With five minutes left and the scores level at 0-0 United would have taken a draw and thought it a point gained rather than two lost. But the Reds paid the price for too many mistakes when Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor snatched a late winner at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Arsenal front man had earlier missed a penalty, but took his chance after the Reds once again cheaply gave away possession.
Jens Lehmann's late heroics kept out an equaliser, but it was Arsenal's afternoon as United surrendered their 100 per cent Premiership record.

Cristiano Ronaldo returned after missing the midweek win over Celtic due to a one-match European suspension. The Portuguese winger started on the left, with Darren Fletcher retaining his place on the right, while John O’Shea was preferred to Michael Carrick as a more defensive option alongside Paul Scholes. Tomasz Kuszczak was given his competitive debut in place of Edwin van der Sar, who was ruled out due to illness.

Arsenal were without injured duo Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie, a significant dent to their attacking potency. But Freddie Ljungberg and Emmanuel Adebayor, their replacements, would cause United problems all afternoon as they sought to end their winless start to the season.

Fixtures between these two teams are rarely uneventful or short of controversy. And so it was that, just five minutes into the contest, United fans were screaming for Lehmann to be sent off. The Gunners' goalkeeper picked the ball up clearly outside his area, but referee Graham Poll deemed it only a yellow card offence.