The teams

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Silvestre, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Diaby, Bendtner.
Subs: Fabianski, Toure, Vela, Ramsey, Song Billong, Wilshere, Djourou.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Anderson, Carrick, Park, Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs: Kuszczak, Giggs, Nani, Rafael Da Silva, O'Shea, Evans, Tevez.

Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)

Theo Walcott, William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre and Bacary Sagna passed fitness tests to start for Arsenal at the Emirates this afternoon. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger also has Manuel Almunia back in goal after the Spaniard missed the midweek stalemate with Fenerbahce due to "sickness".

Elsewhere, Abou Diaby comes in for Aaron Ramsey, with Robin van Persie suspended and Emmanuel Adebayor injured meaning Nicklas Bendtner is up front.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson restores Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney to his starting line-up following their midweek draw with Celtic. Edwin van der Sar is back in goal and Gary Neville and Patrice Evra return as full-backs.

Preamble: "Well done," says Sir Alex Ferguson to Sky's tunnel interviewer Geoff Shreeves in that infuriatingly patronising way of his, after fielding the mandatory pre-match interrogatory projectiles. He thinks the Arsenal team is strong, all things considered, but is still confident etc and so on.

Take That: Now Geoff Shreeves is interviewing Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, who are at the match. It's all glamour, that gig. OK, it's prediction time. Despite Arsenal being the biggest price they've ever been to win a Premier League meeting between these two sides at 5-2 against, I have a feeling in my bones they're going to win this game, despite all the deliberate injuries to their players, their recent poor performances and the frightening strength of the Manchester United line-up today.

Pre-match niceties: The teams line up in the tunnel, with Manchester United kitted out in blue and Arsenal in their usual home kit of red shirts with white sleeves, white shorts and red and white socks.

1 min: Manchester United kick off. Expect Arsenal to play five across the middle, with Nicklas Bendtner playing as a lone striker. Much will hinge on how Vassiriki Diaby plays today in his role as link-up man between the Arsenal midfield and their frontman.

2 min: Arsenal concede a free-kick on the left-hand side of their own penalty area after Manuel Almunia picks up a poor back-pass from Gael Clichy under pressure from Wayne Rooney. With the Arsenal wall assembled inside the six-yard box, Anderson slams a diagonal right-to-left shot against it and Michael Carrick sends the deflection narrowly wide. A woeful start for the home side.

3 min:Nasri goes on a rampaging run down the left wing, cuts inside and is dispossessed by Anderson. The ball is played back to Van der Sar, who rolls it towards Vidic and United build from the back.

5 min: William Gallas hoofs a long ball forward, hoping to release Theo Walcott. Vidic shields the ball and Van der Sar claims it. It's a lively start.

6 min: "Apart from Little Cesc and maybe Little Theo, would any of the Arsenal XI get in the Manchester United XI?" asks Who Else But Gary Naylor. "Pundits seem to think Arsene is three players short of a good squad - eight would be closer." So, proper football questions - is this how it's going to be?

7 min: Wonderful play from Manchester United results in Dimitar Berbatov getting the ball in the Arsenal net, but his effort is correctly disallowed because the Bulgarian was a yard offside. Neville and Ronaldo combined well down the right wing, before the Portuguese sent a low ball across the edge of the penalty area, where Park showed great awareness to let the ball roll through his legs and on to Rooney, whose low drive was parried into the path of the offside Berbatov by Almunia.

9 min: Free-kick for Manchester United in Ronaldo territory, which, um, Ronaldo sends fizzing wide.

11 min: That's a wonderful cross from the left touchline by Walcott - or was it Nasri? It's inch-perfect for Nicklas Bendtner, who rises unchallenged on the edge of the six-yard box and heads over the bar.

13 min: Another inch-perfect cross from Nasri, another missed sitter from Nicklas Bendtner, who misjudges the flight of the ball completely and doesn't get his head to it at all. If he was even half as good as he likes to tell everyone he is, he'd be on a hat-trick by now.

14 min: This is a belter of a game of football - it's difficult to know how the bloke in charge of the scoreboard hasn't been called into service yet. Having got off to a very shaky start, it's Arsenal who are starting to take control - another cross, Van der Sar flaps and a defender hacks clear.

16 min: "Naylor's question is a touch unfair given Arsenal are missing so many first teamers," writes Chris Sturrock. "But even from this XI Sagna would easily make the Utd team."

17 min: Anderson gets the better of Fabregas in midfield and plays the ball to Ronaldo in the inside right channel. With everyone present expecting him to shoot from right to left across the face of goal he puts in a low cross to Rooney, whose poor finishing costs Manchester United a wonderful team goal.

20 min: Throw-in for Arsenal, deep in Manchester United territory. Sagna takes it, gets the ball back and is tripped by Evra, down near the corner flag. Free-kick.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Manchester United (Nasri 21) Fabregas curled in the free-kick to the far post, the ball was headed clear to the edge of the Manchester United box, where Samir Nasri controlled it and took a casual swipe which deflected off Gary Neville and ended up nestling in the back of the Manchester United net.

24 min: What an hour or so we have in store here. This has been a superb game so far and a goal to the underdogs tees it up nicely. Despite having gone a goal down, Manchester United don't look as if they've been rocked back on their heels. They're continuing to go about their business with tidy efficiency.

26 min: William Gallas gets the first yellow card of the day for a mis-timed lunge on Evra. He has no cause for complaint and doesn't grumble. Free-kick for United a couple of yards to the left-hand side of the Arsenal penalty area. Ronaldo whips in the ball, Gael Clichy gets his head on it and somehow manages to avoid putting the ball into his own net, sending it a couple of inches wide instead. Corner for Manchester United, from which Arsenal break and win a corner of their own after a Cesc Fabregas shot from distance takes a deflection and fizzes this wide of the upright. What a game!

30 min: "Sir Alex's longstanding intimidation of the officials just saved Rooney a yellow card and a suspension there," writes my match analyst Gary Naylor, alluding to an incident I've obviously missed. Sorry about that - but there's so much action to report I'm spending more time with eyes front than to the right and on the television. "For any other team, that's a nailed on booking."

33 min: Park tries his luck from a distance, but Manuel Almunia parries the low drive out to the right. Ronaldo chases it down, but with Manchester United players queuing up to get on the end of a cross at the far post, his poor cross fails to clear the front man.

34 min: On the inside left channel, Cristiano Ronaldo cons the referee after taking a dive to win a free-kick, then sends a fairly harmless effort squirting through the penalty area towards the near post, where Manuel ALmunia claims comfortably.

37 min: Michael Carrick brings down Vassiriki Diaby a couple of yards outside the Manchester United penalty area, buyt no free-kick is forthcoming. A strange one that, because if Howard Webb didn't give a free-kick, he should have given Diaby a yellow card for diving. Carrick certainly didn't get within the same postal district as the ball.

39 min: A promising attack by Arsenal comes to nothing after crossed wires between Sagna and Walcott on the right wing gift the ball to Park, who breaks and eases the pressure on United.

41 min: Another good chance for Arsenal goes begging, when - I think - Walcott snatches at a far-post volley and skies it over the bar. The chance arose after more great work from Nasri on the left, who performed miracles to hold the ball up under pressure from a bevy of Manchester United defenders.

42 min: After picking up the ball in what looked like an offside position, Cristiano Ronaldo tries to dance his way through the Arsenal penalty area before sending a weak effort goalwards. Arsenal clear, United win possession, attack again and this time Berbatov is flagged for offside after being played through on goal by Rooney.

44 min: Anderson slaloms through the Arsenal penalty area and shoots low and hard from a narrow angle. Almunia saves at the near post. Moments previously, Gael Clichy handled a cross inside his own penalty area but got away with it. If the referee had seen his panic-stricken features at the moment of contact between hand and ball, a penalty would have been guaranteed!

Half-time That's been a phenomenal 45 minutes of football played at an unbelievably high tempo. I've been typing so fast I should really be wearing a helmet, so I'm off for a brief lie-down in a darkened room.

Half-time nonsense Having bet on both an Arsenal win and more than 2.5 goals, from a punting point of view the only possible outcome that will leave me out of pocket here is a 1-1 draw. There's no real need to bother with the second-half, is there? There seems to be a sad inevitability about the final score. Meanwhile in yesterday's Guardian, Nicklas Bendtner was busily bigging himself up ahead of today's match. He certainly talks a good game, but so far this afternoon he's been very disappointing.

Second half: Arsenal kick-off and win a throw-in just inside the United half and then win a corner. They take it short and Nasri crosses for Bendtner, who wins another corner.

45 min: The ball is sent into the Manchester United mixer, but neither Nasri nor Diaby are able to get on the end of it. United clear.

GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United (Nasri 46) That is an unbelievably good goal in which Arsenal "Arsenal" the ball into the net - after 15 short passes during 45 seconds of possession in the final third, Fabregas dinks a diagonal ball into Nasri at the edge of the penalty area and the left-winger smashes the ball past Edwin van der Sar.

50 min: Manchester United - more specifically Cristiano Ronaldo - blow a gilt-edged chance to pull a goal back. From the left wing, Park sends in a diagonal ball that drops perfectly for the unmarked Portuguese, who'd ghosted in towards the far post, from where he steered a volley across the face of goal and inches wide. He's disgusted with himself and rightfully so.

52 min: It's three against two for Arsenal on the counter-attack. Diaby crosses for Walcott, but doesn't get enough purchase on the ball and United clear. This match is being played at 150mph and I don't mind admitting that it's really difficult to keep up. "It's like footballing basketball," says Andy Gray on Sky Sports, resisting the urge to use the expression "end-to-end" stuff. He's not wrong.

55 min: Wayne Rooney tries a shot, but his wild slash is so poor the ball goes out for a throw-in near the corner flag.

56 min: Ronaldo crosses from the right wing, Bakari Sagna out-muscles Rooney, who ends up flat on his tum-tum on the edge of the six-yard box after failing to get his head on the ball.

57 min: Rooney crosses the ball from the left, Mikael Silvestre heads clear. Manchester United are enjoying the majority of the possession here, but so far Arsenal are refusing to wilt under the intense pressure.

60 min: Great pass by Fabregas, who strokes the ball down the inside left channel, where Bendtner controls it near the goal-line, before pulling the ball back into the penalty area. Theo Walcott miscues horribly - let-off for United.

62 min: Berbatov loops in a nice cross from the left hand side of the Arsenal penalty area, down near the goal-line. Rooney heads straight at Almunia from 10 yards.

63 min: Manchester United substitution: Gary Neville off, Rafael De Silva on. It's a straight swap - a right-back for a right-back. Seeing as United are chasing a two-goal deficit, I can only assume Neville has taken a knock.

64 min: Manchester United win a throw-in deep in Arsenal territory, which Evra takes. A give and go with Park allows the left-back to drill a low ball across the Arsenal penalty area, but there's nobody there to smash it home. Arsenal clear.

66 min: With Manuel Almunia flat on his back getting attention, Michael Carrick gets booked. I have no idea why, he has no idea why and in the Sky commentary box, Andy Gray has no idea why either.

67 min: I'm not sure what happened Almunia - I think he got hurt going down to gather a low Cristiano Ronaldo cross, possibly by diving at Carrick's feet. Anyway, after receving treatment for about three minutes, he gets to his feet looking groggier than a barrel of booze on a pirate ship.

69 min: Arsenal go forward, with Nicklas Bendtner doing well to win and hold up a long shank from the back while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Evra eventually clears for a throw-in. Manchester United substitution: Anderson off, Ryan Giggs on.

72 min: Great clearing header from William Gallas, who intercepts a Wayne Rooney cross from the right that was dropping nicely for Ryan Giggs on edge of the six-yard box.

73 min: Arsenal have a good penalty-shout turned down when Nemanja Vidic grabs a handful of Samir Nasri's shirt-front and hauls him to the ground inside the penalty area. Both players had their backs to referee Howard Webb, which would explain why he didn't see the foul. The crowd are incensed, Samir Nasri is incensed, William Gallas is incensed and people with bets on there being more than two goals in this game are incensed. Grrrr ...

75 min: Rafael sends a low ball into the Arsenal penalty area, teeing it up beautifully for Berbatov, who swivels and miskicks horribly. Another good chance wasted. Manchester United substitution: Wayne Rooney off, Carlos Tevez on. That's all three of United's subs used up now.

76 min: Arsenal substitution and it's a change of goalkeepers, no less. Lucasz Fabianski on, Manuel Almunia off. Another Arsenal substitution: Theo Walcott off, Alex Song on. I've just seen a replay of the incident in which Almunia bashed his head off Carrick's shins as they contested a 50-50 ball. The booking for the Manchester United midfielder was harsh at best and ridiculous at worst.

79 min: Arsenal's reserve goalkeeper gets his first touch of the ball, wellying a Denilson back-pass the length of the field.

80 min: Great interception from Rafael, who reads Samir Nasri's intentions like a book and cuts out a pull-back acrosds the edge of the penalty area with Manchester United's defenders outnumbered.

80 min: From inside the Manchester United penalty area, Nicklas Bendtner shoots feebly, straight at Van der Sar, when he really should have done better.

82 min: Free-kick for Manchester United about 12 yards outside the Arsenal penalty area, well left of centre. Ronaldo takes it and the ball is deflected out for a corner which Giggs takes and Diaby clears with his head after a fine leap.

85 min: Arsenal substitution: Diaby off, Kolo Toure on. Five minutes to go and there should be at least as much again in added time.

86 min: Bakari Sagna tries an ambitious shot from distance that goes predictably high and wide.

87 min: Rather than protect their two-goal lead by trying to keep the ball in the corners, Arsenal are going all out for another goal. We saw how well that worked for them against Tottenham 10 days ago, but they'll hardly squander a two-goal lead with one minute left on the clock again ... will they?

GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United (Rafael) They effin' might, you know! From a Ryan Giggs corner, the ball is only half-cleared and drops nicely for Rafael. The young Brazilian with the curly hair rifles an unstoppable 15-yard volley inside the left upright. That's magnificent!

90 min: It's tin-hat time for Arsenal - there'll be six minutes of added time.

90+1 min: Denilson tries a shot from distance, but hits it straight at Van der Sar. In the build-up to his shot on goal, Fabregas was clear down the left-hand side, but crossed when he should perhaps have made for the corner and stood there with his foot on the ball for five minutes or cut inside and tried a shot.

90+3 min: Tevez sends a cross in towards the far post, but Fabianski thunders off his line and claims confidently.

90+4min: With one of his own players, Denilson, lying injured on the ground in front of him, Fabianski punts the ball down the middle of the field instead of booting it out of play. What's he thinking? United press and press and press. but Arsenal get away with it.

90+5min: After picking up a glorious cross drilled low across the face of goal from Nasri, Bendtner ponderously gets the better of two United defenders before shanking a left-footed shot high over the bar from 12 yards with only Van Der Sar to beat. I don't want to sound like I'm having a go at him again, but he's been very poor this afternoon.

90+6 min: Peep! Peep! Peep! Howard Webb brings a marvellous game of football to a close with three long blasts on his whistle. Far be it from me to blast shrilly on my own whistle, but I predicted this win before the game.

That's a huge win for an understrength Arsenal team and it catapults them right back into contention for the title. They were at times brilliant today and at times infuriatingly poor. The same could be said for United, who probably deserved a point on the balance of play, but can have no real complaints about the outcome.

Thanks for your time and your emails - I'm afraid I haven't had time to delve into my inbox too often, but I'll read them later*.

* I will not read them later.