LEST we forget, yesterday's clash of the Premiership titans was dubbed as the 'Match of the Decade'.

Yet in reality, Manchester United's media-driven rumble with old foes Arsenal wasn't even the game of the weekend.

Sky's own tag-line of '50-50' was far nearer the mark as both sides pretty much nullified each other in front of an estimated global audience of 450 million.

Naturally, the hyperbole surrounding the Old Trafford clash could never be as tedious as Steven Gerrard's 'expert' analysis.

Hopefully the rest of the watching world was spared his embarrassing half-time nugget that "the first half had everything". That'll be except goals then, Steve?

But there was a far bigger problem for me. Richard Keys has long been a bone of contention, lauding everything in his eye line and often glossing over the real issues.

Did Wayne Rooney dive to the floor after Sol Campbell hung out a foot? Of course birthday boy did.

Did Keys press the issue home and condone Rooney's actions? Did he hell.

Instead, he tippy-toed around any suggestion of theatrical diving in favour of asking whether referee Mike Riley was right to award the penalty.

"No," murmured Gerrard. "Not for me", repeated Everton manager David Moyes.

"Back after the break" cut in Keys.

End of debate.

Sky deserve far more credit for their actual scheduling of the game in question.

It would have been oh-so-easy to clear the Sunday afternoon listings and subject us to hours of tedious pre-match debate.

Thankfully, the satellite giant left that to the national newspapers and instead hooked up to feature another Premiership game as a hors d'oeuvre.

Now some might prefer old-timers such as Mickey Thomas, Alan Smith (the old Arsenal striker), Gordon McQueen or Frank Stapleton salivating about events to come.

But I rather liked the fact that Sky cut straight from the St Mary's Stadium in Southampton to the main event in the build-up to kick-off.

It heightened the anticipation at exactly the right time - the minutes up to kick off.

What a pity the ensuing 90 minutes failed to live up to the promise.