Player Ratings: Manchester United - Arsenal

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van Der Sar 6.0: Pipe and slippers evening for the Dutch keeper. Not tested at all by the misfiring Gunners.

Wes Brown 7.5: Set down a marker for the 12 April clash by keeping Hleb quiet all evening, and making some good contribution to the attack as well.

Rio Ferdinand 6.5: Snuffed out the disappointing Arsenal attack with ease.

Nemanja Vidic 7.0: Improved performance from the big Serb. Made life difficult for Arsenal from corners.

Patrice Evra 7.0: Locked down the left flank and supported the attacks with his usual effervescence.

Darren Fletcher 8: A rare appearance for the Scottish midfielder but he was really in the mood. Got forward, tackled robustly and took his goal well.

Anderson 8.5: In an impressive midfield unit, Anderson stood out as the brightest talent on show. Fizzed throughout the game and is fast becoming undroppable. If only he had a Brazilian goal scorer’s touch.

Michael Carrick 7.0: Ably supported by Anderson and Fletcher fizzing alongside, Carrick’s unsung performance should not belie his contribution to United thoroughly dominating a stronger Arsenal midfield. His pass for Nani’s goal was a peach.

Nani 8.0: At last, the Portuguese winger delivered a performance worthy of his reputation. Excellent display of wingcraft. His goal was a beauty.

Ji Sung Park 6.5: Game and willing but still struggling to impose himself after a long injury lay-off.

Wayne Rooney 8.0: Thundered back after sitting out the derby. Shone as United adopted the England model of the lone front man and set United on their way with a crucial first goal. Terrorised Gallas and Toure all evening and might be disappointed to have scored only once.

Substitutes

Paul Scholes 6.0: Slotted in easily.

Louis Saha 6.0: Looked rusty on his return to the first team. Should have scored late on.

ARSENAL

Jens Lehmann 7.0: Some smart saves alternated with some poor goal kicks, but kept the scoreline from looking like 7-0 or 8-0.

Justin Hoyte 4.0: Troubled by United attackers all evening. The young defender couldn’t make his efforts meaningful.

William Gallas 4.0 : Might now heed the proverb: He who talks big may soon look small. A disappointing evening’s work in the Manchester spotlight. Was at sixes and sevens against Rooney, and his second half kick at Nani deserved a booking too. Perhaps his worst display of the season.

Kolo Toure 5.5: Looked like he was still suffering from jet lag after his exertions in the African Cup of Nations. Lacked his usual authority and positional excellence. Clearly still jaded from his African sojourn.

Armand Traore 4.0: The youngster had a night to forget and was made dizzy by United’s movement and trickery.

Emmanuel Eboue 3.0: Dismissed early in the second half for an ugly challenge on Evra. It was his only contribution to the game.

Francesc Fabregas 5.0: The Premiership’s most improved midfielder didn’t live up to his reputation. Off the pace completely until his substitution. Failed to pick his passes, failed to win the ball, and was simply outplayed on the evening.

Gilberto Silva 5.0: Another talent to leave his better form in the locker room. No impact on the match.

Alexander Hleb 6.5: Didn’t offer his usual menace. A subdued display, but had a little more energy to give to the match than some of his teammates.

Da Silva Eduardo 5.0: His flat display mirrored that of the team.

Nicklas Bendtner 5.0: Got no change out of the United defence and little support from the Arsenal midfield.

Substitutes

Mathieu Flamini 5.0: Lost Fletcher for United’s fourth goal. So much for coming on to limit the damage.

Philippe Senderos 6.0: Should probably have started looking at all that went on at the back.

Emmanuel Adebayor 5.0: Booked for diving seconds after entering the match as a substitute, and that was just about the only thing you remember about him.

Ronaldo Reclaims His Spot As Penalty King

Cristiano Ronaldo rediscovered his confidence from the penalty spot in the FA Cup fourth round against Tottenham and insisted he had no problem in stepping up to take the kick

Last month the Portuguese winger suffered the ignominy of missing a penalty in Man United's 2-1 victory over West Ham but when he was asked by MUTV if this was playing on his mind when he put the ball on the spot in his side's 3-1 win over Spurs he replied: "To be honest, no."

"Sometimes you score, sometimes you miss," he continued, philosophically. "I wasn't thinking about West Ham - that's in the past. I needed to think about the present.

"My confidence is always positive. I took a good penalty and I scored. I'm very happy, my colleagues are happy... everyone is happy."

The player did, however, admit that his side didn't have it all their own way against an organised and threatening Tottenham.

"The game was very difficult," added Ronaldo, who scored two goals in an otherwise average performance by his standards.

"We knew before the game it would be tough because Spurs are a good team and they were coming to Old Trafford with confidence after beating Arsenal in their last match.

"But I think we played better (than Spurs) and we deserved to win."

Ronaldo's two strikes took his tally of goals for the season to 25, two more than his total for the whole of the last campaign.

"I'm having a great season and I need to carry it on. But the most important thing is the team is playing very well, we are top of the league and in the next round of the FA Cup," he concluded.