Exclusive interview: Fabio Da Silva on leaving Manchester United and brother Rafael behind | The Independent Premier League Exclusive interview: Fabio Da Silva on leaving Manchester United and brother Rafael behind Fabio had only ever spent the odd day apart from his twin Rafael before he left Manchester United for QPR during the summer. But, he tells Sam Wallace, it was a move he had to make Saturday 9 February 2013 00:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Football Fabio Da Silva has a perfectly good explanation why his twin brother Rafael was wearing a pair of boots embossed with “Fabio” when he played at Craven Cottage for Manchester United last Saturday Charlie Forgham-Bailey Fabio Da Silva has a perfectly good explanation why his twin brother Rafael was wearing a pair of boots embossed with “Fabio” when he played at Craven Cottage for Manchester United last Saturday. Nike sent the “Fabio” boots to Manchester and the “Rafael” boots to Fabio in London. It happens, he says. People have been mixing them up since they were born. Luckily, the Da Silva brothers have the same size feet.

In fact, they have had pretty much identical football careers in terms of the teams they have played for and the moves they have made. Until last summer when, after much discussion with his brother, Fabio decided to leave United, who play at Loftus Road later this month, and join Queen’s Park Rangers on loan in search of first-team football. When we first meet at QPR’s training ground this week, Fabio wears that hard stare you also see on his brother’s face – the kind you probably need to adopt if you are a talented young Brazilian footballer trying to make your way in the world. But very soon he breaks into a smile and he is open about the complex relationships between twins, and how that is hard to escape, even on the pitch. The Da Silva boys have come a long way from Petropolis, the mountain town near Rio de Janeiro where they grew up the sons of Jose and Laurinda, who worked as gardener and housekeeper for a wealthy family. The twins’ older brother, Luiz Henrique, would help with the lawns. Now Luiz lives with his wife, and Fabio and his wife, Barbara, in Kew Bridge, west London.

When I joke that Fabio could buy that big house in Petropolis now, he laughs. Fabio, 22, says that people assume he is sad to be separated from his twin brother but this is not the case. “We spoke about this [splitting] when we were 12 years old. We would say: ‘One day we are going to split because we cannot be together for ever’. I knew it was going to happen. I just didn’t know when. Last year it happened, this was good.” He apologises a lot for the standard of his English but, nonetheless, he is keen to make a difficult point about the emotional attachment of twins. “Now we have split, it’s better. I tell you, when me and him play together we look at each other. When I make a mistake I’m not saying he feels – he doesn’t lose confidence but he gets less [diminished] a little bit. “Now [this season] when he plays and he has a good game and another good game he gets confidence. When I was there sometimes I was not playing or not playing well. Maybe he feels that I am down... because we lived together [in Manchester]. Sometimes when he plays he is happy.

Sometimes when I play I am happy. Now we are getting more mature. He is there. I am here.” I suggest that the relationship is healthier now, he agrees. “Yes! Now we understand each other more. This is football. We are different. He is there, I am here. When we are together we discuss this. I say, ‘When I play bad you don’t have to be unhappy.’ “We discuss everything together. He knew I wanted to leave United to play more games. To play consistently. He agrees with me. He thinks it’s good for me to leave United to play more football. I enjoy it. I know it hasn’t been a good season for Queen’s Park Rangers but I try to improve and to help.” Fabio estimates that before this summer the two brothers had never spent more than two days apart. They left Fluminense in January 2008 and moved to Manchester together but it took Fabio, afflicted by injuries that have slowed his career, almost a year before he made his first-team debut. Rafael’s progress was more rapid and this season he is established as United’s first-choice right-back.

It was not always the case that Rafael was ahead of Fabio, who despi te being a left-back is right-footed and can play on either wing. A good run of form in the 2010-11 season meant that Fabio was selected ahead of Rafael to play at right-back against Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley in May 2011. “He [Rafael] was destroyed because he really wanted to play,” Fabio says. “For me, of course, it was unbelievable to play in the final but I knew he was not happy. I knew he wanted to play. Of course it didn’t change my game. I feel for him. I felt sorry for him. I didn’t feel complete because of this, but it was still fantastic.” Life at QPR has not been easy. A stress fracture to his back meant that Fabio’s appearances were limited under Mark Hughes although, as the club face Swansea City today, he seems one of the few summer signings whom Harry Redknapp trusts. What about the suggestions that the foreign players are not committed to the club? “It’s hard to say that, man.

I speak about myself and when I am on the pitch I just want to play and give everything I have to help my team-mates in the club. Of course, we can stay in the Premier League. We have 13 more games to come and have a lot of points to get out of the relegation.” Having lived with his brother and their respective partners since he arrived in England, the Da Silva twins finally live apart. Rafael and his wife Karla now have a daughter, Eduarda. Fabio went to watch Brazil play at Wembley on Wednesday but Rafael decided against making the journey south. It goes without saying that both of them would love to be in the team. Fabio and Rafael both have two senior caps for Brazil, won at different times. It was Rafael, however, who copped much of the blame in Brazil for a mistake in the Olympic gold medal final last summer which led to his side conceding the first of two goals to Mexico. “It was very hard,” Fabio says. “He is very upset about this and he wants to be back in the squad. It is sad. Me and my brother, normally we don’t show the emotion. Brazilians want you to cry. We don’t do this.

When he left the pitch he didn’t cry. This is so important in Brazil and the media and fans started to say, ‘He doesn’t care, he plays for United and he doesn’t want to play in the national team’. “It [the criticism] is [intense] because the only title Brazil don’t have is the Olympic gold medal. My brother hasn’t let it get him down. He has played fantastic this season. But he wants to get back in the national team and play at the World Cup. I do too.” When he lists the players ahead of him, you can see why that is such a tall order. The competition includes Marcelo, Felipe Luis and Adriano – although the latter was given a chasing by Theo Walcott on Wednesday night. But if it sounds like Fabio is full of regrets, nothing could be further from the truth. He and his brother love England, and the opportunities it has given them and their family. Their brother, Luiz, had a less happy experience, going to Brescia in Italy when he was 17 and seeing his career peter out to the point that he trained at Altrincham and Radcliffe Borough while he was in Manchester.

“My mum and dad didn’t know what he should do,” Fabio says. “We had an agent in Brazil – it’s a long story but it’s not a good story. But my brother is stronger for this. “I don’t come from the poor, poor, poor. I can say poor because it is poor in Brazil. There are some bad, bad conditions for children. I always had something to eat but, of course, I couldn’t buy everything I wanted. Football in Brazil [thrives] in poor areas. I don’t know why. I think they want it more. They are hungry. Me and my brother have this hunger to get to play in one of the biggest leagues in the world.” There he is again, the brother with whom Fabio shares so many beliefs and ambitions but from whom he had to part to realise his own potential. Fabio says that if he hears someone call his brother’s name he often turns round because the chances are that it is he who is being mistakenly addressed. But the unexpected bonus of being at QPR? Everyone, he says, calls him Fabio. My Other Life I like samba. In Brazil everyone learns. Footballers love samba. Me and my brother are good dancers.

I go to bars and listen to music and dance with my friends. It’s the sound of mixed-up instruments, the pandeiro [tambourine]. No, I haven’t found anywhere for samba in Kew Bridge yet! More about: Fabio and Rafael da Silva! | Manchester United's Brazilian Twins Fabio & Rafael! Rafael Da Silva Donates Wages to Charity Submitted by content on Tue, 10/25/2016 - 09:09 Rafael Da Silva may be forgotten in the Premier League, but he has a great opportunity of winning the league title this season with Lyon. It would be a great achievement if the French outfit were to overcome the dominance of Paris St Germain and win league titles once again. Rafael Da Silva, though, was not involved in the first few weeks of the season due to an injury. It is now revealed that the player gave all his wages collected during this period to charity. After several frustrated years towards the end of his Manchester United career, Rafael saw opportunity to join Lyon and took it with both hands in the summer of 2015.

Fabio And Rafael | BigSoccer Forum Fabio And Rafael Oct 13, 2006 Twins Fábio and Rafael will join Manchester United next July Under-17 Brazilian internationals twins Fábio Silva and Rafael Silva will fly to Manchester next July to sigh professional with the Red Devils. Portuguese Manchester United Supporters Club has confirmed that both players will join Paul Mcguinness Under-17 team on July 9th after they complete 18 years old. Manchester United stuck a deal with Brazilian club Fluminense back in 2005, after both players impressed at Nike Cup in Hong Kong. Les Kershaw had agree for United a four years partnership with Fluminense like the ones already made with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal or Royal Antwerp in Belgium. Portuguese super star Cristiano Ronaldo made is part on the job talking with the twins to join United: “When we were negotiating, Cristiano Ronaldo phone us saying that Manchester United were a tremendous club and a wonderful place to play football”, Rafael reply to Brazilian newspaper.

Fábio (Left Back) and Rafael (Left Right) has already visit Carrington Training Center last year where they join a training session together with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo: “We were there to be familiar with the club and we made part of a friendly match. We play with Rooney and Ronaldo. It was a friendly game with five professionals for one side and another five amateurs for another. They were very kind with us”, Fábio replies. Click to expand... Any info about them will be welcome let the ridiculous poaching of our players continue. let the ridiculous poaching of our players continue. Click to expand... lol....805 Brasilian players getting transfered overseas in 1 year is an insane amount. Its difficult to even comprehend that number. I mean, 800 players....thats basically an entire league being sold in a span of 12 months. Brazil Joelzinho said: ↑ lol....805 Brasilian players getting transfered overseas in 1 year is an insane amount. Its difficult to even comprehend that number. I mean, 800 players....thats basically an entire league being sold in a span of 12 months. Click to expand...

and you guys are to blame for a quarter of that. haha. i actually dont mind it so much. what gets me more are all the good players that end up in eastern europe or asia or the arab countries. it's just ridiculous that these kids basically never played for the senior team at fluminense and theyre already leaving! granted, they will probably get the better development in europe. actually, i bet that these guys will be loaned out to Sporting. that's why i am so glad that inter and some of the other top teams in brazil put crazy contract provisions to ward off potential suitors. 20 million euro fee should be enough to keep pato in brazil for a few more months. haha. Portugal leonidas said: ↑ and you guys are to blame for a quarter of that. haha. i actually dont mind it so much. what gets me more are all the good players that end up in eastern europe or asia or the arab countries. it's just ridiculous that these kids basically never played for the senior team at fluminense and theyre already leaving! granted, they will probably get the better development in europe. actually, i bet that these guys will be loaned out to Sporting.

that's why i am so glad that inter and some of the other top teams in brazil put crazy contract provisions to ward off potential suitors. 20 million euro fee should be enough to keep pato in brazil for a few more months. haha. Click to expand... Tell me about it. Some of the teams in the Portuguese Liga are half Brasilian. For some reason, they do not put a cap on how many Brasilian can play on a team. Brazil Joelzinho said: ↑ Tell me about it. Some of the teams in the Portuguese Liga are half Brasilian. For some reason, they do not put a cap on how many Brasilian can play on a team. Click to expand... this causes all sorts of problems...hell, one of the theories is the influx of foreigners into the premier league has been detrimental to the english national team. compare that with the other leagues out there who still have a lot of home-grown players on the big clubs. at the same time though, you guys do get to naturalize some brazilians. pepe most likely...and there's still a slim chance for liedson.

Portugal leonidas said: ↑ this causes all sorts of problems...hell, one of the theories is the influx of foreigners into the premier league has been detrimental to the english national team. compare that with the other leagues out there who still have a lot of home-grown players on the big clubs. at the same time though, you guys do get to naturalize some brazilians. pepe most likely...and there's still a slim chance for liedson. Click to expand... Please....leave the Naturalization thing alone... Liedson will never be...Pepe still has a chance, I don't know how much though. I though that if Scolari was going to do it, it was going to happen against the Brasil friendly. Joelzinho said: ↑ Please....leave the Naturalization thing alone... Liedson will never be...Pepe still has a chance, I don't know how much though. I though that if Scolari was going to do it, it was going to happen against the Brasil friendly. Click to expand... haha. but seriously. portugal is one of the few exceptions i think with having so many foreigners in their league.

if anything, they actually have been able to strengthen their squad, in contrast with england. but i guess this just has to do with superior youth development, something portugal has always been good at. i guess now though, the pieces are finally falling together. but anyways, this is a tangent that has little to do with fabio and rafael... leonidas said: ↑ haha. but seriously. portugal is one of the few exceptions i think with having so many foreigners in their league. if anything, they actually have been able to strengthen their squad, in contrast with england. but i guess this just has to do with superior youth development, something portugal has always been good at. i guess now though, the pieces are finally falling together. but anyways, this is a tangent that has little to do with fabio and rafael... Click to expand... Still off topic. I do not think you realize the influence that Brasil has on Portugal as a country. I would compare it with how the United States of American influences Canada. Ideals, how people speak, futebol, music, television.

Hell, even ethnic demographic are changing to a certain extent with the consistent flow of Brasilians moving to Portugal (1 million out of 11 in Portugal are apparently Brasilian...) 4 Basic channels in the nation. One day I was switching through them, 3 were playing Brasilian telenovela's and the other had a Brasilian clube game on. I witnessed my cousin, who is now 9 years old, accent change in a span of 2 years. Hes not even located in Lisboa, but in Leiria. He was was slightly putting the "che" in some of his words when I returned to the country. He didn't notice it, neither did his parents. Only his grandmother...lol In Olaias Lisboa, where my family is from, Samba can be heard playing loudly in the background at all time of the day, people dancing to it. Even Tuga.... All these clubs are bigger than Manchester United my friend. The englishcentrism is amazing... Click to expand... The only name that carries any weight out of those is Real Madrid and maybe Milan, the others aren't comparable. And I don't think the amount of world club championship titles are the measure of a big club.

United and Real Madrid are the 2 clubs in the world with most fans and most money, Milan not too far behind aswell. Anyway, on topic I have some news about Fabio and Rafael. Posted from another forum last night.. Fluminense beat Internacional 3 - 0 in an important league game tonight. Fabio and Rafael both scored nice goals (one apiece). Watched it on brazilian TV. They are normally substitutes due to their very young age but both played a full game tonight. One or two of Fluminenses stars were rested as they play in the brazilian cup final on wednesday which if they win will qualify them for the Copa Libertadores. Alexandre Pato was fairly shit for Inter Click to expand... Brazil Red Bed said: ↑ The only name that carries any weight out of those is Real Madrid and maybe Milan, the others aren't comparable. And I don't think the amount of world club championship titles are the measure of a big club. United and Real Madrid are the 2 clubs in the world with most fans and most money, Milan not too far behind aswell. Anyway, on topic I have some news about Fabio and Rafael. Posted from another forum last night.. Click to expand... Sry...

but for us in South America there is a plenty of european clubs that are more famous than Manchester United. All those that I listed is more or such famous than Manchester United to us. Besides the club with the biggest fanbase in the whole world is Flamengo with 33 million fans without count the sympathizers around the world. About money you´re wrong again. According with Deloitte Football Money league Manchester United is in fourth place after Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus. Manchester needs to grow a lot to be what you are saying. That list is from last season. "Rankings for the 2005/06 season" United are on top in the new one because we signed the worlds biggest shirt sponsorship deal(AIG) and we expanded Old Trafford to 76 thousand we sell out every week so thats £3m per game. As for fanbases, thats absolute rubbish. Flamengo are nowhere near United and Madrid, id like to know where you got that figure from. Shame on us for taking this thread offtopic. Click to expand... Your´re right! Case closed! I come back in some hours. I am leaving to attend to São Paulo x Palmeiras in the Morumbi right now.

See you soon. Vamo tricolorrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!! Mengão86 said: ↑ Rafael and Fabio will be playing at the Pan-American games in Rio. Oh and btw, Flamengo IS bigger than Manchester Utd in terms of fan bases. Flamengo has 35 million JUST in Brazil. There are plenty of Flamengo fans around the world, especially in Japan where Zico is a footballing god. Click to expand... As is said, Benfica has the biggest fan base in the world, it is proven! you can check it up if you want... and Manchester United comes in second place Flamengo may be a big team in brazil, but not in the rest of the world... In europe Santos and Corinthians are better known than Flamengo and I bet that is the same in other parts of the world... I know it's your favorite team and you want to defend them, but it's the same for me saying that our rivals benfica has the biggest fanbase... Brazil lagarto said: ↑ As is said, Benfica has the biggest fan base in the world, it is proven! you can check it up if you want...

and Manchester United comes in second place Flamengo may be a big team in brazil, but not in the rest of the world... In europe Santos and Corinthians are better known than Flamengo and I bet that is the same in other parts of the world... I know it's your favorite team and you want to defend them, but it's the same for me saying that our rivals benfica has the biggest fanbase... Click to expand... I highly doubt that. Santos, maybe, because that is Pelé's club but Corinthians? You are telling me Corinthians is better known than a club who has had Zico, Júnior, Bebeto, Romário, Zagallo and many other Seleção regulars? Also, socios aren't a way to count every fan of a team? Benfica has the most socios than any team, not the most fans. Fabio or Rafael for Manchester United? | Stats Analysis - EPL Index: Unofficial English Premier League Opinion, Stats & Podcasts Fabio or Rafael for Manchester United? | Stats Analysis EPL Index > EPL Index Featured Article > Fabio or Rafael for Manchester United? | Stats Analysis Fabio or Rafael for Manchester United?

| Stats Analysis Having been brought in by ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the 2008 January transfer window, Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio Da Silva were seen as the future of United’s full-back positions. With left-back Patrice Evra lacking a deputy and Gary Neville ageing on the opposite flank (Neville, of course, being part of another of United’s family full-back tandems with his brother Phil), Ferguson swooped to bring in the highly-rated pair to provide long-term stability for the defence. Over the next few years, the pair flourished. Although Fabio was perhaps seen as the better one of the pair back in Brazil, Rafael found his feet quicker in England and got numerous opportunities at right-back as Neville first dropped to backup and then retired altogether. The more versatile Fabio was kept out of the team by Patrice Evra’s quality at left-back, but Ferguson selected him at right-back for the Champions League final in 2011. Coming into the 2012-13 season, Rafael was United’s established first-choice right-back after an excellent 2011-2012.

Fabio, however, had a problem: Ferguson had brought in Dutchman Alexander Buttner to provide competition on the left, and with Rafael incumbent on the right and supported by capable deputies Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, starting opportunities would be hard to come by. His manager solved this conundrum by loaning him out to Q.P.R., who had survived the previous season by the skin of their teeth and were looking to consolidate their position through heavy investment. Neither Fabio nor his manager could’ve quite foreseen the dismal campaign that Q.P.R. suffered, but in the maelstrom of a relegation dogfight the young Brazilian acquitted himself well, despite the chaotic defence he found himself in. Meanwhile, his brother was coming on in leaps and bounds, establishing himself as one of the finest full-backs in the Premier League. Now, looking ahead to the 2013-14 season, the returning Fabio will again have to battle for his place. With Evra hitting good form again on the left, Fabio may find himself competing with his brother for United’s right-back berth. With the scene set, the question rather presents itself. Which Da Silva twin, Fabio or Rafael, deserves the starting spot?

[divider] Defence On the ground and in the air, the twins are pretty similar. Fabio has a marginally higher ground 50-50 win %, whilst they’re perfectly tied in aerial 50-50 win %. In terms of actual tackle success, however, Fabio is over 6% ahead, somewhat surprisingly. Moreover, although he’s come up with fewer interceptions, if we adjust the figures for minutes played he again beats out Rafael soundly. It’s not all doom and gloom for Rafael, though, given that his minutes per defensive error are far lower. In terms of possession and protection of the ball, Rafael was surprisingly poor compared to his brother. He lost possession 30 times, far higher than Fabio’s 11 even when adjusted for minutes played. On the other side of the ball, the brothers posted identical minutes per possession won stats, but Rafael was blown out of the water by Fabio’s excellent awareness when on the ball. Even if you double Fabio’s total dispossessions to roughly match the twins’ minutes played, it’s still half that of Rafael’s.

This is perhaps the most surprising stat here, since one would expect Fabio to be under more pressure and offered less support from his teammates when on the ball, but he comes out on top by a huge margin. [divider] Attack Both Fabio and Rafael are modern, offensive full-backs, expected to contribute at both ends of the pitch. It is here where stats become perhaps a little more cloudy, since the massively contrasting fates of the two teams involved come into play much more in this category. Better teams generally have more possession over the course of the season, giving them much more time to adjust their shape and get their full-backs forward. It’s not just a case of controlling the ball, either, but also of different mentalities. Better teams are more likely to be more offensive and proactive in their approach to attacking, which involves getting more players higher up the field. Full-backs and their positioning, in particular, are often an excellent way of telling how offensive a team is trying to be. With that in mind, such statistics as open play pass completion lose something of their effect.

Rafael’s was always likely to be higher than Fabio’s purely because United get the lion’s share of possession so much more often than Q.P.R, and thus are likely to get their entire team more passes. Moreover, the passes a team with more possession do play are often more focused towards retention rather than attack, as United could recycle the ball and wait for an opening. Compare that to Q.P.R, who had to use their limited opportunities to attack when they could, and it’s no surprise Rafael has Fabio beat in terms of pure pass completion. Incidentally, a few figures not shown here rather reinforce this argument: Rafael’s forward pass percentage was lower (36%) than the percentage of his passes which went left (44%). Compare to that Fabio (42% sideways passes overall, with 48% forward) and the difference is clear. In terms of dribbling, the two are still relatively well matched. Fabio’s 10 successful dribbles out of 15 attempted are similar to Rafael’s figures of 18 from 30 when adjusted for minutes played.

Rafael has an edge in terms of crossing, posting a 5% higher crossing accuracy than his brother, but really comes into his own in terms of assists and chances created. He has three assists to Fabio’s none, and even when adjusted for minutes played, the amount of chances Rafael created was far higher. This trend continues in regards to clear-cut chances – as in, chances that can be reasonably be expected to go in – with seven to Fabio’s two. Again, even when adjusted for minutes played, Rafael’s figures are better. As mentioned at the start of this section, though, it was undoubtedly easier for Rafael to create in a side as dominant as United’s. [divider] Rafael or Fabio? It’s hardly surprising that, given the obvious similarities between the pair, they’re quite difficult to separate on the football pitch. When looking at it from the viewpoint of pure stats, Fabio perhaps holds a slight edge defensively, being a slightly better tackler but more importantly losing the ball a lot less. On the other hand, again in terms of pure statistical comparison, Rafael takes the attack category handily. From this position, overall you’d have to say Rafael wins out.

However, this is one of the times when the stats blinkers have to come off in order to fully understand the data before you. When taking into account the previously discussed discrepancy in team quality, things begin to look a little different. Critically, Fabio’s defensive and attacking statistics begin to look a lot more impressive, given the lack of quality around him. This makes the decision a great deal harder than it would first seem. One of the most useful ways of analysing these stats without having to add asterisks and take into account the vast gulf in team quality is to look for the outliers, the data that defies said gap in quality. And from this collection of stats, the only outliers in there are in favour of Fabio. All of the attacking stats where Rafael dominates are fully expected, and you’d logically expect this dominance to continue into defence, where United were a far stronger outfit than the haphazard Q.P.R. But Fabio only lost in one defensive category, the admittedly important minutes per defensive error parameter. Everywhere else, he soundly beat his brother. Most impressive were probably the stats that sealed the contest in my eyes; his brilliant possession statistics, on both sides of the ball.

Fabio intercepted more, lost possession less and was dispossessed far less per minute than Rafael, all statistics that theoretically shouldn’t be in his favour. There’s still much to recommend Rafael – his familiarity with his teammates, his good partnership with the wingers (whoever they may be) in front of him, as well as the dubious honour of being unable to play anywhere else, unlike his brother – but overall, Fabio’s performance in a difficult season gives him the performance edge. Whether or not David Moyes will give both a chance and work on a ‘minutes for merit’ basis remains to be seen, but with each impressive performance both twins turn in, it must be becoming more and more tempting for the Scot to dispose of the ageing and occasionally error-prone Evra and put a Da Silva on each flank… How does this post make you feel? Excellent Manchester United v Arsenal - as it happened | Paolo Bandini | Football | The Guardian Manchester United v Arsenal - as it happened Sir Alex Ferguson can riff on Arsenal's pain in the FA Cup today.

Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/EPA Saturday 12 March 2011 11.06 EST First published on Saturday 12 March 2011 11.06 EST Share on Messenger Close Here we are then A defining point in the 2010-11 season, or just another pointless cup fixture? I'm inclined towards the former, partly because I'm just not sure I'm feeling the same FA Cup ennui these days that some others are, but also because in this case there is some rather direct precedent. In February 2008 Arsenal were top of the league by five points when they travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round. Arsène Wenger put out a weakened side and found himself on the wrong side of a 4-0 hiding. The impact would go beyond a cup exit. Arsenal promptly went five league games without a win as their title challenge came off the rails. If that wasn't a big enough incentive to take this game seriously then Arsenal will draw added motivation from more recent events.

In the space of a fortnight they have lost a cup final and been on the receiving end of an absolute chasing from Barcelona at the Camp Nou (questionable refereeing decisions aside). To exit a third tournament so soon afterwards could prove a decisive blow to an already fragile state of mind. United may be feeling vulnerable too, however, after consecutive league defeats away to Chelsea and Liverpool. A third loss at such a pivotal stage of the season would be very hard to stomach. Team news There may be no question of either manager fielding a weakened side by choice today, but both are certainly constrained by injuries. United's line-up contains no less than seven players who would be most at home in defence - Brown, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, O'Shea and the two Da Silvas - but we're betting against a revolutionary 7-1-2. Arsenal start Almunia, their only fit first team goalkeeper, and are also without Alex Song, Theo Walcott, Thomas Vermaelen and ... some chap named Fábregas. Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Rafael Da Silva, Gibson, O'Shea, Fabio Da Silva, Rooney, Hernandez.

Subs: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Giggs, Scholes, Valencia, Obertan, King. Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Gibbs, Denilson, Diaby, Wilshere, Arshavin, van Persie, Nasri. Subs: Shea, Rosicky, Ramsey, Squillaci, Clichy, Eboue, Chamakh. Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside) In defence of United's team selection My colleague Jacob Steinberg just posted this on Twitter : "Actually, this United side is quite reminiscent of how Liverpool played against Chelsea." Not an unreasonable point. How that United team will play Sir Alex Ferguson suggested to ITV that it will be a 4-4-2 with United, saying that Gibson would be partnered by O'Shea in midfield, with the two Da Silvas out wide. If Arsène was a superhero "Mad props to the ITV people for using a bit of Hans Zimmer's fabulous Inception soundtrack," says Ryan Dunne, making reference to the British broadcaster's pre-game montage.

"Although referring to Lord Ferg as the 'Dark Knight', as they just did, is plainly disturbing for any Batman fan. Does that make Arsène The Joker?" 1 min We're off, with United dominating the first 50 seconds's worth of possession, before Rafael Da Silva attempts to play in Hernandez. Only problem is he's comfortably offside. 3 mins And now a first shot for Arsenal, albeit a rather feeble one. Arshavin made Wes Brown look very silly indeed as he danced straight past the defender's sliding challenge with absurd ease, but Smalling was across swiftly to close the Russian down and ensure that he could only prod the ball gently at Van der Sar. 5 mins A section of the United fans begin that charming little libellous ditty they enjoy singing at Wenger, but another section almost immediately start up a chant of "United! United!" to drown them out. Signs of progress? 6 mins Samir Nasri jinks into space down the right hand side before whisking a cross over the area and over the head of Robin van Persie. Arsenal have been the more threatening side so far, though it may be a tiny bit early to start drawing sweeping conclusions.

8 mins Wilshere works the ball out to Gibbs on the left and he swings in a cross that is far too close to Van der Sar. The keeper claims easily enough. Interesting to see how Gibbs does in a game like this. Clichy is not the most popular player among Arsenal fans and with his contract negotiations at a standstill could be on his way out in the not too distant future. My own impression of Gibbs is that he is the more accomplished attacking player by far, but perhaps that some have overestimated the quality of his defending.. 10 mins Nasri gets himself into trouble down by his own corner flag, eventually giving the ball away under heavy pressure from Evra. The ball is swung in by United towards Rooney at the far post but Arsenal cut it out. 11 mins Are you watching Cesc? Wilshere demonstrates the more reasonable part of the pitch in which to execute a backheel, rolling the ball under his boot to Arshavin as he runs at the United area. The Russian drives a low shot just wide of the near post, though it probably wouldn't have had enough pace on it it to trouble Van der Sar in any case.

12 mins "Surely Alex Ferguson would be Daredevil for the obvious reason," announces Anish Mistry. "Though considering Wenger's inability to see certain decisions he could certainly pass for him too." As one who has no idea who this Daredevil character is, I cannot really comment. 14 mins United seem somewhat unsure of themselves in possession at the moment. Perhaps understandably given the number of defensive players in the side, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of vision when they are looking to break forwards. Instead they roll it back and forth without advancing. Arsenal stand off, waiting for their turn to have it back. 15 mins Not for the first time, I seem to have spoken to soon. All of a sudden United create their first attack of note, Gibson feeding Fabio Da Silva down the left and the Brazilian whipping over a perfect cross that his twin can only head over the bar from a position right in front of the goal and a few yards out. That should have been a goal. 17 mins"Wenger has "Robin" on his side, how can he possibly be the Joker then," demands Brenda Wang on Twitter. It's a fair point.

19 mins Arsenal, by contrast with United are looking to attack quickly when they do have the ball, Nasri and Diaby exchanging passes down the right before an attempted cut-back for Van Persie is intercepted by Smalling. 21 mins Arshavin attempts to break across half-way but a heavy touch takes the ball away from him. United try to break but a similarly ragged piece of control from Hernandez allows the ball to run through to Almunia. Safe to say neither of these teams is playing quite at the peak of their abilities right now. 23 mins Arsenal are probing - not in the way that your Roswell-dwelling cousin says the extra terrestrial did, mind - around the edge of the United area but Sagna's cross is too deep. I suppose this is the obvious result of playing a team with this many defenders - easy to dominate in the middle of the park, hard to break down at the back. 24 mins Van Persie grows tired of the dawdling, looks up from a few yards outside the box and has a crack, his effort hit decently enough but ultimately travelling slowly enough and close enough to Van der Sar that the goalkeeper is able to gather it at the first attempt.

26 mins The game is settling into a pattern now, with Arsenal holding a lot of the possession in the United half and their hosts playing on the counter. Rafael Da Silva sends a ball over the defence down the right for Rooney to chase, but he's put too much on it and it runs out for a goal-kick. GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal (Fabio Da Silva 28 mins) Who needs attackers? Fabio Da Silva is on hand to gobble up the rebound after Hernandez's header is palmed away by Almunia. The goalkeeper will be livid that both players were so easily able to get in behind the Arsenal defence, but the header was excellent - right across the goalkeeper so that even if he did reach it he would have little choice but to push it out into the middle of his own area. 30 mins Now United have the momentum with them and Rooney manages to pick out Fabio Da Silva again inside the box with a very tidy cross, but the Brazilian's gets the header all wrong and Arsenal clear. 32 mins "Were Rafael and Fabio separated at birth," sniggers Ian Copestake. The evidence here would suggest they were kept together, Ian.

33 mins Ooh - best effort of the game by far for Arsenal there as Nasri manages to create just half-a-yard of space for Van Persie with a clever ball as he moves out towards the touchline from the centre of the D. The Dutchman turns and fizzes a low shot across Van der Sar's goal and his shot might just be sneaking in before the goalkeeper gets a hand to it and pushes it away for a corner ... From which Van Persie crashes a header just wide at the near post. Perhaps should do better with that. 35 mins Rooney just sent Sagna clattering into the advertising hoardings with a foreceful but fair challenge on the left. 36 mins Apologies, I'm hearing from some readers that my descriptions of the goals are not showing up. This seems to be due to a flaw in our auto-update system. If you could just refresh your page manually now they should appear. From now on I'll try a work-around to make sure the description shows up. 38 mins "Here's a useless stat - Ryan Giggs joined United on the birthdate of the Da Silva twins- 9 July 1990," parps Nick McLoughlin.

"Does that make him feel old or them feel young?" I think that makes us all feel old, Nick. 39 mins Not the response Wenger will have been hoping for so far here at Old Trafford. Another move comes to an end with a disappointing piece of miscontrol from Nasri and since the goal there really hasn't been any sort of concerted reaction. With seven defenders on the pitch the first goal was always going to be important but a team with such faith in their attacking abilities as Arsenal would surely expect to be able to do more than they are at the moment. 41 mins Fabio pulls an exemplary 'I can't believe such an injustice. On a football pitch of all places' face after the referee declines to award him a free-kick following a tussle from Denilson. Crucial part of any pro's skillset, that. 43 mins Smalling, who is having a pretty tidy start to this game, dispossesses Arshavin again on the edge of the area, before tearing up the field to within about five yards of the Arsenal area. Then he realises where he is, passes the ball sideways and starts running backwards with a fury.

The ball is worked through to Rafael but he is muscled off the ball by Djourou. 44 mins "Would three cup exits in a fortnight set a record," ponders Nick McLoughlin. That's one for The Knowledge , I suspect. 45 mins Nasri, not for the first time this season playing the part of Arsenal's most significant attacking threat, sells Wes Brown a dummy pass across the area before twisting back to thrash the ball through his legs and towards the near corner of the net. Van der Sar does very well to get down quickly and smother the shot.. Peepety-peeeep! Half-time at Old Trafford and despite having all those defenders on the pitch it is United who once again lead against Arsenal. The Gunners have had a lot of the ball in good areas of the pitch but threatened to get back on terms only very sporadically after Fabio's opener. A lot more will be required if they are to get back into this in the second half. Back in a tick with half-time emails. On the subject of Wenger as Daredevil "Great point by Anish Mistry (12 mins)," says Ryan Dunne.

"Daredevil is a blind superhero whose other senses are other superheroically enchanced. Daredevil literally never sees the incident, hence Wenger, but the 'red devil' outfit is a bit Fred the Red, and the comics' grim-in-gritty Hell's Kitchen setting arguably is more suggestive of Lord Ferg's Govan origins." On the subject of Arsenal's transfer policy "Am I alone amongst Gooners in thinking that if Arsène could once, just once, do something disreputable in the transfer market - signing Kevin Nolan for instance - the script of matches like this might be somewhat less predictable," muses Allan Castle. "Seeing Evra with his collar up in the tunnel made me wonder who in the Arsenal XI was capable of administering an attitude adjusting tackle." On the premature anointing of Kieran Gibbs "Is Gibbs really being pencilled in as an England full-back for the next 10 years," demands David Wall. "Really? Has no one learned from Glen Johnson?" And finally ... Arsenal as an impotent boyfriend "Arsenal are a frustrating boyfriend - smart, talented, beautiful, also plenty of intricate action in and around the box," asserts Linda Howard.

"Yes, the lack of penetration is frustrating but ultimately all the other aspects make it all worth it." 46 mins "Do you think Valencia will play today," asks Jorge Narvaez. "And if so do you think he will have a big impact in the game?" Well, he's just been introduced at half-time in place of the goalscorer himself Fabio Da Silva, so we're about to find out. We're off again and Wenger is trudging over to his bench with a less than exuberant grimace on his face. 47 mins Wilshere comes cantering forward, eluding a pair of challenges and then bouncing off another - Arsenal might well have got a free-kick right on the edge of the box had he chosen to go down - but in the end can only scuff a gently effort goalwards. 48 mins Fantastic save from Van der Sar - and what a bizarre goal it would have been too. Heaven knows what Laurent Koscielny was doing that high up the pitch, but suddenly the Arsenal centre-back found himself in yards of space inside the United area.

Presumably confused by this himself, he initially attempts to square the ball to Van Persie, but when the ball comes back to him off a defender he finally shoots from five yards out and the keeper has to show incredible reflexes to push his shot away at full stretch. GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Manchester United (Rooney 49 mins) Just when it looked like Arsenal were making a bright start to this half they concede again. Djourou had done exceptionally well to block Hernandez's effort five yards out after a centre from Rafael, but the ball bounced up into the air and Rooney directed his header with supreme confidence past Almunia and into the net from a really quite acute angle. Game over? 51 mins Arsenal, understandably, seem rocked by that second goal and it looks for a second as though United are about to add a third as Rooney plays Hernandez in down the left with well-judged throughball, only for the flag to go up for offside. It was the right decision, but not by much. 53 mins "Can we do footballers named after cities clashing on the field," asks Nick McLoughlin.

"We have Valencia vs Abu Dhabi here after that half-time change." 54 mins United are letting Arsenal have the ball now, but only in areas where they aren't going to do any harm. There is an air of frantic hopelessness about Arsenal as they move the ball around with great urgency but very little direction in the middle of the field. 56 mins What an intervention that was from Vidic - reaching out a size 11 at full stretch to cut out a chip forward from Arshavin that seemed certain to end up at the feet of Wilshere as he ran free towards the United goal. Smalling has been impressive today but it makes such a difference having Vidic alongside him. 57 mins Nasri tests Van der Sar again with a half-volley flashed towards the roof of the net from just inside the area after United fail to clear an attack, but once again the effort hasn't quite got enough power behind it and the goalkeeper claims it first time. 59 mins Diaby sums up his contribution this afternoon by clunking a shot a long way high and wide from a position 25 yards out where passing might have been the better option. A luxury player in a team who may already have one too many.

Arsenal are sending Marouane Chamakh on for Denilson. 61 mins Arsenal win a free-kick in a useful spot a yard or two outside the D after Van Persie is felled by O'Shea. No prizes for guessing who is going to take it ... 62 mins Van Persie's free-kick hits a United player (I want to say Gibson, but without a replay I'm not sure) flush in the face, but the fact that the man in question barely seems to flinch tells you everything about the lack of pace in the shot. The Dutchman was clearly attempting to go with precision rather than power, but wound up with neither. 64 mins Time for another United change. Ryan Giggs replaces the second Da Silva twin. 65 mins "In response to Nick McLoughlin (53 mins), it's such an old Clichy to make jokes about players names," chirrups Jimmy Lacey as United waste a corner. "Mind you, with this carnival football that United are playing, it's as if they think they're in Rio. Nemanja what I mean?" I was with you right up to Nemanja.

66 mins So close to a third for United, as Chris Smalling finds an unmarked Giggs with a header across the six yard box from the back post but the Welshman just can't get the ball to come down fast enough as he tries to bring it down on his chest. Djourou recovers to clear. 67 mins At the other end Chamakh forces a save out of Van der Sar with a low drive after coming in from the left, but it will require a lot better effort than that to beat the keeper on this sort of form. 69 mins "Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again," crow the United support. Arsenal's players look increasingly forlorn - shoulders slumped and energy draining from them as the minutes tick away. Still 20 minutes to play but it's hard to see a way back right now. 72 mins Arsenal make their second change, introducing Aaron Ramsey for his first appearance since his horrific injury last year. He replaces Abou Diaby. In fact they're going to make their third one too, Tomas Rosicky replacing Andrei Arshavin.

73 mins Nasri attempts to thread the needle with a pass through the middle for Van Persie, but if he had waited a fraction of a second longer he might have seen Ramsey tearing up alongside him and into far more space on his outside shoulder. The Welshman has a decent shot on him, too. 75 mins Not for the first time, Wilshere has probably been Arsenal's best player today, and he prises open the United defence as best he can here, beating one man and eluding the challenge of another by releasing the ball to a team-mate just behind him. He then steps past the defender to take the return ball inside the box but then crashes his shot wide of the near post. 76 mins Another chance goes begging for Arsenal - Chamakh heading down into the ground and watching the ball bounce up to a spot where Van der Sar can palm away after Sagna had found him with a wonderful cross from the right. It was another decent save by the keeper, but from the position where he received the ball the striker should have made him work far harder than that.

78 mins Yet another save required from Van der Sar (and for all United have managed this game well, you could certainly make a case for him as the man of the match) as Rosicky lets fly at the top corner from the edge of the box. The keeper can only parry back out towards the penlaty spot but the ball falls closer to Smalling than Chamakh and the striker fouls his opponent as he strives to recover possession. 80 mins A fantastic counter-attack from United and a fantastic save from Almunia to deny them at the end of it. Giggs cuts inside as he races forward, nudging the ball to Rooney as they cross paths. He squares the ball to Hernandez six yards out, but his attempt to bundle the ball home takes a deflection off Djourou before ricocheting up and oh so nearly over Almunia, who had already gone to ground - but the keeper thrusts out a paw to palm the ball away. 82 mins Things going from bad to worse for Arsenal here - Djourou is still down and receiving treatment from what looks like about six men at the moment.

The stretcher team are waiting to carry him off, but the medics aren't ready to hand him vover just yet. In the meantime, United have taken off Patrice Evra and brought on Paul Scholes. 84 mins Djourou still receiving treatment. What a blow this could be for Arsenal. The defender is yet to lose a Premier League game this season. 85 mins "Cork Vs Dublin must surely have happened in early days of the Premier League," announces Ronan by email, returning to our cities facing off on the football pitch theme. "It is the ultimate battle of cities over here in the motherland of manchester utd's central midfielders." 86 mins Djourou finally leaves the pitch on a stretcher, and the suspicion is that he has dislocated his shoulder, which I can say from experience is not a fun place to be. 88 mins Rooney, who has been quietly brilliant this afternoon, feeds Hernandez down the left with a neat blind pass but his team-mate's cross is overhit and runs away on the far side of the area.

89 mins Gibbs sums up the seemingly hopeless position Arsenal find themselves in, picking the ball up in a potentially threatening position just inside the left-hand corner of the area but freezing completely for a second before thwacking the ball aimlessly into the nearest opponent's thigh. 90 mins We are going to have a good eight minutes of injury time. Which is actually probably about right after that Djourou injury. Not that's it's going to make much difference to the outcome of this game. 90 mins (+2) Arsenal may be looking lifeless but if nothing else there fans remain in fine voice - making themselves heard far more than the home support in these closing stages. 90 mins (+3) I dare say he'll be forgiven after his performance in the rest of this game, but Rooney makes a horrendous mess of an absolute gem of a chance - slicing his shot wide from about five yards out. 90 mins (+4) Quite the unnecessary challenge from Scholes there - crashing in two-footed on Chamakh inside the Arsenal half. He took the ball but that's a dangerous challenge at the best of times and really quite needless at this stage of a game like this.

90 mins (+5) Another chance for Arsenal - and they've had their fair share in the end, even if they haven't scored - Sagna picking out an unmarked Rosicky right by the goal but the midfielder failing to trap the ball and letting it get away from him. 90 mins (+6) My word, what is Scholes at here? Another two-footed challenge earns him a talking to from the ref but honestly, what is the point in that? 90 mins (+8) And if Arsenal really could have scored today then United certainly could have had a third too. Almunia again manages to deny Hernandez from close range. Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! That's it from Old Trafford - Arsenal exit a third cup competition in the space of a fortnight. The mooted quadruple is now down to a single, and though both players and fans would clearly be delighted to end their season with 'just' a Premier League title it is increasingly hard to imagine this team picking itself up from a run like this to chase down United in the league, especially after losing as important a player as Djourou had become over the last few months.

As for United, yet again under Ferguson they have managed to put on a show of strength at a time of adversity. That ITV should indeed name Van der Sar as Man of the Match in the end makes it clear that Arsenal threatened to score at times, but despite the number and calibre of the players they had missing, United still deserved this win. They will draw confidence from another big victory when they needed it most. Right, that's it from me. Thanks for all your emails and sorry I couldn't use more of them. BBC Sport - Football - Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal Man Utd 2 - 0 Arsenal Wayne Rooney's second goal proved a killer blow to Arsenal's FA Cup ambitions By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at Old Trafford Manchester United piled on the agony for Arsene Wenger as Arsenal's rapidly deteriorating season took another blow with defeat in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. Fabio da Silva and Wayne Rooney struck in each half to take Manchester United to Wembley with a victory that sent Arsenal crashing out of a third major competition inside a fortnight. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who rounded defiantly on his critics in his programme notes, demanded a response from United after Premier League defeats at Chelsea and Liverpool.

And a team that included seven defenders in a reshuffled starting line-up delivered the win he craved. Arsenal followed the predictable pattern of many recent meetings with United by controlling possession for long periods but failing to take advantage. Their FA Cup exit followed the Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham City and the contentious Champions League loss to Barcelona last Tuesday. When they did pierce United's rearguard, the Gunners found veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in outstanding form - he denied Robin van Persie in the first half as well as saving well from Laurent Koscielny, Marouane Chamakh and Tomas Rosicky after the interval. Wenger's problems increased as defender Johan Djourou was stretchered off late on after he appeared to collide with team-mate Bacary Sagna as he attempted to stop Javier Hernandez adding a third for United. Ferguson will be satisfied that United's season has moved closer to being back on course with a vital triumph and the boost of a Wembley appearance, but counterpart Wenger cut a dejected and despairing figure at the final whistle.

Arsenal still have the Premier League title to aim for, but Wenger must sift through what may well be heavy psychological blows to his players as three targets have been removed from their sights in swift succession. Wenger always hails the mental strength contained within Arsenal's squad - and that faith and resolve will now be tested to the full after a nightmare spell. Ferguson's starting line-up carried an unfamiliar look - but his side performed in highly effective fashion, despite Arsenal enjoying a large share of possession in the first 45 minutes. Brazilian brothers Rafael and Fabio were relieved of their familiar defensive duties and utilised wide on the flanks, a ploy that should have brought United an early lead. Fabio's cross from the left was an open invitation for Rafael to score but he headed wastefully over the top from close range. Fabio did not make the same mistake when presented with the chance to give United a crucial advantage after 27 minutes. Rooney's delicate cross was met by Hernandez and when his header was pushed out by Manuel Almunia the youngster slid in to prod the rebound into the roof of the net.

Van Persie led the Arsenal response with a low angled effort that was turned around the post by Van der Sar, then heading just wide from the resulting corner. There was a welcome sight for United and their supporters at the start of the second half as Antonio Valencia returned as a substitute for the first time since breaking his leg in the Champions League tie against Glasgow Rangers at Old Trafford in September. United keeper Van der Sar kept them on terms with an instinctive double save right after the break, twice denying Koscielny after he linked with Van Persie inside the area. The value of Van der Sar's saves was quickly illustrated as Rooney doubled United's lead shortly after. Rafael was instrumental with a surge into the area and when another Hernandez effort was blocked Rooney pounced to head home. Arsenal once again resumed territorial advantage but simply could not find a way past Van der Sar, who distinguished himself with further fine saves from substitute Chamakh's header and Rosicky's swerving 20-yard shot. As Arsenal pushed forward in desperation, they inevitably left spaces at the back and United almost cashed in as Almunia clawed out a shot from Hernandez.

Defender Djourou was injured in the scramble and was stretchered off after lengthy treatment - during which he was given oxygen - that left eight minutes of stoppage time. Manchester United substitute Paul Scholes enlivened proceedings with a needlessly hot-headed cameo that brought a yellow card and a separate rebuke from referee Chris Foy. But nothing could take the gloss off United's win as they sealed their place in the last four of the FA Cup. Live text and stats 90:00+8:37 The final whistle is blown by the referee. 90:00+6:51 Javier Hernandez takes a shot. Save made by Manuel Almunia. 90:00+6:19 Unfair challenge on Samir Nasri by Paul Scholes results in a free kick. Jack Wilshere takes the free kick. 90:00+4:45 Centre by Antonio Valencia, clearance by Bacary Sagna. 90:00+4:14 The ball is swung over by Bacary Sagna. 90:00+3:31 Paul Scholes gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Marouane Chamakh.

Direct free kick taken by Kieran Gibbs. 90:00+3:31 Booking Paul Scholes receives a caution. 90:00+3:09 The official flags Antonio Valencia offside. Free kick taken by Laurent Koscielny. 90:00+2:17 Effort from deep inside the area by Wayne Rooney misses to the right of the target. 90:00+0:45 The official flags Marouane Chamakh offside. Nemanja Vidic takes the indirect free kick. 90:00+0:18 Wayne Rooney takes a shot. Save by Manuel Almunia. 79:50 Substitution Paul Scholes comes on in place of Patrice Evra. 79:24 Javier Hernandez takes a shot. Save made by Manuel Almunia. 78:06 Unfair challenge on Patrice Evra by Marouane Chamakh results in a free kick. Edwin Van der Sar takes the free kick. 77:37 Tomas Rosicky takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 76:41 Centre by Bacary Sagna. Samir Nasri takes a shot.

Blocked by Chris Smalling. 75:35 Bacary Sagna delivers the ball, Marouane Chamakh takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 74:50 The assistant referee flags for offside against Antonio Valencia. Kieran Gibbs takes the free kick. 74:13 Shot by Jack Wilshere from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal. 71:08 Substitution (Arsenal) makes a substitution, with Tomas Rosicky coming on for Andrey Arshavin. 71:08 Substitution Aaron Ramsey replaces Vassiriki Diaby. 70:58 Marouane Chamakh produces a header from inside the area that goes over the bar. 69:33 The ball is delivered by Ryan Giggs, save by Manuel Almunia. 68:00 Corner taken left-footed by Ryan Giggs from the left by-line, Johan Djourou manages to make a clearance. 66:14 Marouane Chamakh takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 65:37 Samir Nasri sends in a cross, Patrice Evra manages to make a clearance.

64:47 Antonio Valencia crosses the ball, Header by Javier Hernandez from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target. 64:13 Corner taken by Ryan Giggs from the left by-line to the near post, Robin van Persie makes a clearance. 63:28 Substitution Rafael Da Silva leaves the field to be replaced by Ryan Giggs. 63:15 Robin van Persie takes a shot from just inside the penalty box which clears the crossbar. 62:54 Corner crossed in by Bacary Sagna, clearance made by Chris Smalling. 62:50 The ball is delivered by Bacary Sagna, clearance by Nemanja Vidic. 60:57 Unfair challenge on Robin van Persie by John O'Shea results in a free kick. Strike on goal comes in from Robin van Persie from the free kick. 60:22 Darron Gibson produces a cross, clearance made by Laurent Koscielny. 60:17 The ball is crossed by Antonio Valencia. 59:00 Substitution Marouane Chamakh on for Neves Denilson.

58:50 Vassiriki Diaby has shot on goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the right-hand upright. 56:37 The ball is crossed by Bacary Sagna, Chris Smalling manages to make a clearance. Effort on goal by Samir Nasri from 18 yards. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 55:34 Corner taken by Antonio Valencia from the right by-line, Header by Nemanja Vidic from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal. 51:19 Nemanja Vidic challenges Andrey Arshavin unfairly and gives away a free kick. Bacary Sagna restarts play with the free kick. 50:59 The referee blows for offside against Javier Hernandez. Bacary Sagna restarts play with the free kick. 49:30 The ball is delivered by Andrey Arshavin, Patrice Evra makes a clearance. Robin van Persie decides to take a short corner. 48:15 GOAL - Wayne Rooney:Man Utd 2 - 0 Arsenal Wayne Rooney finds the net with a headed goal from inside the six-yard box.

Man Utd 2-0 Arsenal. 47:35 Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Robin van Persie from the right by-line, Nemanja Vidic manages to make a clearance. 47:09 Laurent Koscielny takes a shot. Edwin Van der Sar makes a brilliant save. 45:01 The match restarts for the second half. 45:01 Substitution (Man Utd) makes a substitution, with Antonio Valencia coming on for Fabio Da Silva. Half Time 45:00+1:09 The whistle is blown to end the first half. 44:07 Samir Nasri takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 43:35 Javier Hernandez is ruled offside. Free kick taken by Laurent Koscielny. 39:51 Foul by Wes Brown on Jack Wilshere, free kick awarded. Free kick crossed by Andrey Arshavin, clearance by Wes Brown. 35:09 Vassiriki Diaby is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Free kick taken by Edwin Van der Sar.

33:19 Corner taken by Rafael Da Silva, Johan Djourou manages to make a clearance. 32:31 Robin van Persie takes a shot. Edwin Van der Sar makes a save. Corner taken right-footed by Samir Nasri from the left by-line to the near post, Robin van Persie has a headed effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the left of the target. 31:28 Vassiriki Diaby concedes a free kick for a foul on Wayne Rooney. Darron Gibson takes the free kick. 29:43 The ball is sent over by Wayne Rooney, Headed effort from deep inside the area by Fabio Da Silva misses to the left of the goal. 27:40 Javier Hernandez takes a shot. Save made by Manuel Almunia. Javier Hernandez provided the assist for the goal. 27:40 GOAL - Fabio Da Silva:Man Utd 1 - 0 Arsenal Fabio Da Silva finds the back of the net with a goal from close in high into the middle of the goal. Man Utd 1-0 Arsenal. 27:06 Vassiriki Diaby takes a shot.

Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 24:39 The official flags Fabio Da Silva offside. Manuel Almunia restarts play with the free kick. 23:57 Robin van Persie takes a shot. Edwin Van der Sar makes a save. 22:34 Kieran Gibbs crosses the ball, Chris Smalling manages to make a clearance. 22:29 The ball is sent over by Bacary Sagna, clearance made by Nemanja Vidic. 21:21 The assistant referee flags for offside against Javier Hernandez. Manuel Almunia takes the free kick. 19:08 Bacary Sagna produces a cross, clearance made by Chris Smalling. 17:24 Vassiriki Diaby challenges Wayne Rooney unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Wayne Rooney. 14:48 The ball is swung over by Fabio Da Silva, Rafael Da Silva produces a header from deep inside the six-yard box that clears the crossbar. 13:07 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Rafael Da Silva by Samir Nasri. Free kick taken by Chris Smalling.

11:30 Andrey Arshavin is ruled offside. Free kick taken by Chris Smalling. 10:26 Andrey Arshavin has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box which goes wide left of the goal. 7:19 The ball is swung over by Kieran Gibbs, save by Edwin Van der Sar. 6:16 The referee blows for offside against Fabio Da Silva. Free kick taken by Manuel Almunia. 4:39 Free kick awarded for a foul by Wayne Rooney on Jack Wilshere. Laurent Koscielny restarts play with the free kick. 2:35 Andrey Arshavin takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 0:48 The offside flag is raised against Javier Hernandez. Manuel Almunia restarts play with the free kick. 0:00 The ref blows the whistle to begin the match. Live text and data provided by The Press Association. Bookmark with:

Question: What is the surname of the twins, Raphael and Fabio, who play football for Manchester Utd?
Answer: DA SILVA