For the first time since 1896, Arsenal allowed eight goals, as inspired by Wayne Rooney’s hat-trick, Manchester United enjoyed an astonishing 8-2 rout over the 10-man Gunners at Old Trafford.
In addition to Rooney’s three goals, Ashley Young netted twice, with Nani and substitute Park Ji Sung contributing further goals after Danny Welbeck had opened the scoring.
The impressive performance propelled the champions to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a flawless record from three games, shortly after rivals Manchester City demonstrated their own ambition with a 5-1 victory over Tottenham.
This humiliating loss highlighted the urgent need for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to bolster his squad in the transfer market, especially considering the potential scrutiny on his position following such a crushing defeat.
For a makeshift Arsenal team, which witnessed Carl Jenkinson receiving a late red card, the afternoon proved forgettable, leading Wenger to experience one of the most embarrassing results in his extensive time with the Gunners.
The Premier League season has started poorly for Wenger’s side, who have yet to secure a win, and this defeat is sure to reverberate throughout the club.
“When you concede eight goals, it feels humiliating,” Wenger remarked. “It was a dreadful day for us.
“We had a combination of a weakened squad and a lack of strength. In the second half, we fell apart physically.”
United manager Alex Ferguson commented, “It is unexpected because matches against Arsenal are usually challenging. While Arsenal’s team was weaker, we still managed to get the job done.”
Wenger opted for a depleted lineup, with young French midfielder Francis Coquelin facing a tough initiation on his Premier League debut. Ferguson, on the other hand, placed trust in his own young talents, two of whom nearly gave the home side the lead within the first six minutes.
Tom Cleverley missed the target narrowly just two minutes into the match. Four minutes later, Welbeck came even closer, evading the offside trap from Ashley Young’s pass but failing to threaten Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Things quickly turned around, as Welbeck scored the first goal in the 22nd minute.
With a smartly weighted pass from Anderson, Welbeck managed to evade Johan Djourou before sending a looping header into the net.
Arsenal had a golden opportunity to respond five minutes later when Jonny Evans fouled Theo Walcott in the box, but Robin van Persie’s penalty kick was saved by Manchester United’s goalkeeper David De Gea.
To add to their misery, within a minute, Young doubled United’s lead with a stunning shot from 25 yards out.
The only regret for Ferguson was a hamstring injury to Welbeck, which likely rules him out of England’s upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Yet, the United onslaught continued as Rooney added to the pain for Wenger with a free-kick in the 41st minute.
Right before halftime, Arsenal had a brief moment of joy when Tomas Rosicky’s pass found Walcott, who managed to score by firing a shot through De Gea’s legs, marking the Gunners’ first goal in the league this season.
However, three goals conceded within a quick seven-minute span sealed Arsenal’s fate in the match.
Rooney curled in another free-kick in the 64th minute, Nani added another goal just three minutes later, and South Korean winger Park also made his mark on the score sheet.
Despite van Persie’s goal minutes later, things worsened for the visitors.
Jenkinson saw red again in the 76th minute after dragging down Javier Hernandez, marking Arsenal’s third sending-off in three league matches.
But Manchester United were not finished, as Rooney netted his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Walcott fouled Patrice Evra, and Young capped off the day with another goal in injury time, amplifying the visitors’ suffering.
by Buford Balony