Community Shield/ Man United 1 Arsenal 1:Arsenal might require time to locate their best form, but irascibility is always near at hand. Although Manchester United, with a booking for Phil Neville after 29 seconds, are scarcely trembling innocents, the sheer unruliness of the Highbury team on so innocuous and soporific an occasion was flabbergasting.
They cannot really have succumbed to destructive passion because they were crazed by desire for a trinket such as the Community Shield, which United eventually won through Tim Howard's saves from Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Robert Pires in a penalty shoot-out. Perhaps Arsenal still seethe over the 2-2 draw at home to United late last season that hustled them towards the Premiership runners-up spot.
Yesterday Francis Jeffers collected the 50th red card of Arsene Wenger's seven-year tenure at Highbury. And Ashley Cole ought to have been waiting to greet him in the dressing room. With a booking to his name already, the England full back booted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the knee after winning a challenge in the 23rd minute. The referee Steve Bennett was the only one who showed charity.
A kindly instinct is not always appropriate and the Football Association in England must form an unfavourable opinion of the unfortunate official's display. If Bennett had been hawkish he might have dismissed Sol Campbell. After 80 minutes, the Arsenal defender reacted to a recklessly high challenge from the substitute Eric Djemba-Djemba by backheeling him in the backside.
The referee took no action then but Jeffers' crime, six minutes earlier, had been so flagrant it was far beyond the reach of his discretionary powers. Reacting to Neville's lunging tackle, the forward kicked the United full back first on the head and then on the leg.
Some of the rancour could have had its origins in that last Premiership meeting, when Campbell was sent off and the club seemed to believe Solskjaer, the supposed victim, would support the centre back's appeal to the FA. In truth, though, Arsenal's irascibility has deeper and wider causes.
They are a side of marvellous skill who grow frustrated and ratty when they do not live up to the image of themselves as footballing paragons. There is not a real clogger in the ranks, but Arsenal often lose control when caught up in messy, compromised football. They get at least as annoyed with themselves as they do with the opposition. Indeed it was the inability to wrestle wins out of humdrum occasions that let United relieve them of their title.
United, with the ingenious Paul Scholes clipping well-designed passes behind Cole, were much the better side.
That may merely reflect the severe conditioning of American friendlies. It will take a whole season before anyone dares declare that Wenger was wrong to prefer a gentler build-up.
Some of his men were certainly ready in any case. Campbell, decisive in his challenges and interceptions, excelled and, with Kolo Toure at his side, Arsenal suppressed Ruud van Nistelrooy with unanticipated thoroughness.
None the less, United conducted the bulk of the attacking.
Alex Ferguson surely pursed his lips at the sight of Roy Keane so often surrendering possession in the punishing heat, but the manager will linger over the signs of the forceful personality Tim Howard brings to goalkeeping.
There was grandstanding in the shoot-out as, in a manner redolent of the 70s disco scene, the American pointed right and left while hopping on his line before being beaten by Lauren's penalty. Yet the relish for drama may have helped him pull off the saves from van Bronckhorst and Pires that trumped Jens Lehmann's parry from van Nistelrooy.
Howard thereby distracted attention from the goal he had conceded in the 20th minute. Thierry Henry's free-kick did swerve and dip commendably, but it was delivered from more than 30 yards and the goalkeeper will be expected to keep such efforts out.
United had gone ahead after quarter of an hour as Arsenal weakly defended a corner from the lively Ryan Giggs. Keane nipped in front of Henry to flick on and Mikael Silvestre nodded home. Later, van Nistelrooy put the ball over o after Giggs' header came off a post and bounced in front of his brow.
Wenger was spared then, but his own unruly players ensured that he would still have to brood over this match.
Guardian Service
MANCHESTER UTD: Howard; P Neville (Forlan 78), Ferdinand, Keane, Silvestre, Solskjaer, Butt (Djemba-Djemba 61), Fortune (O'Shea 68), Giggs, Scholes, van Nistelrooy. Subs Not Used: Carroll, Bellion, Richardson, Fletcher. Booked: P Neville, Scholes, Fortune. Goals: Silvestre 15.
ARSENAL: Lehmann; Lauren, Cole, Campbell, Toure, Parlour (Pires 45), Ljungberg (van Bronckhorst 64), Silva (Edu 61), Vieira, Henry (Wiltord 45), Bergkamp (Jeffers 60). Subs Not Used: Taylor, Cygan. Sent Off: Jeffers (73). Booked: Cole, Vieira. Goals: Henry 20.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).
