MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Wayne Rooney led Manchester United to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Arsenal as Sir Alex Ferguson's side breezed into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at Old Trafford here Saturday.
Rooney's performance was the pick of an outstanding United display and the England forward opened the scoring before two goals from Darren Fletcher and one from Nani completed a comprehensive thrashing of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.
The match between the two leading teams in England was all but over as a contest before half-time with United 3-0 up and a bad day for the Gunners was made worse when Emmanuel Eboue was sent-off in the 49th minute.
Premier League leaders Arsenal may have opened up a five-point gap in the table over reigning champions United but the Red Devils, on this evidence, are far from a spent force.
And the one-sided nature of United's victory could yet inflict a damaging psychological blow in the race for the title.
Indeed Ferguson had bravely claimed before the game that he welcomed the opportunity to remind Arsenal of his side's powers so quickly after United's home defeat to Manchester City last weekend.
Both Ferguson and Wenger may have made it clear they viewed this game as secondary to their forthcoming Champions League clashes by resting key players but clashes between the two clubs are rarely anything less than intense.
And it is United who will now face Lyon on Wednesday with confidence soaring whilst Arsenal will confront AC Milan hoping to have quickly expelled the shock of defeat from their system.
Dominating the game throughout was Rooney, who clearly had a point to prove after sitting out last weekend's defeat through suspension.
The powerful England striker undoubtedly adds a different dimension to the United attack and, filling the lone striker role, he single-handeldy took on the Arsenal defence and won the contest hands down.
Faced with the experienced central defensive pairing of Kolo Toure and William Gallas, Rooney won ball after ball in the air and repeatedly tore through the heart of the visitors' backline.
With better finishing, he would have had at least a hat-trick but Rooney did more than enough to convince watching England coach Fabio Capello of his value to club and country.
Rooney it was who got the rout under way when, after Nani's half-cleared corner was headed back into the Arsenal danger-area, he flicked a header over Jens Lehmann from six yards.
Four minutes later, United were in total control when the excellent Nani teased full-back Justin Hoyte before hoisting a cross towards the near-post where Fletcher diverted the ball home with a routine header that deflected off Gallas's head.
Twice Rooney should have made it three when he broke free of the tissue-thin Gunners' defence only to scuff both efforts wide.
But a third goal came thanks to Nani's excellent finish seven minutes before the break after the Portuguese winger had been sent clear by Michael Carrick's excellent reverse pass.
Any hopes Arsenal had of restoring pride vanished four minutes after the restart when Eboue was dismissed following a dangerous studs-up aerial challenge on Patrice Evra.
And the scoreline was given added sheen in the 74th minute when Fletcher again headed home from a Nani cross.
United failed to find a fifth but Arsenal's humiliation was complete when Nani - outstanding in his role at Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement - denied them possession late on with a solo stint of 'head-tennis'.
