Man Utd chief David Gill said visiting Chileans helped Reds beat Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford and go atop EPL
Man Utd chief David Gill said visiting Chileans helped Reds beat Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford and go atopu00a0EPL Manchester United chief executive David Gill said the rescued Chilean miners visiting Old Trafford had helped propel the football giants back to the top of the Premier League table.
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| Manchester United's Korean forward Park ji-Sung celebrates after scoring a goal against Arsenal during Monday night's English Premier League match at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.u00a0United won 1-0. pic/afp |
Gill was speaking yesterday at the end of the miners' three-day trip to Manchester that saw them watch United's 1-0 win over title rivals Arsenal on Monday.
According to Gill, United manager Alex Ferguson had referred to them in his pre-match team talk and the chief executive, addressing the miners, some of whom were clad in club scarves, said: "I am absolutely delighted on behalf of Manchester United to welcome the miners here on this special visit.
"To see you dancing and singing in the director's box yesterday (Monday) was fantastic. And you played a part in that win over Arsenal last night. I know Sir Alex referred to your story in his team talk before the game."
Gill added the "miracle of San Jose" which saw the 33 miners trapped underground for two months eventually all rescued had global resonance.
"It's clearly a story of bravery, courage and teamwork and the miners are a brilliant example of triumph over adversity."
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger blamed the defeat on pitch problems. "The technical quality of the game was average on both sides because the pitch was very poor in my opinion and the game suffered a lot from it," he said.
