The Match That Made Manchester United Sell Cristiano Ronaldo

Arsene Wenger says this is the most difficult game in the competition. The second leg of the semi-final. The match in which you have everything to lose. Fabregas invited to shoot. It came off Fittich and off Ferdinand. And a cheap corner for Arsenal. Well I think Fabregas would be the first to admit that it wasn't his best connection. Insisting the match statistics were more even. Here's Ronaldo getting in behind Toure. Linking up with Rooney. Sanya leaning over Rooney but finding only Anderson. Ronaldo is on the move here. Giroud matching him stride for stride. Pulled back towards Park. Gibbs slips. It's Jisung Park. Away goal for Manchester United. A goal that could be worth twice its weight in gold. A sad and unfortunate slip by Kieran Gibbs. Allows Jisung Park to steer Manchester United into a two goal lead. And Arsenal must now score three times on the night to overhaul that aggregate advantage. You know it is a slip by Gibbs who impressed everybody last week at Old Trafford. And it's a shame for him. But look at the pace of Ronaldo able to get him behind. That's a couple of times he's done that. The slip makes it easier. It's an easily cleared by Evra. Ronaldo will have to take them on on his own. Not a challenge he will shirk though. Fletcher as well in from Fabregas. And Ronaldo has won a free kick from Van Persie. Kieran Gibbs will need some help now. He was 35 yards and more. Too far for Ronaldo to think about it. Absolutely sensational. He went through Almunia beaten for pace. And Manchester United have scored twice in a little more than ten minutes here. And Cristiano Ronaldo has matched the scorcher he scored. In Porto. To leave Arsenal all but beaten already. Well listen I think the goalkeeper's caught. Almunia we all know is terrific as well in the first leg. He kept his team in it. I think he gets caught here. I mean it's a fantastic strike. But I think he should be dealing with that. I think he should be working his feet better. Getting across. And timing that around the post. But already that appears set to change. Evra. And Ronaldo is onside again. And for once his control let him down. He is enjoying himself. Patience from Darren Fletcher. Wayne Rooney. He did a really good save by Almunia. That was on target. And that was the Almunia we saw at Old Trafford last week. Well it was clever of him to stay out of it. Now he can get involved. He was offside when the initial ball was played through. It's good communication. Anderson with the corner. Ronaldo. Well. The only man marking. It was Nemanja Vidic. Two of them rose. Unopposed. Fabregas. Now at the Bajor. Tackled by Ferdinand. Fabregas takes. And so does Van der Sar. Manuel Almunia after 11. Here's Ronaldo again. Scored in the last 16. Against Inter. He scored. Vinic. And O'Shea forward. It's Rooney who's jumping at the far post. And Rooney who's pushing. At the far post. He knows what he's dealing with. That's Ronaldo on to Karrick. Ronaldo. Manchester United still hungry for more. Goals. Nasri though. Easy for Van der Sar. Yeah he's hung that up. But Nasri is probably. Trying to. Rooney's offside here. And trying to continue to go forward. Proud. Very sarcastic cheer for. The decision. Predicament. You know. And there probably are one or two. Still kind of trying. And trying to gee the rest. But. I think the rest. But. I think there are one or two heads going as well. Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is offside here. Yeah. It might have been a little over hit. That one. From Fletcher. Current Sunday League. Centre forwards. Many ex-centre forwards. Nodding knowingly in their living room. Berbatov about him. Van Persie's cross. Now here's Adebayor. Van Persie has spilt it. There's a free kick being given against Adebayor. He does get too much protection. Ronaldo. You need protection from him. Almunia got him. Dinked in towards Fabregas. Ronaldo. What a. Referee's nose. His last free kick had the wow factor. It's Ronaldo. That one did seem to move. But Almunia watched it carefully. Fielder. Get them on the ball. Get them past it again. And get them. Sanyo. Adebayor waits. Couldn't quite time it. Got up between Ferdinand and O'Shea. Testing out Edwin van der Sar so far, Arsenal. On the foul on Ronaldo. Song shakes his head. The referee could not have been better placed. Fletcher's very displeased about this. Ronaldo takes. Evra. And here's Ronaldo. There's words of wisdom that account for anything. A half that went Manchester United's way. Almost from the outset. A slip by Kieran Gibbs. A mistake by Manuel Almunia. I can't say goals were handed. FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. They lost dramatic, draining occasions all. Here's Cristiano Ronaldo. That's the corner in which the Manchester United travelling support is gathered. Rooney takes. Made away by Sanyo. Here goes Ronaldo. Stretching Giroud. He has support. Ronaldo will go it alone. And that's a very smart save by Almunia. Very quickly down to his left. Ronaldo equally as dangerous on either side it seems. Look at this striking from Ronaldo. Anderson. Almunia had to deal with that. It's a corner. Well, I don't think this was kind of the Brazilian touch. In which to make an assault on the summit. And Percy takes. I think Van der Sar realised early that there was always a little too much pace. Roche. Ronaldo's offside here. And away by Vidic. That can break. Decent part. Rooney's got some space to his left. Here is Wayne Rooney. Ronaldo's getting up with him. Rooney has found Ronaldo. How about that? One end of the field to the other. In the blink of an eye. Cristiano Ronaldo scores for the second time on the night. And Manchester United can pat their backs for Rome. What a break. Devastating. Absolutely devastating for Manchester United. But we knew they could do that. And it all started with a Vidic header as well you know. I mean himself and Ferdinand weren't in the thick of it as Arsenal. Just trying to build a bit of momentum. He wins the header. Little flick from Ronaldo. Parks away. Knows he's got the support in Rooney. Rooney could have gone himself. He really could. It would have been more difficult. But he's found a delightful pass to Ronaldo. And that's clinical from him. Not putting trust in Rooney's temperament. And Arsenal get Van Persie. Did well to work shooting space. Of course he's found a countryman into a good save. Bettner though. Van Persie is there. So too is Ferdinand. He's given Raphael to his usual position. It's right back. Before this game. But any doubts about his participation in Rome. Full suspension are now cleared. As Dimitar Buk. Bettner. All through the legs of Vaushay. That's side netting. Yeah it's probably a little ambitious. I mean he's done well to get himself in that position behind John O'Shea. Paul Scholes' kick. Good stop by Al Mouni. He got his angles right. On his near post. Arsenal just needed a little more bite. Here's Fabregas trying to provide some on the night. It's a wonderful recovery by Fletcher. A penalty's been given. Oh he looked to play the ball. Oh it's a red card. And Fletcher in that moment sees his personal dream of playing in a Champions League final taken from him. Still can score here. Robin Van Persie to win Van der Sar. Roderick Scheer greets the penalty. That is of relatively little consequence because Arsenal still need four more goals. But what is of great consequence is that Darren Fletcher Here comes Van der Sar. It's a bit straight but Bermatov's control helped. Well struck. Oh did its job. And again from Fabregas. Wide. He's stretching in the end. Couldn't really get the control on it. Any hint of simulation he just ignored. This fella seems to have gone for everything. From then forward again. In the hope. Flipped on and Fabregas just helped it straight into the hands of Edwin's leading scorer in last season's competition. It's Ronaldo. That was it. Well he might have been just positioned. Ronaldo caught in the chest. Toure penalised. And another Ronaldo free kick on the way. That's not as good. And a Bajoran slipped it through here. Might get another opportunity. Couldn't quite force the issue. Manchester United. Ronaldo. Here's Giggs. He just couldn't quite gather it in his stride. Manchester United will defend the European Cup in Rome. So Alec Ferguson just doesn't want to let go of it. Someone will have to tear it out of his hands. Questions for Arsene Wenger to answer. When does potential become prizes? Another season without a trophy for Arsene Wenger.