M
TS
Thursday, October 3

Premier League

TIMELINE

/esi/1339/6_G_1_92571/index.html?art_id=373301&game_id=92571&sport_id=1&ESI

Manchester United vs. Arsenal: A history of hostility

:Headline: Manchester United vs. Arsenal: A history of hostility:ID:373301: from db_amp
The two Premier League giants meet at Old Trafford on Monday night.
PA | 3d

Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester United meet for the first time this season at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The two clubs have a history of hostility, with past encounters becoming volatile both on and off the pitch.

Here, PA takes a look at how this grudge match evolved.

Old Trafford brawl leads to points deductions

Brian McClair and Nigel Winterburn come together after the United man missed a penalty in a 1988 FA Cup tie (PA Archive)

The 21-man brawl which marred the meeting of the sides on October 20, 1990 had been coming. Arsenal felt aggrieved by the dismissal of David Rocastle during a 1987 meeting of the sides – Sir Alex Ferguson's first encounter with the Gunners – and Manchester United's Brian McClair was goaded by Nigel Winterburn after missing a penalty in a 1988 FA Cup tie. It all boiled over in 1990, as McClair took exception to a Winterburn tackle to spark the melee.

The Football Association took a dim view, deducting Arsenal two points and Manchester United one.

The Gunners overcame that punishment to claim the First Division title.

In your face (part one)

Arsenal's Martin Keown (third right) mocks Manchester United's Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Martin Rickett/PA)

Arsenal defender Martin Keown could not contain his delight when Ruud Van Nistelrooy missed a decisive late spot-kick in a match between the sides in September 2003.

He goaded the Dutchman, screaming in his face and hitting him on the back, having conceded the penalty with a foul on Diego Forlan.

The miss was about as close as the Gunners came to being beaten that season, when they became 'the Invincibles'.

In your face (part two)

The next league meeting of the sides in October 2004 saw Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run finally come to an end.

On the pitch, it was 2-0 to United but off it, it became known as the 'Battle of the Buffet' after another skirmish in the tunnel included a slice of pizza being thrown at Ferguson.

In 2017 Cesc Fabregas admitted on Sky quiz show 'A League of Their Own' that he was the guilty man.

Fabregas confirmed the pizza hit Ferguson in the face and added: "I apologise Sir Alex, really didn't mean to do that!"

See you out there

There was no love lost between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira (Peter Wilcock/PA)

Simmering tensions were evident again when the sides met at Highbury in February 2005.

United captain Roy Keane took exception to what he thought was Arsenal counterpart Patrick Vieira trying to intimidate Red Devils defender Gary Neville.

The incensed Irishman had to be calmed down by referee Graham Poll and repeatedly warned Vieira: "We'll see you out there."

amp_article_373301 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-09-29 11:41:11:
html db last update - 2019-10-03 02:08:04 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Patrick Vieira

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Share this article now:
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool77001851321
2Manchester CityMan City75112772016
3Leicester CityLeicester7421135814
4Arsenal73311211112
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham7331109112
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs7322149511
7Chelsea73221413111
8Bournemouth73221312111
9Crystal Palace732267-111
10Manchester UnitedMan Utd72329729
11Burnley723210919
12Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd72237708
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves7142911-27
14Southampton7214711-47
15Everton7214612-67
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton7133510-56
17Norwich CityNorwich7205916-76
18Aston Villa7124811-35
19Newcastle UnitedNewcastle7124413-95
20Watford7025420-162
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
UC
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool77001851321
2Manchester CityMan City75112772016
3Leicester CityLeicester7421135814
4Arsenal73311211112
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham7331109112
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs7322149511
7Chelsea73221413111
8Bournemouth73221312111
9Crystal Palace732267-111
10Manchester UnitedMan Utd72329729
11Burnley723210919
12Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd72237708
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves7142911-27
14Southampton7214711-47
15Everton7214612-67
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton7133510-56
17Norwich CityNorwich7205916-76
18Aston Villa7124811-35
19Newcastle UnitedNewcastle7124413-95
20Watford7025420-162
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
X

We value your privacy

A part of our GDPR compliance we need to ask for your consent. We and our partners use technology such as cookies on Sports Mole to personalise content and ads, provide social media features, and analyse our traffic. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on Sports Mole.