Fabio was on hand to break the deadlock in the 28th minute at Old Trafford, tucking home the loose ball when Manuel Almunia could only parry a Javier Hernandez header. Wayne Rooney doubled Manchester United's lead midway through the second half to secure victory and an FA Cup semi-final berth. "I think we played quite well against Arsenal," Van der Sar told ITV. "We got our goals, luckily I pulled off a couple of saves and we defended well. "It was important of course because we lost to Chelsea and Liverpool so the gap in the league is now non-existent. "We needed to win tonight for another chance of silverware." The 40-year-old was a key catalyst in United's success, producing a performance that belied his age and rightfully earned him the man of the match of the match award. Van der Sar has already announced his intention to retire at the end of the season and when questioned whether he is tempted to change his mind, he insisted: "No, definitely not." By joining Bolton in the last four, Sir Alex Ferguson knows one derby clash is possible at Wembley next month, with an even bigger one on the horizon should Sunday's draw pair United with the winners of Manchester City's meeting with Reading. Ferguson knows that, partially at least, he has Van der Sar to thank for that. "He is a fantastic goalkeeper," said the Scot. "We just wish he was 21 rather than coming up to 41 but nature catches you eventually in life." United now head into their Champions League last-16 encounter with Marseille on Tuesday, with both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes expected to start after being limited to substitute roles this evening. "I couldn't risk Scholes and Giggs because of Tuesday's game," Ferguson added. "That is such an important game for the club and if you look at the injuries in midfield I had to come up with a plan or an idea to utilise our energy." The solution involved advanced roles for Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio and neither youngster looked out of place, even if the latter made way for the welcome return of Antonio Valencia from long-term injury at half-time. "I am very pleased with that," Ferguson said. "It was a fantastic performance. The boy is an absolutely brilliant player and he calmed us down in possession of the ball. "He took the ball all the time and has got great balance, an awareness and great speed." Scholes will now be suspended for the Premier League encounters with Bolton at Old Trafford next Saturday and the visit to West Ham on April 2 after picking up his 10th booking of the season for a foul on Marouane Chamakh. In fact, Scholes was fortunate not to be sent off when he lunged into Samir Nasri in an eventful final few minutes. "I liked the pitch, I liked the referee, I did not like Paul Scholes' tackles," Wenger said.
