Manchester United ended Arsenal\'s 100% start to the season, but can count themselves very fortunate to have done so.

In front of a packed Old Trafford crowd, United set out to stifle the Arsenal side with their tactics. However, it was Arsenal who took the game to their hosts from the start. Looking comfortable and composed on the ball, Arsenal controlled the midfield and began carving out good opportunities in front of goal.

Andrei Arshavin had the best effort, capitalizing on a flap by United goalkeeper Ben Foster. As the ball fell to the Russian, he attempted to place it into the top corner. However, the ball missed by a matter of inches.

Then Arsenal had a large shout for a penalty. Darren Fletcher slid in recklessly on Arshavin and appeared to take man then ball. The Arsenal Forward was incensed. However, this did not last long as moments later, he picked the ball up and unleashed an unstoppable 25 yard scorcher into the top corner of Foster\'s goal.

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1

United so-called star players were not performing, but a quick glance to the bench would show many more quality players itching to get on the pitch.

Into the second-half and it was more of the same. Arsenal knocking the ball about and United chasing shadows. However, a massive break came United\'s way. A long hopeful ball forward was met by Wayne Rooney and he nipped the ball passed the on-rushing Manuel Almunia and he went down under the challenge. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

In light of last week\'s penalty miss from Michael Carrick, Rooney himself placed the ball, readied himself and comfortably put the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal. United had been largely outplayed, but now it was more than game on.

Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1

United could have wished to have knocked the stuffing out of Arsenal at this stage, but it was not to be. The Gunners continued their neat passing, tidy interchanges, and generally looked the livelier of the two sides.

Minutes later, though, Arsenal\'s stuffing was well and truly set to roast as a whipped in cross from United\'s right hand side was met by the head of Diaby who duly powered his header beyond his own goalkeeper.

Despite Arsenal\'s domination and United looking out of sorts, it was the home side who now had one hand on the victory.

Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1

For the remainder of the match, Arsenal continued to dominate, but couldnt find a way through a lacklustre United backline. Bringing on Bendtner, Eduardo and Ramsey could have had the desired effect. It didnt though.

Arsenal thought they had salvaged something deep into stoppage time. Robin van Persie slid the ball into the net, but the flag had long since gone up for offside. Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger was livid and an angry exchange saw him ordered off for the remaining seconds.

The final whistle blew and a huge sigh of relief drifted around Old Trafford as they had more than gotten out of jail with a very poor performance, but winning courtesy of two very soft - and avoidable - goals.

Final Score
Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1

Man of the Match
Abou Diaby

Arsenal\'s Eduardo has been charged by FIFA over the alleged diving incident which won his side a penalty during the Champions League Qualifier against Celtic on Wednesday night.

The Brazilian-born Croatian striker picked himself up and converted the spot-kick himself and showed no signs of remorse in his celebrations.

Eduardo was continually booed by the Celtic fans for the remainder of the match. Subsequently, there has been a FIFA investigation into the \'cheating\' incident. Football\'s governing body has ruled that Eduardo intently deceived the referee into gaining the penalty and, as a result, Eduardo could be banned from European Competition for two matches.

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger is livid with the decision, claiming that FIFA singled out an individual as a cheat.

Hearts produced the performance of their lives and gave Dinamo Zagreb the fright of their lives in front of a buoyant Tynecastle crowd as they sought to achieve the unachieveable in their Europa Play-Off match.

The Edinburgh club came into the match following on from the previous week\'s drubbing in Croatia and amid much speculation as to the club\'s future. The only thing which seemed reasonable to expect from the game was a much improved performance from the first leg. Well, it couldn\'t have been much worse - so the only way was up from there.

Hearts began lively and could have opened the scoring in the first couple of minutes when a cut back found David Obua in space just 10 yards out. However, he snatched at it and the chance was gone. Hearts desperately needed to take those chances if they were to even dream of getting back into the tie.

The Maroons were pressing Zagreb at every opportunity, pushing them back, latching onto every loose ball and generally looked like they had a point to prove.

The next chance came just minutes later when a through ball found young Gary Glen close in on goal, but his first touch let him down and his eventual shot was weak.

Dinamo\'s goalkeeper Butin was finding life very difficult and was found wanting at every possible opportunity - crosses, kicks, etc.

An excellent piece of skill by Hearts\' Spanish winger Suso got himself into the area and a tame cross into the six-yard box was spilled by Butin, but he was helped out by his alert defenders.

17 minutes in and another promising through ball by Suso was just missed by Glen and the \'Keeper picked up the loose ball. However, their relief turned to dismay just seconds later when Butin recklessly through the ball out to a team-mate who clearly wasn\'t ready. Michael Stewart was more alert to the mistake and nipped the ball off the defender\'s toes and slid the ball passed the helpless goalkeeper to give Hearts the perfect lead.

That goal gave everyone inside the stadium a lift and hope could be seen where hope never previously existed. Hearts continued to press and one moment which could have changed the course of the tie just didnt quite go Hearts\' way. An excellent free-kick crossed in by debutant full-back Craig Thomson was header back across the area by Obua finding Glen in acres of space. His superb vision cushioned a header back to the on-rushing Stewart and his volley flashed passed the goalkeeper only to see the ball crash back off the crossbar. A goal there would have sewn some serious doubts in the minds of the Croatians.

As it happened, Hearts continued to try and try but couldnt put the ball in the net again before the break.

After half-time, Hearts never let up, sensing one more goal could be the beginning of something great. That goal did come and it came in the shape of another defensive calamity. A hopeful ball into the six-yard box was flapped at once more by the Butin. The ball found it\'s way to a defender facing his own goal. He mis-controlled, mis-timed, mis-somethinged the ball and knocked it into the path of Marius Zaliukas. The Hearts Central Defender simply turned and hit a tame shot towards goal. Somehow it trickled passed a once-again static goalkeeper and into the back of the unguarded goal.

Hearts 2 Dinamo Zagreb 0

The Tynecastle side could certainly sense something now, as could the fans who made themselves heard and cheered and roared their club, urging for another. They had a mere 25 minutes left to play. Certainly given themselves a fighting chance.

Following on from that goal, Hearts\' management team decided to up the tempo and up the ante somewhat. Andrew Driver\'s arrival onto the field gave everyone a life. Driver had been out injured for a few months and this was his first game back. He joined the now disfunctional forward line, which consisted of debutant Gordan Smith, who had replaced the injured Christian Nade.

Still Hearts pressed, although it was clear their legs were going in the final 20 minutes. They had given it everything. Zagreb started to control possession a lot more, although that didnt stop Hearts having two guilt-edged opportunities in the final five minutes. One again from Obua - once more proving that he his not cut-out to be a striker.

It wasnt to be in the end for Hearts, but they need have no reservations about the level of performance and the pride they had restored not only in themselves, but in Scottish football.

Final Score
Hearts 2 Dinamo Zagreb 0

Scorers
Stewart, Zaliukas

Man of the Match
Craig Thomson

The Final Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa League has just taken place and the British contigent have learned their European fate.

Fulham, victors over Lithuanians FK Vetra, will now face Amkar of Russia in a tricky tie. Everton, automatically seeded in the draw, will take on Sigma Olomouc who comprehensively defeated Aberdeen in the last round. Aston Villa have a somewhat awkward trip to Austria against Rapid Vienna. Scotland\\\'s sole representatives, Hearts, have a difficult match to face Croatian\\\'s Dinamo Zagreb. Hearts were the only British side unseeded in the draw, thus were always likely to come up against a big club.

The ties are to be played 20 August and 27 August.

The full draw is as follows:

PAOK FC (GRE) v SC Heerenveen (NED)
NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO)
Werder Bremen (GER) v FK Aktobe (KAZ)
Everton FC (ENG) v SK Sigma Olomouc (CZE)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR) v PFC Litex Lovech (BUL)

NAC Breda (NED) v Villarreal CF (ESP)
KKS Lech Poznań (POL) v Club Brugge KV (BEL)
Fulham FC (ENG) v FC Amkar Perm (RUS)
Galatasaray SK (TUR) v FC Levadia Tallinn (EST)
FK Teplice (CZE) v Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

FC Metallurh Donetsk (UKR) v FK Austria Wien (AUT)
FC Twente (NED) v FK Qarabağ (AZE)
AS Roma (ITA) v MFK Košice (SVK)
FC Dinamo Moskva (RUS) v PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL)
KRC Genk (BEL) v LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA)

PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
S.S. Lazio (ITA) v IF Elfsborg (SWE)
Trabzonspor (TUR) v Toulouse FC (FRA)
FK Partizan (SRB) v MŠK Žilina (SVK)
FK Bakı (AZE) v FC Basel 1893 (SUI)

AFC Ajax (NED) v ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Sivasspor (TUR)
Brøndby IF (DEN) v Hertha BSC Berlin (GER)
Athletic Club Bilbao (ESP) v Tromsø IL (NOR)
FK Sarajevo (BIH) v CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU)

SK Rapid Wien (AUT) v Aston Villa FC (ENG)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) v Saint Patrick\'s Athletic FC (IRL)
AC Sparta Praha (CZE) v NK Maribor (SVN)
FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) v CD Nacional (POR)
Genoa CFC (ITA) v Odense BK (DEN)

FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti (ROU) v FC Slovan Liberec (CZE)
EA Guingamp (FRA) v Hamburger SV (GER)
FC Sion (SUI) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
SK Sturm Graz (AUT) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)
SK Slavia Praha (CZE) v FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

SL Benfica (POR) v FC Vorskla Poltava (UKR)
SC Vaslui (ROU) v AEK Athens FC (GRE)
Stabæk IF (NOR) v Valencia CF (ESP)

Celtic have been given the plum tie in their European Champions League Final Qualifying match. An initial home game sees them face English giants Arsenal in what should be a highly sought after Battle of Britain.

The Scottish side overcame a first leg deficit to defeat Dinamo Moskow 2-1 on aggregrate on Wednesday evening to book their place in the Final Qualifying Round.

Arsenal, as last season\\\'s fourth placed English team, automatically found their place in the draw.

Given Aresnal\\\'s recent pedigreee in Europe and their obvious abundance of talent, one could be forgiven for seeing the outcome as a foregone conclusion. However, Celtic themselves have a good recent history in this competition, defeating Manchester United in the group stages and only losing to Milan on away goals. The English side\\\'s line-up also may not be as strong as it once was, having just lost Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City and a number of other stars either leaving or not hitting the heights they should.

The ties are to be played 18/19 August and 25/26 August.

The full draw as follows:

FC Sheriff v Olympiakos
SV Red Bull Salzburg v Maccabi Haifa
FK Ventspils v FC Zurich
FC Copenhagen v Apoel Nicosia
Levski Sofia v Debrecen
Lyon v Anderlecht
Celtic v Arsenal
FC Timisoara v VfB Stuttgart
Sporting v Fiorentina
Panathinaikos v Atletico Madrid

Manchester City are currently in talks over the possible signature of Emmanuel Adebayor. City are desperate to land the Arsenal striker to continue their re-vamp of their first team squad for the coming season.

Adebayor is available for about £25 million and has recently attracted the interest from both Milan and Chelsea.

The Togo Forward hit 62 goals in 142 games for The Gunners in just over three years since joining from Monaco. Despite an injury-hit campaign last time out, City seem keen to splash the cash once more to bolster their squad.

The Eastlands club have already paid out big money on securing the services of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn, as well as the free transfer of Carlos Tevez.

Update: Adebayor has signed terms and already on the goal-trail for City

Carlos Tevez has agreed terms with Manchester City and has finally severed ties with the red half of Manchester in a sensational swoop by City Manager Mark Hughes.

Tevez spent two seasons on loan at United and was subject to offers by Sir Alex Ferguson to stay at Old Trafford. However, following revelations by Tevez, of his treatment - often being left on the bench in big matches - he decided to make the switch to Eastlands.

Tevez becomes part of a selected elite squad to have made the cross from United to City and could make a swift return when the two meet at Old Trafford on September 19th.

15 goals last season for United and a number of top quality performances still couldn\'t tempt Ferguson to give him a regular starting place.

City Manager Hughes is delighted with the capture.

Motherwell suffered a shock home defeat in their opening Europa Cup tie against Welsh minnows Llanelli.

Jim Gannon\'s first game in charge saw the loss of many first team regulars from last season, as his depleted squad took home advantage and threw it away.

The home side did, in the early stages, however look the more accomplished side and the difference in quality seemed evident.

However, in the 28th minute, a rare surge from the part timers from West Wales saw a stooping header by Stuart Jones.

Whilst the tie is by no means over, Motherwell have to go to Parc y Scarlets in a week\'s time needing to up their game in order to salvage their Europa ambitions.

Warren Feeney, who looked set for Leeds United, will now not be joining the Yorkshire club. Feeney was thought to be deep into contract negotiations and openly admitted that he was excited at the prospect for playing for such a \'massive club\' as Leeds.

Leeds have not disclosed the reasons for the deal\'s collapse.

One reason could have been the interest from Hearts who joined the race for the Cardiff City striker. However, the Edinburgh outfit have since dropped out of the running.

The Irish International\'s future now seems in limbo as he looks set to leave Cardiff, but with no deal yet finalised, he may wonder where that future lies.

Tony Mowbray has continued to oversee his mini-clearout having just taken charge at Celtic. The latest casualties are midfielder Paul Hartley and striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Both Celts are now out of contract and Mowbray has decided against offering new deals for both. Hartley, who has recently been offered a contract by Greek side Iraklis Saloniki, has also attracted interest from Hearts, whom he left to join Celtic in 2007.

The 32 year old Hartley formerly played for Hamilton, Millwall, Hibernian and St Johnstone, before making his name with Hearts.

Dutchman Hesselink, who played out three seasons with Celtic, previously played for FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven, has attracted attention from his homeland once more.