PHOTO CREDIT: The Guardian

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

There was something compelling about the nearly two dozen fresh-faced under-25 club members at Saturday’s Arsenal-Manchester United clash at the Emirates Stadium.

First off, here was United’s contribution to the group: Anderson (20), Wayne Rooney (23), Cristiano Ronaldo (23), Nani (21), Carlos Tevez (21), Jonnie Evans (20) and Rafael (18).

And then of course there was Arsenal’s: Gael Clichy (23), Bacary Sagna (25), Denilson (20), Cesc Fabregas (21), Samir Nasri (21, pictured above), Theo Walcott (19), Nicklas Bendtner (20), Abou Diaby (22), Alexandre Song (21), Johan Djourou (21), Carlos Vela (19), Lukasz Fabianski (23), Aaron Ramsey (17) and Jack Wilshere (16).

That Arsenal was carrying 14 in the active lineup while United merely had seven was irrelevant. Heck, the fact Arsenal won the darn match 2-1 doesn’t justify printing every name, either.

And by now, it’s too crystal clear and Mr. Obvioso’s edict that the Gunners are the league’s team of the future. It’s been that way three years running — lack of trophies won by Arsene Wenger and co. be damned.

But usually not scripted in this prophesy of all prophesies is how the Red Devils will gradually find themselves among the outmuscled in the wake of the phenix’s arrival. To be frank, it’s hard to fathom.

If any team seems poised with the proper ponies in place to run alongside Wenger’s hurtling youth movement, it is United. That list above is evidence with the heavy hitters Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez leading the way.

So upon initial review, these (sugar)-kicking days on the United ship are to remain unmolested by any potential stormy skies that might lie ahead. Is that wishful thinking, though? Lest we forget, Ronaldo by all accounts has his eye on the Real Madrid move and Tevez is yet to spend more than two seasons with any organization since leaving Boca Juniors in 2004.

Meanwhile, their 21-year-old terror Frazier Campbell is parked in his own space on the Tottenham bench, making it incredibly easy to forget that just three months ago he was viewed as the fourth bearer for the attack for the year to come before Dimitar Berbatov’s arrival.

Arsenal continue to have no such concerns. Not when Nasri, Fabregas, Sagna and Clichy all shined brightly in the win against the United squad that had its full veteran complement, in addition to the  under-25 dynamos.

Imagine how fiercely the Gunners can maybe punish United when Rio Ferdinand grows old enough to creak at a more steady rate in Jamie Carragher fashion and Nemanja Vidic also falls a little further away from defensive grace. Gary Neville likely will not be around then and it’s tough to picture Evans being the supreme lockdown reliability back there.

That can be construed as the familiar rhetoric of United hate, and who in the Red Devils camp manages to be discouraged by forthcoming back line implosion when the franchise has already been said to have the inside track toward signing Greek phenom Kyriakos Papadopoulos and a host of other young defensive treasure?

Arsenal’s nucleus — already firmly settling into place — probably won’t be ready budge in the process. If it entrenches accordingly with Wenger’s vision for long-term dominance, then the Gunners can really put a stranglehold on the rivalry as long as United gets exploited during a transition period.

In that case, a scenario could play out similar to Arsenal’s bullying of United for two years from 1997 to 1999. Neville was in his earlier 20s along with key fellow members of that era’s brat pack — David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole were being phased in while the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Gary Pallister were heading the other direction.

Arsenal was bolstered by a group positively solidified by a longtime contingent of teammates in David Seaman, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Ian Wright and Roy Parlour that had been raised and further enhanced in the Gunners system.

The mismatch in roster cohesion brought about the two-year Arsenal run of just a single loss to United in seven matches (one of the victories came 3-0 in the 1998 Community Shield.) That helped Arsenal get their 1997-1998 title, motivating Sir Alex Ferguson’s brigade to answer with some redemption in the form of the 1998-1999 championship.

For the first time since, the rivalry again has an inferior half with the pedigree to wrestle back championship control — and it’s Arsenal.

Wrapping up the rest of Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: Kudos goes to West Brom manager Tony Mowbray for his forthright postgame comments after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool about his team battling relegation — in early November! “If we can stay up,” he said, “and come back next season with some better players, we will be able to improve.”

OWES DRINKS: Manchester City forward Gelson Fernandes for his two-card ejection a mere 26 minutes into the 2-1 Blue Moon loss to Tottenham. Fernandes and manager Mark Hughes can gripe all they want about that second yellow, but his late clip of Luka Modric for the first in the pair was an outright misplay of Modric’s on-ball capabilities.

GOAL FULFILLED: Jack Collison’s contribution for West Ham in their 3-1 loss against Everton at Upton Park. The key here was the back-footed pass by Scott Parker setting it up. Dynamic goals are becoming quite the surprisingly new norm at West Ham, though wins aren’t in the process.

LET IT BE: Portsmouth’s comeback 2-1 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light brought back memories of Pompey’s road-warrior ways last season. Yet all the victory really did was make their road record this season 2-3-1 and reduce their goal differential to minus-7.

SAY IT IS SO: That Fulham will seize the midfield-ish role Andy Johnson played so magnificently in their 2-1 win over Newcastle. It’s hard to find managers anymore willing to peel back forwards for fear taking away scoring strength, but why hesitate when more use of pressing abilities can be relished lower down field?

3-POINT FINISH: All college students fretting about November midterm work won’t find sympathy from same-aged Aston Villa stars Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Nigel Reo-Coker, not with Arsenal and fuming United next on the schedule following the current two-loss slide. … That Gunners-Villa matchup is the “best” of the next weekends slate following two straight weeks of Big Four showdowns. … Mowbray wasn’t the only boss brandying about doom and gloom on Saturday afternoon. Wigan’s Steve Bruce churned out some blunt perspective following his team’s 0-0 draw against Stoke at the JJB Stadium in which the Lactics pumped out a 27-2 advantage in general shots toward goal. “If we had to play unitil midnight,” he said, “I don’t think we would have scored.”