Rooney was not the difference

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
09 Apr	4:00 PM	P	Manchester United (A)	0	2	Lost

The general consensus in the media today is that Manchester United player Wayne Rooney was the difference between the two sides yesterday at Old Trafford when Arsenal played Manchester United.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger doesn't think so, stating that his players were not fit and that the Manchester United players were sharper and fresher.

Wenger said: "I don't think Rooney was the difference.

"I feel we had early chances in the first half which we didn't take and after that I believe United were sharper than us physically after the first half hour, that made a big difference I believe.

"On the first goal we lost the ball in our half and after it was 1-0 we missed two great chances, one came to van Persie and one to Adebayor.

"I feel overall it was down to a lack of physical sharpness as the game went on. We were focused today but we were not as sharp as we could be.

"You could see that when we were 1-0 down because we lacked a bit of combination in the final third."

Many are also attributing the defeat to the absence of Arsenal's leading scorer and captain from the pitch until late in the second half.

Although Wenger acknowledges that his gamble to rest Thierry Henry was unsuccessful, he doesn't think that this also contributed to the 2-0 defeat.

Wenger added: "I don't think it was a major factor.

"The game is not about those who sit on the bench, we have lost [at Old Trafford] with Thierry Henry on the pitch as well.

"I think it is important to do the right things in the game, we did not concede a goal because Thierry was sitting on the bench.

"It is always easy to look at the game like that but you have to analyse it like it happened, and United deserved to win because they were sharper."

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