Source: Daily_Mail
We made massive errors against United, admits Arsenal boss Wenger
Arsene Wenger delivered a stinging critique of his Arsenal team after their capitulation at home to Manchester United. Wenger accused his players of being naive and lacking intelligence, hitting out at the 'massive individual errors' which allowed United to gallop into a 3-0 lead in less than an hour. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia triggered the problems, turning Nani's cross into his own goal, then Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park extended the lead before Thomas Vermaelen grabbed a consolation with the help of a deflection. Sight for sore eyes: Wenger was brutally honest about his side's display'It is difficult to accept but easy to explain,' said Wenger. 'We were poor, defensively and offensively. There was no cohesion. It was a completely off-the-mark performance. 'There were massive errors. We were never close in our marking and you do not win games like that. 'We were naive. I don't know why. Were we a bit inhibited or tense? I don't know. The physical reasons are not obvious because we finished the game quite well.' Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Arsenal simply could not cope with Wayne Rooney but Wenger said: 'It was not only Rooney who gave us problems. There were other players who gave us problems, too. We gave them too much room everywhere and Rooney took advantage of it. Naive: Gael Clichy (left) was just one of several bamboozled Arsenal defenders'We conceded twice from our own corners - goals two and three. I believe it was more much more to do with our positioning. I don't want to go into personal analyses. But they were better than us today.' The defeat had echoes of Chelsea's 3-0 win at the Emirates in November. After that, Arsenal went 10 league games unbeaten but that run came to a halt yesterday, leaving them five points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand. 'It is a massive blow and a massive disappointment,' confessed Wenger. 'We need to do something special now to stay in the race.' The Arsenal manager, however, denied he had contributed to his team's sudden loss of form by resting nine first-teamers in the FA Cup fourth round to keep them fresh for a sequence of four vital Premier League games. Menace: Wayne Rooney exploited Arsenal's weaknesses, said Wenger Since losing 3-1 at Stoke in the Cup, Arsenal have dropped five points, drawing 0-0 at Aston Villa before they were destroyed by United yesterday, but Wenger insisted: 'It is nothing to do with that.' On Sunday, Arsenal travel to Chelsea and Ferguson will be hoping Wenger's side help United in the title race. 'We need Chelsea to drop points and they'll be saying the same about us,' Ferguson said. 'Arsenal are not out of it and I hope they go there on Sunday and batter them. Batter them.' Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3: Rooney the destroyer - Sharpshooter Wayne shatters Gunners' title illusions with a little help from Nani How Wayne Rooney will scoop the jackpot if he stays at Manchester UnitedEx-Arsenal great Thierry Henry hails Manchester United hotshot Wayne RooneyFuture's so bright we need shades - Sportsmail enjoys Arsenal v Manchester United in groundbreaking 3D broadcast Explore more:People:Wayne Rooney, Alex Ferguson, Nani, Arsene Wenger, ThomasVermaelen