No cigar

Arsenal 1 Man Utd 3 (1-4 agg)

Thousands of flags had been distributed around the Emirates Stadium before kickoff, but within 11 minutes they were all flying at half mast as Arsenal’s dream of reaching a second Champions League final in four seasons withered and died.

Costly mistakes by Kieran Gibbs (a slip) and Manuel Almunia (failing to stop Ronaldo's 40-yard free kick) in that opening period effectively ended the tie as a contest. But make no mistake, individual and collective errors notwithstanding, United fully deserved their 4-1 margin of victory. At times it really was men against boys as they outmuscled, outmanoeuvred and outthought Arsene Wenger’s side.

An exchange of second half goals saw Ronaldo cap a sweeping end-to-end United counterattack - a move of which Arsenal themselves would have been proud - and Robin van Persie blast home a consolation penalty. In awarding the penalty, a terrible refereeing error saw Darren Fletcher sent off for what, even at full speed, was clearly a legitimate tackle. He will now miss the final, unless the decision is reversed. Even as an Arsenal fan, I hope it is; it was monumentally wrong.

It’s hard to take positives from such a comprehensive loss, but I’m hoping Wenger will heed the clear evidence of two semi-final defeats this season to add both physical strength and experience to the squad this summer.

Andrey Arshavin being eligible for next season's Champions League campaign will provide additional guile, but it was not a lack of creativity or wasteful finishing which cost Arsenal this tie. Central defence and a tough, no-nonsense midfielder are top priority areas, but in reality there is a need for both quality and depth all over the pitch if Arsenal are to genuinely challenge next season.

I tried to work out who in our starting XI last night would have been earned a place in the United side: an argument could be made for Fabregas, Almunia and van Persie, possibly even Sagna for O'Shea. Other than that, we are significantly weaker at every position. Gibbs remains understudy to Clichy, who is in turn behind Evra in the pecking order for France. Toure and Djourou would not displace Ferdinand and Vidic. Song is developing rapidly but lacks Fletcher and Anderson's physicality. Nasri and Walcott are both promising, but Ronaldo and Rooney are the real deal, and Park is massively underrated. Adebayor wouldn't get a look-in behind Berbatov and Tevez.

(Speaking of Adebayor, after his latest comments, I suspect the likely sale of the Togolese striker this summer will help fund some heavy transfer spending. Shut the door on your way out, please, Emmanuel.)

There are still three league games left, but it’s time to turn the lights out on the 2009 season. Close, but no cigar – and for the fourth season running, sadly no silverware either.

Re-reading the above, it all looks a bit doom and gloom, but a sense of perspective is important here. The side is young and, more importantly, has been riddled by injuries all season. (Last night we were without Gallas, Clichy, Eduardo and Rosicky, among others.) And I can think of 16 other Premier League teams who would kill for a season which has produced a top four league finish, and semi-final appearances in both the Champions League and FA Cup. Yes, it's disappointing to be talking about unfulfilled potential yet again, but has it been a disastrous season? I think not.

For those idiots who are so dissatisfied that they have been calling for Arsene Wenger to be sacked, I have two words: Newcastle United. That's what we could be like with bad leadership, particularly given the ongoing tussle for boardroom control which would have destabilised a lesser club.

As the banners so frequently seen around the Emirates state: in Arsene we trust. That alone is worth celebrating.