ARSENAL/MAN UTD:THE DEMISE OF A RIVALRY

One of the resounding conclusions of Man Utd's match against Arsenal on Saturday is that this fixture is no more what it used to be.The match had the air of just another routine match with United never out of their comfort zone.United never really managed
to hit 5th gear yet they could have won by a bigger margin say 5-1.
It wasn't always this way,in the past this fixture was a keenly contested affair with fans desperate to secure bragging rights,the players keen to prove that they are superior(see Vieira & Keane) & the managers too having heated exchanges.In past seasons,Fergie would have been satisfied with any kind of win against Arsenal but on Saturday he was furious that Man Utd didn't win by a bigger margin.
Arsenal has aided the demise of this old rivalry,on saturday they seemed only too happy to weather waves & waves of attack from Man Utd.They never showed any kind of fighting spirit.
Even Fergie has now adopted a gentle & sympathetic approach when fielding questions about Arsenal,this is because the fixture has become too one-sided & he feels sorry for his counterpart.
With Monsieur Wenger hell bent on continuing with a philosophy that is clearly not working,we can safely file this fixture under the routine match category,at least for now.