Wayne Rooney delivered a masterclass, but for Fabio Capello, watching from the directors’ box, the learning experience concerned the contradictory nature of English football and some of its leading players. In his first match as England manager this month, Capello deployed Rooney as a lone striker and watched with concern as the player worked hard but with limited success. Switched to a deeper role, he thrived and Capello duly noted that he may have to look elsewhere for Michael Owen’s successor.

Then, at Old Trafford on Saturday, Rooney played as a lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 system that replicated England’s formation against Switzerland and was brilliant. When he left the field in the 71st minute, having dominated Arsenal’s experienced central-defensive pairing of William Gallas and Kolo Touré and with Manchester United winning 3-0, Capello broke with protocol and applauded.

Alan Shearer, who knows a thing or two about scoring goals, pronounced Rooney’s performance the epitome of the art of the lone striker. “If you ask Gallas and Touré, I guarantee they will tell you it was the hardest game they have had all season,” he said.

So where does that leave Capello? Does he push ahead with plan B, which could mean throwing Gabriel Agbonlahor in at the deep end in the friendly away to France next month, giving Peter Crouch another try or attempting, long term, to get what he wants from Owen, or does he let this most recent exhibition overrule what he may have felt was definitive evidence against Switzerland?

It is a huge dilemma, caused by Capello’s doubts about Rooney’s partnership with Owen and a conventional 4-4-2 system that leaves room for only two central midfield players, including one in a holding role, when England have so much potential attacking strength from that area. The lone striker allows Capello to play a five-man midfield and accommodate Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Jermaine Jenas and perhaps introduce Frank Lampard or Owen Hargreaves in the future. Drop Rooney into that area, and factor in a partner, and he can select a maximum of three from that number.

To make matters worse, English football has no equivalent of a technically adept, physically imposing striker such as Luca Toni, the Italy forward. Rooney lacks Toni’s height, but he has his power and, on Saturday, the most striking elements of his game. So what went wrong against Switzerland? Rooney’s explanation of the success against Arsenal may hold the key. “Sometimes when I have played up front on my own, the running from midfield hasn’t really been there,” he said. “Today it was. We were brilliant, there was movement in support from all over the pitch and Arsenal couldn’t cope with us.”

If Rooney is to thrive in this role with England, perhaps Capello should sit his players down with a video of this match. At United, the players arrive in support early, as Cristiano Ronaldo does most weeks and as Anderson, Nani, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji Sung did on Saturday. Rooney made a second-string midfield look like world-beaters.

“I thought Rooney was fantastic,” Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said. “He was sharp, he was mobile, he was quick, he was aggressive, good in the air: just amazing. I am not sure, long term, it is his right position because he is a guy that likes to get the ball and be busy, but in a one-off game, no problem.”

Yet what is England’s international programme but a series of one-off games? There will be a one-off game against France next month and if Capello had dismissed the idea of playing Rooney alone, he could now be wavering.

What else was gleaned on Saturday? Nothing that we did not already know about Arsenal’s second string, which is comprised of players that are as yet nowhere near the level required to take on opponents of substance.

Humiliated 5-1 away to Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final, they sunk to similarly shambolic standards here, flattered by a four-goal defeat and left with ten men after Emmanuel Eboué was sent off for a tackle that was high on intent. Luckily for Patrice Evra, he could not even get that on target and by the time Emmanuel Adebayor had earned a yellow card for a pathetic penalty-area dive, the abject nature of Arsenal’s performance was complete. Even established players failed to deliver and three of United’s goals - Rooney’s opener and the two from the outstanding Fletcher in the twentieth and 74th minutes – were headers. In between, Nani was rewarded for his best performance in a United shirt with his first goal since October.

Wenger made some caustic remarks about United’s pitch, which is dreadful, but he was whistling to keep his spirits up. He was probably more worried that one of his key men, most specifically Adebayor, might turn an ankle here in April. Arsenal’s grip on first place in the Barclays Premier League is as strong as Wenger’s best XI and no more.

How they rated

Manchester United

4-1-4-1

E van der Sar 7

W Brown 6

R Ferdinand Y 7

N Vidic 7

P Evra 7

M Carrick 7

Park Ji Sung 6

D Fletcher Y 9

Anderson 8

Nani 8

W Rooney Y 8

Substitutes: P Scholes (for Anderson, 72min), L Saha (for Rooney, 71). Not used: J O’Shea, T Kusczak, C Tévez. Next: Newcastle United (a).

Arsenal

4-1-4-1

J Lehmann 7

J Hoyte 4

K Touré 5

W Gallas 4

A Traoré 4

Gilberto Silva Y 5

E Eboué R 4

F Fàbregas 4

A Hleb 4

Eduardo Y 5

N Bendtner 4

Substitutes: E Adebayor 4 (for Hleb, 70min), M Flamini 5 (for Fàbregas, 70), P Senderos (for Eduardo, 71). Not used: L Fabianski, G Clichy. Next: Birmingham (a).

Goalscorers: Manchester United: Rooney 16, Fletcher 20, 74, Nani 38

Referee A Wiley

Attendance 75,550

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