For a long period of Premier League history, this was the fiercest rivalry English football had ever seen. Mesmerising talent on display, mass brawls, individual battles teetering on a knife’s edge – this fixture had it all. Ahead of this weekend’s clash, We’ve taken a dive into the archives and put together our top five Manchester United vs Arsenal games from the last two decades.
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1. Man United 8-2 Arsenal – August 2011
Not the ideal way to kick things off for the Gunners amongst you, but a match that had to be mentioned, nonetheless. Fergie’s time at United was drawing to a close and support for Wenger was dwindling. Arsenal’s heaviest defeat in 84 years… certainly a day to forget. The hosts strolled to a 3-0 first-half lead before Theo Walcott rescued hope on the stroke of half time.
It took just seven minutes for United to kill the game in the second 45, with Wayne Rooney, Nani and Ji-Sung Park (what a set of names by the way) sealing the points. Robin van Persie’s penalty was in vain, and when Carl Jenkinson was sent off with 15 minutes to play, Rooney decided to round of a superb hat-trick, with Ashley Young rubbing salt into the wound in added time. A game of football that Arsenal fans might never live down.
2. Man United 0-0 Arsenal – September 2003
This clash was a sublime lesson in – depending on which side of the fence you sit on – karma. Arsenal hero Patrick Vieira was sent off for ‘kicking out’ at Ruud van Nistelrooy – in actual fact, the midfielder was nowhere near making contact with United’s forward, but that didn’t stop the Dutchman leaping backwards in apparent horror.
So when United were awarded a penalty in the 91st minute and Van Nistelrooy held the ball in his hands and the outcome of the match at his mercy, you could sense Old Trafford was ready to erupt. Erupt it did, but not for the reason United fans hoped. Van Nistelrooy cannoned the ball off the crossbar and the Gunners – Martin Keown at the forefront – celebrated in the centre-forward’s face. The final whistle blew at 0-0, and the Arsenal players screamed in the face of the accused, intensifying an already full-blooded rivalry.
3. Man United 2-0 Arsenal – October 2004
Forget what happened on the pitch. It was a typically gripping match-up as tackles flew in and controversy arose. But this match is famed for the events that took place in the tunnel. With tensions at a record high, there’s no surprise Arsenal were seething. United had just ended a 49-match unbeaten streak, and they had done it in questionable style.
As the players and staff entered the tunnel, the Battle of the Buffet broke out. In a high-school canteen-style brawl, soup pots were launched and Cesc Fabregas aimed a slice of pizza (allegedly pepperoni) at Sir Alex Ferguson. We have never found out the full truth about what happened at Pizzagate, but we would certainly pay a lot of money to see the CCTV footage…
4. Arsenal 1-2 Man United – April 1999
This was an enormous result in the grand scheme of what would go on to happen in 1999. But the events that unfolded on the pitch were just as incredible as those that occurred in the months later. With the FA Cup semi-final replayed tied at 1-1 and United down to 10-men as a result of – you guessed it – Roy Keane’s sending off, Arsenal were awarded a penalty. Leaping to his left, Peter Schmeichel denied Dennis Bergkamp in the dying embers of stoppage time.
With both teams exhausted in extra-time, one fresh legged man arose to steal the glory. Ryan Giggs ran from his own half to score an incredible solo goal. He had won United the match, sending them to the FA Cup final. They would win that match too, and go on to win the Premier League and Champions League in the most successful English footballing campaign to date.
5. Arsenal 2-4 Man United – February 2005
This game had absolutely everything you could possibly want from a rivalry. Who better sums up this fixture than Keane and Vieira? Two midfield generals leaving it all on the pitch out of pure hatred for the opposition. This personal feud was on show once again at Highbury, with Keano delivering a somewhat threatening ‘I’ll see you out there’ in the tunnel before kick-off.
Unfortunately for Keane, all he saw was Vieira stick the ball in the United net as the hosts took a 2-1 lead into half-time. But there were a few twists left in this tale. A baby-faced Cristiano Ronaldo took matters into his own hands, netting twice to turn the game on its head once more. When Mikael Silvestre was sent off in the 69th minute, you fancied another shock might be on the cards. Well it was, but the shock came in the form of a large Irishman.
For a reason still unknown to us all, John O’Shea ghosted in behind the Arsenal defence with just a few minutes remaining and delicately lobbed the ball over the head of Manuel Almunia. As the ball sailed into the far corner, O’Shea looked even more surprised than the rest of us, wrapping up a 4-2 win for United and an all-time Premier League classic.
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