Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1: Adebayor strikes late to dispel rumours of Arsenal's demise

A team in transition? There were two at Old Trafford yesterday, and as the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, celebrated in front of his side's support in a manner reminiscent of their championship triumph on the same ground in 2002 and Sir Alex Ferguson departed with meek applause to a mass of empty seats there was no disputing who could be most satisfied with his work in progress.

At the conclusion of "Grand Slam Sunday", as Sky television had christened a day of heavyweight confrontations, hype had given way to a reality check for both Wenger and his Manchester United counterpart as the portents of doom evaporated around the Gunners in tandem with the sense of rediscovered authority and style at Old Trafford. It was undoubtedly Jose Mourinho, however, who could take most satisfaction from this four-nation joust.

After a contest that Wenger proclaimed as his finest victory over United and evidence that Arsenal can compete for this season's title, the thought of a 13-point gap between these great Premiership rivals was as ludicrous as it was damning on the visitors' early season form. Yesterday, Arsenal answered their critics. They outplayed United to register their first three points of the campaign and had a fitting hero in Emmanuel Adebayor who, having heard the injured Thierry Henry tell his team-mates that he cannot carry Arsenal alone on the morning of the game, responded with a tireless display and the ample compensation of an 86th-minute winner. "I am sure he will be happy with me today," said the Arsenal striker.

Today Arsenal are marooned in 10th place, seven points adrift of United and Chelsea, eight behind the League leaders Portsmouth, but there was enough quality, energy and purpose in their performance here to suggest the natural order will return soon.

"We are not a team in transition. I have never believed that," insisted Wenger in response to Ferguson's assertion that Arsenal are enduring the same development problems that he has endured for several seasons. Wenger added: "Yes we are a young team but I have great belief in these players. We are a big club. We are very ambitious and I believe we can win the championship this season. To read the papers recently you would think we would be in the Championship next season."

For United, defeat punctured the optimism that a flawless start to the season had engendered and brought the ominous presence of Chelsea on to their shoulder at a time when they had hoped to establish a healthy lead. Their performance illustrated that while impressive strides have been made of late, their journey is far from complete when their midfield still contains the likes of John O'Shea on such a momentous occasion and when Cristiano Ronaldo is in one of his more erratic moods.

"I didn't think it was a bad performance but I was disappointed by our tiredness in the second half. I think the pace and emotion of the Celtic game, which was played in a real Scotland v England tempo, might have affected us," Ferguson claimed.

On Friday the United manager had stressed the importance of stopping Arsenal from the outset, but within 12 minutes they were facing a penalty and the prospect of losing their debutant goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak after he felled Adebayor inside the penalty area. Fortunately for Ferguson his favourite referee, Graham Poll, had read the incident superbly and did not even book the Polish international on the basis of his lack of intent and the presence of Rio Ferdinand as the last defender. There was little doubt about the penalty, and though Gilberto Silva had confidently dispatched from 12 yards against Hamburg in midweek he nervously allowed Kuszczak, replacing the ill Edwin van der Sar, to redeem himself by placing the spot-kick too close to the former West Bromwich Albion stopper.

If Arsenal's fragile confidence was ill-equipped to handle the deflation of a missed penalty then it did not show. Kuszczak turned Adebayor's header onto a post from a corner moments later and with Tomas Rosicky shooting on sight the visitors capitalised on the space and time they were afforded by United's dishevelled display.

It encapsulated the United performance that while Ronaldo infuriated, reluctant to return from the margins of the game and irresponsible in possession when he did, he carried their greatest threat as recent inactivity again betrayed Wayne Rooney and led to his substitution, complete with anannoyed reaction, in the 77th minute. Ronaldo twice volleyed straight at Jens Lehmann, the second straight into the face of the German international, who was fortunate to escape a second booking when, during his treatment, he kicked a water bottle into the crowd.

With Cesc Fabregas outstanding in midfield, Adebayor a perpetual menace as the lone striker and United continually careless, Arsenal needed only to find a clinical touch to secure their deserved victory. The invitation duly arrived when Ronaldo was dispossessed by Fabregas during one of his numerous stepovers - "Ronaldo will always try to beat his man and that is the type of player we want here," insisted Ferguson - and the Spanish midfielder ventured forward before threading a superbly weighted pass into the path of Adebayor. A neat touch under Kuszczak and Arsenal were in sight of their precious first victory, a reward secured when Lehmann denied Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a fine finger-tip save moments later.

"I think people came to conclusions too quickly," the Arsenal manager said. "This is the most satisfying win I have had at Old Trafford when you consider the mental state of my players before we came here. This is my most complete victory."

Goals: Adebayor 0-1 (86).

Manchester United (4-4-2): Kuszczak; Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre (Evra, 23); Fletcher, O'Shea, Scholes (Carrick, 77), Ronaldo; Saha, Rooney (Solskjaer, 77). Substitutes not used: Vidic, Heaton (gk).

Arsenal: (4-1-4-1): Lehmann; Eboué, Touré, Djourou, Gallas; Silva; Hleb (Baptista, 68), Fabregas, Rosicky, Ljungberg; Adebayor (Flamini, 88). Substitutes not used: Almunia (gk), Hoyte, Walcott.

Referee: G Poll (Tring).

Booked: Man Utd Brown, Scholes; Arsenal Lehmann, Touré.

Man of the match: Adebayor.

Attendance: 75,595.