LONDON (Reuters) - Arsenal will have left Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with the FA Cup trophy and the sneaking suspicion they are still no real match for Manchester United.
United shattered Arsenal's Premier League title defence with a 2-0 victory in October, dumped them out of the League Cup in December, humiliated them in a 4-2 win at Highbury in February and played them off the park on Saturday.
Arsenal had the last laugh by wresting the Cup back from United after the first penalty shootout in the history of the world's oldest club competition.
But they had little else to celebrate.
United were by far the better team on the day, limiting a plodding Arsenal to one scoring chance in two hours of football -- a wickedly curling free kick from substitute Robin van Persie.
Even allowing for the absence of injured striker Thierry Henry, the Premier League's top scorer, it was small beer for a club so admired for their fluid attacking style.
United shattered Arsenal's Premier League title defence with a 2-0 victory in October, dumped them out of the League Cup in December, humiliated them in a 4-2 win at Highbury in February and played them off the park on Saturday.
Arsenal had the last laugh by wresting the Cup back from United after the first penalty shootout in the history of the world's oldest club competition.
But they had little else to celebrate.
United were by far the better team on the day, limiting a plodding Arsenal to one scoring chance in two hours of football -- a wickedly curling free kick from substitute Robin van Persie.
Even allowing for the absence of injured striker Thierry Henry, the Premier League's top scorer, it was small beer for a club so admired for their fluid attacking style.


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