Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3 (1 - 4 agg)

9:33pm

That's it. United are through. A disconsolate Arsene Wenger shakes hands with him and disappears into the tunnel. A great, great win although tinged with a little sourness due to the sending off. Let's hope United get the pope's blessing and visit the Roman Forum when the Manchester Utd bandwagon hits Rome! 

9:30pm

We are into the 90th minute. Three minutes for four goals!

9:24pm

Notwithstanding the fact that it is the ref's, but I do like his jersey - cool colours. Dark silver with red lines. Never seen a referee's shirt on sale though.

9:22pm

Adebayor sticks his boot studs into Carrick. Gets a yellow card. Should have been red. The ref clearly wants to liven the last ten minutes up!

9:19pm

The TV commentators are saying the referee got the Fletcher decision wrong. Can United appeal the red card like in the league? Poor Darren Fletcher. TV says there is no appeal process. Why not!  

9:14pm

Sudden drama. Darren Fletcher fouls Fabregas in the penalty area and is sent off. A penalty to Arsenal... which he buries in the net. Fletcher got the ball but in so doing he wrapped his leg around Fabregas. Arsenal 4 - 1 down.

9:03pm

Theo Hamilton goes off. Giggsy comes on for United. He doesn't need to tear them apart again though - Ronaldo has already done it.

9:01pm

Goal Number Three!! A wonderful charge upfield by United following an Arsenal corner. Park breaks out of the United half, he crosses across the centre of the field to Rooney who passes it back to Ronaldo who puts the ball away. Brilliant. Some Arsenal fans are now leaving. 

8:54pm

Massive miskick by Arsenal. Ref takes pity and gives them a free kick!

8:51pm

Ronaldo strides across the penalty area. Shoots... Almunia tips it behind for a corner. Ooooh.

8:48pm

An unwelcome kind of excitement as the TV cameras show police officers with sniffer dogs checking some seats in the stadium. Are they looking for Arsenal's last chance?

8:45pm

Arsenal start the second half. Death or glory time for them. Have they been reading their Anglo Saxon texts?

8:30pm

Half Time Arsenal 0 Manchester United 2. A wonder start for United has almost killed the game stone dead. Wenger will have to deliver a heck of a half time talk.

8:29pm

The myrmicat is curled up on the couch but with his eyes half open, SisterEvs thinks he is plotting to take over the world! 

8:26pm

Not much to report. The heart seems to have gone out of Arsenal for the time being. This week we are celebrating / commiserating the 30th anniversary of Maggie Thatcher coming to power. The blues are winning again tonight.

8:16pm

United free kick 40 yards outside the Arsenal goal. Ronaldo to take... he thumps it straight into Almunia's arms.

8:10pm

On another note, I stayed overnight at the casa of Our Man of the Antonii last weekend - to watch Ricky Hatton v Mannie Pacquiao. It was a great night until the big fight started. Whatever Hatton could do wrong, he did. That the bout last two rounds was a marvel.

8:07pm

John O'Shea looks like Ben Affleck.

Theo Walcott is surely Lewis Hamilton's brother.

Nemanja Vidic is such a legend I am going to found a religion called The Church of the Living Nemanja. Attention to detail, grit and a good head for the ball are our chief tenets.

 

8pm

Arsenal fans bravely singing on. Arsenal stroking the ball about a bit. They'll need every ounce of cool in order to recover from 0 - 2 down. Arsenal will have to score 4 to win this tie now. Blimey.

7:55pm

Goooaaallllllllll!!!!!! Ronaldo from thirty yards. Scorcher. Good lord that was good! This is a dream start for Manchester.

7:52pm

Goooaaaaalllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!! Terrible Arsenal defensive error allows Ji Park Sun in. Legend!

7:50pm

Arsenal dominating possession. I am not liking this. But they are not yet getting too close to the goal...

7:47pm

Early half chance for the Gooners as they fire the ball across goal. United clear but it goes for a corner.

7:45pm

We're off! Manchester Utd splendid in Marian blue. Arsenal in their usual red and white.

7:40pm

First shots on ITV of lots of deluded Arsenal fans waving their flags. Poor things.

7:36pm

As mentioned below Manchester Utd won the first leg 1 - 0 but Arsenal won the League fixture at the Emirates earlier in the season. If Utd play as well as they did last week, however, the game is theirs to win. I predict a 0 - 2 Manchester United win. Rooney and Scholesy to send us through.

7:34pm

This game is the first of two big uns that I will be watching on TV. On Saturday, Harlequins play London Irish in the Rugby Premiership play off. I tried to buy a ticket at the Quins website - only for it to fail to process my booking. Oh well, £40 saved.

7:30pm

Tonight Manchester United take on Arsenal in the second leg of the European Cup - also called the Champions League by those with a sense of irony and no grammatical ability. United are 1 - 0 up after the first leg at Old Trafford last week. I will be live blogging the game.