Let's be clear about this. We didn't deserve to win this game. But, equally, we didn't deserve to lose.

And what struck me most about the game was what a pathetic bunch of cheating babies the United players are.

More about that in a moment, but first a word for Howard Webb:

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The results are in!...Last Monday we asked you, the readers to vote for those you thought were the best Premiership players in 2010. So without further freddie-adu here is In the Stands Premiership Team of 2010

Here's how much they won it by (Voting rounded up)

GK: Joe Hart 44%

LB: Leighton Baines 32%

RB: Bacary Sagna 29%

CB: Nemanja Vidic 28%

CB: John Terry 11%

RW: Nani 31%

LW: Gareth Bale 33%

CM: Cesc Faberegas 23%

CM: Samir Nasri 19%

FW: Dimitar Berbatov 16%

FW: Carlos Tevez 20%

So with this in mind, who do you think warrants the ITS player of the year Awards.

Less than year after leaving the Houston Dynamo and MLS for Europe, Stuart Holden has made a splash not only at his club, middle of the table Bolton, but in the English Premier League itself.
On its website, the British paper The Guardian allows its readers to submit player ratings for each game played in the EPL.

First-half Player of the Season:

1. Samir Nasri (Average Rating: 7.24, Man of the Match 5 times):

You could tell in preseason that Nasri was rested, motivated from his World Cup snub, and generally ready to kick some ass this season.

First-half Player of the Season:

1. Samir Nasri (Average Rating: 7.24, Man of the Match 5 times):

You could tell in preseason that Nasri was rested, motivated from his World Cup snub, and generally ready to kick some ass this season.

Not today Drog

If you're wondering about the title, it is a reference to my yesterday's preview on why Arsenal need to beat Chelsea. Nothing about maintaining the gap to Manchester United, nothing about overcoming our recent bout of dire results against them and certainly nothing about shutting John Terry up.

Familiar scenes at DW

Not quite the result that Arsenal were looking for but hardly the same as last season's shambles. Wigan gave their best and were rewarded as hesitant display from our defence afforded the home side a reprieve with a draw. Arsene Wenger made 8 changes to the side that faced Chelsea, all of which totally understandable given the 48 hours gap in between the 2 games.

Morning all, the start of another week and the preparations have to begin for two extremely important games. Firstly there's the Champions League game against Partizan on Wednesday, then a trip to Manchester on Monday.

The focus will be on Europe this week and the permutations are relatively simple.

Bale who?

On a day when the nominees for FIFA's Ballon d'Or is announced, there's a big chance for someone at Arsenal to join that esteemed list next year. Barcelona may have dominated this year's award when they have 3 of their own in the top 3, namely Lionel Messi, Andreas Iniesta and Xavi but might have to sit back and accept that an Arsenal player may just sneak into the list this time next year.

Morning all, more snow here in Dublin and today we get a draconian budget on top of that too. It's like someone giving you a spunk flavoured phlegmshake to go with your poo sandwich. Extremely tired of it all now.

Anyway, at least there's Arsenal to keep me relatively sane and the man of the moment is Samir Nasri.

Rarrrr!!! I'll have Evra for dinner

Talk, talk and more talk. That is about as much as the players can do, apart from training that is. Not that there is any match to contend with at that the weekend, with the next game still another 30 hours away. Park Ji Sung continued where his team mate Patrice Evra left by claiming that Arsenal lack the pedigree for a sustained assault on the title.

It's the big day of Manchester United-Arsenal and with Chelsea dropping two more points in the title race, tonight's game promises to be a battle. Ahead of the game, defender Patrice Evra was not shy to ...

Manchester United 1 Arsenal 0
There's a bit in the book of Ecclesiastes about how there's a time for everything. Solomon who wrote it, is said to have been a very wise man. But I don't think it takes a particularly wise man to suggest that if you don't make the opposition goalkeeper make a single save of any note during the match, you will struggle to win the game.

Analysis of your player ratings for every league game so far this season ranks Bolton's Stuart Holden as the No1.
Readers' ratings team of the season so far (4-4-2) ...

Richard Kingson (Blackpool); Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Leighton Baines (Everton); Samir Nasri (Arsenal), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham); Johan Elmander (Bolton), Andy Carroll (Newcastle).

Stuart Holden has enjoyed a strong season for Bolton, perhaps stronger than we realized.

Holden has been named to the Guardian's English Premier League Team of the Season at the halfway point after garnered the highest average rating among all EPL players. The Guardian's website has reader-generated player rankings for all Premier League matches and Holden scored the highest average of the season.

An important London derby took place on Monday, with Chelsea visiting Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal. The Gunners looked the sharper squad this day, and a big second half breakout sent them to a 3-1 victory against the struggling champions.

Arsenal v Chelsea Starting Formations

The home squad started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, manager Arsene Wenger's tried-and-true.