in advance with a huge advantage. Now Manchester United is competing with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City in the league for a place in the Champions League. You just said that Manchester United could beat Liverpool at home and advance to the Champions League final. I'd like to know, what gave you such naive confidence? "
What this reporter from The Sun had said was the truth, and he wasn't being mean.
However, the last sentence caused Ferguson to fly into a rage!
Naive confidence?
Yes, in the eyes of many people, Ferguson's confidence was naive because the players, fans, and media had given up and despaired. They did not think that Manchester United could reverse Liverpool, and the reality was that Manchester United lost to Liverpool in the league. It was a fiasco.
But was such confidence really naive?
Ferguson only said one sentence before he flicked his sleeves and left.
"You want to infuriate me, you want to get the news. Fine, you've done it. But I want to tell you, and reporters like you who don't understand football at all, that all the miracles on the football field come from confidence, fighting spirit, spirit, and will!"
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