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Arsenal responded to question marks about their ability to compete for the Premier League title with a well-deserved 2-1 win over champions Manchester United at the Emirates stadium on Saturday. Missing several first team players, including strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie, the Gunners found a hero in French midfielder Samir Nasri who scored in each half of a match United boss Alex Ferguson described as "fantasy football".
Nasri, signed from Olympique Marseille in July, put Arsenal ahead after 23 minutes and struck again just after halftime to make up for last weekend's bruising 2-1 defeat at Stoke City and the earlier 4-4 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur. Substitute Rafael volleyed a late reply for the visitors but Arsenal clung on through six minutes of stoppage time to go above United into third place with 23 points.
Leaders Chelsea, who play at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, and Liverpool who are in action later against West Bromwich Albion, both have 26 with United on 21. After last week's defeat at Stoke, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger defended his side against accusations that they lacked the spine for a title tight and he was delighted with the response against United.
"It was a very important result because I know what the reaction would have been (in the media) if we had lost," he told reporters. "It was important for us to stay near the top. "Today we showed our spirit and mental attitude against a great United side. It was a cracking game of football."
Ferguson's side were left to rue several wasted chances in a dominant opening 20 minutes when their strike force of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to blow Arsenal away. "We had so many chances it was unbelievable," said Ferguson. "They took their chances and we didn't, it's as simple as that. But it was a fantastic game...it was fantasy football, playground football. You attack and then we'll attack."
Michael Carrick was inches away from giving United the lead inside five minutes and then Berbatov had a goal ruled out for offside when he tapped in a rebound after Rooney's shot was parried by Manuel Almunia.
Rooney wasted a gilt-edged chance to score, wafting a shot over the bar after some scintillating passing had ripped through Arsenal's defence. After being second best for 22 minutes, Arsenal went ahead when the lively Nasri collected a poor Berbatov clearance and struck a shot that took a crucial deflection off Gary Neville's shin on its way past Edwin van der Sar.

Copyright Reuters, 2008

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