Manchester United and Arsenal are two of the most decorated clubs in first division English football but until 1996 they never really spent much time competing for England’s top flight prizes – after all, both clubs have spent time playing second division football. Things changed in 1996 – Arsene Wenger was appointed manager of the north London club and he made it his sole aim to make Arsenal great.
This obviously meant a confrontational relationship with Manchester United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson who were dominating the Premier League by then.
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Players and managers of both clubs took their new found rivalry to extremes and gave their fans memories of great matches that was borne out of a deep-seated hatred of the other. Here’s a look at 5 great games between rivals Manchester United and Arsenal:
#5 Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United (1999)
Video courtesy: Youtube user – pledjuraa
Arsenal and Manchester United were drawn to face other in the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1999. After a goal-less first match which strangely had extra time, they met each other for the replay at Villa Park on 14 April 1999. It was also the last replay of the FA Cup since they changed their rules from the following season. The match was the culmination of a season-long rivalry that saw United come out on top despite Arsenal’s best efforts.
A first-half goal from David Beckham put United in the lead only to be cancelled out by Dennis Bergkamp’s second half goal. The rest of the match was a succession of bookings, a disallowed goal from Nicolas Anelka and a sending off for United defender Roy Keane. Peter Schmeichel even pulled off a last-minute penalty save from Bergkamp.
The match looked like it was going to go to spot-kicks when substitute Ryan Giggs intercepted a pass in midfield, ran past four defenders and scored one of the most electrifying goals of the tournament. His finish was strong, clinical and his immediate celebration after scoring has since become the most memorable part of that night.
P.S. – Don’t miss Steve McClaren celebrating with Sir Alex Ferguson in the video.
#4 Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal (2002)
Video courtesy: Youtube user – duncy21
The rivalry between the two teams was still peaking when Arsenal travelled to the home of three-time league champions Manchester United on 8 May 2002. Arsenal had just won the FA Cup that weekend and they were just a point away from winning the Premier League.
That night the Gunners were the better side even though both teams had key players on the bench. Sylvain Wiltord scored on the rebound when Fabien Barthez warded off Freddie Ljungberg’s shot – it was a fine way to celebrate his 100th appearance for Arsenal.
Defending champions Manchester United lost to Arsenal at the Theatre of Dreams inspiring Gunners fans to chant ‘‘We won the league at Manchester’’ for years to come. Arsenal were crowned champions of England without a single away defeat that season and managed a second double in four years.
United didn’t fare as well – a draw with Arsenal that night meant they would have come second, but a loss saw them come in third behind Liverpool after a sixth home defeat that season.
#3 Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal (2003)
Video Courtesy: Youtube user – man of tech
Now, what can be so great about a game that ended a goal-less draw early on in the season? Well, pretty much all of the 90 minutes. The league match between Arsenal and Manchester United on 21 September 2003 would later be dubbed by the press as the ‘Battle of Old Trafford’. Arsenal had lost their title to United the previous season and were looking to get it back.
The match is memorable for the brawl that erupted after the final whistle. The whole match was a physical battle between the two teams with countless fouls and four yellow cards for either side. Patrick Vieira was sent off for aiming a kick at Ruud van Nistelrooy, which he backed away from but the French defender was booked for intent. Van Nistelrooy himself was shown a yellow for pushing Vieira to the ground in the first place.
A ten man Arsenal then went on to concede a penalty in the final gasps of the game. Jens Lehmann managed to spook Nistelrooy, who hit the woodwork followed by the final whistle. Matters didn’t end there. As soon as Nistelrooy missed, he was surrounded by Arsenal players pushing, shoving and shouting at him. Even though United captain Roy Keane led him away, their other teammates were not done.
Ryan Giggs, Quinton Fortune, Mikael Silvestre, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano Ronaldo got into a pushing fight with Arsenal’s Ashley Cole, Kolo Toure, Lauren,Ray Parlour and Martin Keown. That particular row didn’t just end that night. Players from both teams were charged by the FA and forced to pay fines.
This draw is especially significant for Arsenal as it helped them to win the Premier League that season after an unbeaten run.
#2 Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal (2004)
Video courtesy: Youtube user – Arsenal Retro TV
24 October 2004 – as Sir Alex Ferguson rightly implied later, was the beginning of the end of for Arsene Wenger and his glorious run with the Invincibles. The match was famously titled the ‘Battle of the Buffet’ and was the undoing of the Gunners’s 49-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. Arsenal went into this game as league leaders at Old Trafford.
The match was rife with violent tackles and intentional fouls often ignored by the referee Mike Riley. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored first from a penalty that was dubiously awarded. A young Wayne Rooney sealed the victory for the Red Devils after a 90th-minute goal and brought an end to the reign of the Invincibles. After the match, players and staff from both sides got into an angry confrontation, even Ferguson and Wenger got involved.
A pizza was reportedly thrown at Ferguson during the fight, with Cesc Fabregas the most likely suspect. However, since no recording of the incident was found and no one from either team admitted anything, the FA could not conduct an investigation. Wenger criticised the referee by name at the post-match press conference and was in turn charged by the FA for improper conduct.
#1 Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (2011)
On 28 August 2011, Arsene Wenger suffered the worst defeat of his career. It was the start of the season and he was forced to start a weaker side due to injuries in the team. Many may have foreseen an Arsenal defeat but surely not by such a huge margin – it was Arsenal’s worst result since 1896! Even though the days of their epically proportioned rivalry was over, the magnitude of the loss makes it one of the greatest matches between the two English giants.
Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick, Ashley Young a brace, Park Ji-Sung, Nani and Danny Welbeck pitched in too. De Gea saved a penalty and Van Persie and Theo Walcott’s goals were very little consolation for the Gunners who were down one man after Carl Jenkinson’s sending off.
