Arsenal may have lost this Manchester United battle, but the war rages on

Looking back on Arsenal's match with Manchester United on Sunday, it's hard not to have some sympathy. But once again, despite their excellent performance, the Gunners faltered. And the reason is that they lost their cool.

It was always going to be a tough job for Arsene Wenger to rebuild his entire team when veterans Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Lauren all left the club. With little money to spend, he has been pretty much forced to give first-team places to a bunch of emerging youngsters from different parts of the world.

Despite the many comments to the contrary, Wenger proved that he is an ingenious craftsman. During the current Premier League campaign Arsenal have shone brilliantly to keep the sprits of their fans high.

January's Africa Cup of Nations could not halt their early winning streak. However, injuries to players such as Robin Van Persie and Eduardo have played their part in adversely affecting the psychological composure of the players.