Victory at all costs

Macclesfield station, 21:45 GMT last night. It was like a scene from a melodramatic war film.

Returning heroes from the field of battle with their scars on show. I could almost hear the emotional music as Wayne Rooney limped along the platform and Nani moved very gingerly. Plenty of other players had knocks and frankly looked exhausted.

Every sinew had been strained as United once again dredged up the necessary knowhow and willpower to get three crucial points at the Emirates. The Reds showed that they have the DNA of winners cursing through their veins - Arsenal emphatically don't.

It took an awful lot of character to get the job done at the Emirates in the wake of City's last-gasp victory over Spurs. I was up on the TV gantry thinking that City had drawn 2-2. Then a colleague told me that Mario Balotelli had scored at the death. It was so deflating and I'm sure many of the fans who had travelled to North London felt the same way.

I feared that it would have a similar effect on the United players watching the game in the dressing room but not a bit of it. The Reds showed enormous strength of character to forget the score at Eastlands and set about outplaying Arsenal.

United were superb in the first half, dominating possession and fully deserving the half-time lead. Arsenal roared back after the break but the champions showed the fortitude and resolve to grab a late winner.

What a pale shadow this Arsenal team is to compared to the ones the Reds had epic battles with throughout the Premier League era.

At one point during the game my co-commentator Paddy Crerand confused Patrice Evra with Patrick Vieira (don't ask me why, I really have no idea) but hearing Vieira's name just seemed to emphasise to