* The start with, of course Arsene Wenger's decision to take Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain off and replace him with Andrey Arshavin was strange, but not inexplicable (more on that shortly). Indeed, having Arshavin anywhere near the first-team at the moment is ridiculous, because as Gary Neville said after the game, he looks like he'd rather be basically anywhere other than the Emirates. Always inconsistent, Arshavin has been desperately poor for some months now, and did nothing positive in the 15 minutes he had in this game.
However, blaming Arshavin for the concession of the second United goal, and subsequently the defeat, as many Arsenal fans in the ground and on assorted internet outlets seem keen to do, is ridiculous. Sure, he probably could've done better tracking back, but why blame Arshavin? Why not blame actual defenders like Thomas Vermaelen, or defensive-minded players like Alex Song, for waving Antonio Valencia through and allowing Danny Welbeck an indecent amount of room to finish? The finger was pointed at Arshavin because he's an easy target for an understandably frustrated support, but Arsenal didn't lose this game because of a fading Russian. They lost it because the defenders didn't do their job.
* "You don't know what you're doing" sang the fans when Oxlade-Chamberlain was removed. Wenger said after the game that he was cramping before he came off. For an 18-year-old making his first start in the Premier League, and in a game the size of this, it's hardly the most outlandish explanation, is it?
* However, it's not a great sign when your captain shows open dissent on the pitch at a substitution decision. It obviously reminded one of Steven Gerrard's baffled face when Rafa Benitez removed Fernando Torres in the final days of his reign at Anfield. The crowd booing is one thing, but when a player of Robin van Persie's standing so clearly undermines your authority on the pitch, it's a sign that things are not well. If a player disagrees with a decision but has faith in the manager, he will trust that his boss knows what he is doing. The look on Van Persie's face was not one of a man who has faith.
* Broken record time - while Theo Walcott clearly comes across as an intelligent young man when interviewed, is lack of footballing intelligence is remarkable, and his brain appears to be at least two steps behind his feet. A perfect example of this came early on in the game, when Walcott sprinted down the left and towards the byline with Robin van Persie in the middle. Van Persie checked his run to create space and put himself in a better position, but Walcott didn't adjust and played the ball into the place Van Persie was a couple of seconds before. Even the slightest bit of thought and Arsenal could've taken the lead.
* What made Walcott's performance worse - or perhaps look worse - was Oxlade-Chamberlain. While Walcott's pace puts him in the category of players who often look threatening by rarely are, Oxlade-Chamberlain's touch and skill, combined with a directness and a focus that Walcott doesn't appear to have suggests that, although he is only 18, he's ready to be a regular starter for Arsenal now. And when Gervinho returns from the Africa Cup of Nations, he should start instead of Walcott. This kid looks like the real thing in a way that Walcott never really has.
* Incidentally, Nani looked like he was trying to rival Theo in the shoddy decision-making stakes. A couple of incidents in the first half, when he shot from ludicrous angles with better passing opportunities available, could have been very costly were it not for Welbeck's winner.
* Is Anders Lindegaard now Manchester United's first choice keeper? Unless David de Gea has an injury we don't know about, it certainly looks that way. Sure, Sir Alex Ferguson has shared keeping duties between the two men for the majority of this season, but the Dane's league starts have largely been in the 'smaller' games, against Wigan, Sunderland, Bolton and so forth, but after he was selected ahead of De Gea for this game, it suggests a change in thinking.
Ferguson faces an interesting dilemma with De Gea - he clearly has potential, but is equally clearly not a good enough stopper for Manchester United at present. Logically, one might assume, the only way for him to improve is to play games, but United can't afford many more of the errors that De Gea has been responsible for this season. An incredibly difficult balancing act.
* In terms of the ratio between expectations and reality, Van Persie's miss in the second half must be up there with the other great howler of the past week - Robbie Findley's two-yard clusterf**k for Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup against Leicester, which if you haven't seen, is here for you to marvel and wonder at.
Even from two yards out, a third or fourth-choice forward for the third-worst side in the Championship missing a chance isn't tremendously surprising, but Van Persie skewing wide when the goal is gaping, in the form he has been in, very much is.
* "Until now we have done quite well with the players we have," said Wenger when asked about his centre-backs filling-in as full-backs in the past few weeks. Blimey - those cataracts that prevented him seeing all those incidents in years gone by are clearly making a return.
* One might forgive the likes of Johann Djourou and Vermaelen for struggling when dealing with a tricky winger, but the one thing you should expect them to do is beat those same wingers in the air. For United's first goal, Vermaelen was inexplicably beaten to a header by Valencia, costing them their first goal.
* Speaking of Valencia, boy was he terrific. He scored a goal, set up another and even put in some hard defensive yards, helping out Rafael at full-back. Those days filling in in defence might just be making him a better all-round player.
* Has too little been made of Mikel Arteta's absence from the Arsenal side? In their past two games, Arsenal have been without the quiet efficiency that Arteta brings, swiftly moving the ball around midfield and allowing the rest to create more. Tomas Rosicky and even Aaron Ramsey don't do this, or at least they don't do it as well as Arteta, and it might not be a coincidence that Arsenal have lost both games the Spaniard has missed. Indeed, it is perhaps telling that a two-man midfield of Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs, which has been exposed already this season, dealt with this challenge with some ease.
* In scoring their goal, Arsenal partied like it was 2004. One of the great strengths of that team was the pace and efficiency with which they counter-attacked, and starting with an excellent tackle by Laurent Koscielny, that speed and ruthlessness was back, for a few brief seconds.
* The old boy's still got it. According to Opta, at an assist per 95 minutes on the pitch, Ryan Giggs has the best assists/time ratio of anyone in the Premier League.
* There was a telling moment in the Sky studio after the game, that gave more credence to Neville's punditry. Graeme Souness had a point to make, cut across Neville, but apologised. You wouldn't catch him doing that to Jamie Redknapp, and it's a sign that the Neviller has his respect. The approval of Souness is good enough for me.
* We've said it before, and we'll say it again - for a man who's had 35-odd-years of stuff in football to be happy about, Sir Alex Ferguson is rubbish at celebrating.
lets be fucking serious??!!! 
