Semi-final thoughts

As I sat down to watch the Champions League semi-final 2nd leg between Arsenal and Manchester United, I felt that there would be an early goal. Had it gone to the home side, we would have been in for a terrific occasion which may have rivalled the 4-4 draws of recent weeks for excitement. Instead, it was the visitors who got it. An unfortunate slip from left-back Kieran Gibbs gifted Ji-Sung Park the opener. Arsenal then needed to score three to reach the final, and when Cristiano Ronaldo brilliantly made it 2-0 on the night just four minutes later, the game was over before it had really begun.
There was a real sense of anti-climax for home fans inside the Emirates Stadium as well as neutrals watching at home. But amid the feeling of disappointment that the predicted spectacle of a match wasn't happening, United were cruising, and threatening to make it embarrassing at times. I take my hat off to them for the way they outplayed their hosts. They were well worth their sizeable advantage and played attractive football along the way, culminating in a wonderful third goal from a counter attack Arsenal themselves would have been proud of.
It came at a cost though. It was extremely disappointing to see the referee make such a bad decision to award Arsenal their penalty, and especially to send Darren Fletcher off for what was clearly a great tackle. I'm sure that UEFA's ruling that only cases of mistaken identity can cause a red card to be rescinded will be reviewed in time for next season.
As for Arsenal, it's now four years without a trophy, unthinkable for a club of their size and stature. I have long thought that Arsene Wenger - a firm believer in giving his youngsters the chance to flourish - needs to swallow his pride and bring in several quality players with enough experience to make his team great again.