Arsenal 'keeper Almunia ready to thwart United again

Updated on: 01 May,2009 08:33 AM IST |
PA Sport |

Arsenal's in-form 'keeper is ready to thwart Man U again

Arsenal's in-form 'keeper is ready to thwart Man U again

John O'Shea's close-range strike in the 17th minute was all the defending champions had to show for their efforts on a night when Almunia was in inspired form.

The Arsenal goalkeeper had set the tone for the night with a fine reaction save to deny Wayne Rooney in the opening moments, before also denying Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. When Almunia was beaten by Ronaldo's blistering 25-yard strike midway through the second half, the ball struck the crossbar.

Strong belief
Almunia believes they still have every chance to reach the final when the teams meet again at the Emirates Stadium next Tuesday. He said: "1-0 in this stadium is not a bad result because not many who play here and go away with a clean sheet. We expected them to start with a high tempo, but in the second half we showed that if we can keep the ball, we can beat them. We have to be more or less happy and look forward to the second leg at the Emirates. It's our last chance to do something this year, so we will put all of the pressure on them and the fans will help too."

Wenger also thanked Almunia for keeping Arsenal alive in the competition. "Almunia was excellent. It was a top-class performance from him. His reading of the game was fantastic and sharpness superb," he said before sending out a warning to United, "There's a final at stake and you'll see a different Arsenal next week."

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