Manchester United travel to Arsenal on Wednesday for the latest instalment of one of England’s biggest rivalries.
Not only will the Red Devils play against Mikel Arteta’s in-form side in the Premier League, but Monday night’s FA Cup Third Round draw confirmed United will play Arsenal again on 11th January, 2025.
Ruben Amorim’s Reds have a history against the Gunners, with their first competitive match taking place on October 29, 1894. That game ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw and set the tone for the next 130 years.
Since their first-ever meeting, Manchester United and Arsenal have faced each other well over 200 times, across all competitions, with most of their encounters producing a bit of everything.
From Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penalty miss sparking mayhem in 2003 to Cesc Fabregas hurling a slice of pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson the following year, Manchester United and Arsenal is a fixture every football fan looks forward to.
Ahead of this week’s matchup, we’ve taken a look back through the archives at five of the side’s most memorable meetings.
5. Arsenal 2-6 Manchester United (1990 League Cup)
Played at Highbury on 28th November, 1990, United thumped Arsenal 6-2 in the Fourth Round of the League Cup.
A hat-trick from Lee Sharpe, as well as goals from Mark Hughes, Clayton Blackmore and Danny Wallace, sealed the tie and sent the Red Devils through to the next round.
Unfortunately, although Fergie’s men went on to beat Southampton and Leeds United in the Fifth Round and Semi-Final, they did come up short in the final after losing 1-0 against eventual champions Sheffield Wednesday.
4. Manchester United 6-1 Arsenal (2001 Premier League)
Another one of United’s biggest wins against Arsenal came at home in the Premier League on 25th February, 2001.
Despite Henry equalising less than 15 minutes after Dwight Yorke opened the scoring early on, the Red Devils went on to score another five and run away with the tie.
A 22-minute hat-trick from Yorke set the tone before Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham added insult to injury.
3. Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (2011 Premier League)
Inflicting pure pain, Manchester United, still to this day, are responsible for delivering Arsenal their heaviest-ever defeat.
The two side’s Premier League matchup at Old Trafford on 28th August, 2011 saw a goal fest with United running out 8-2 winners.
Rooney netted a hat trick. Ashley Young bagged a brace with Nani, Park Ji-sung and Danny Welbeck also chipping in.
The Gunners did pull two back through Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie but the final result proved the home team’s dominance and perfectly demonstrated the gap in class between the two sides at the time.
United went on to lose the Premier League on the final day of the season on goal difference to rivals Manchester City but did finish a whopping 19 points above Arsenal.
2. “Battle of the Buffet” Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal (2004 Premier League)
Coined the “Battle of the Buffet”, United’s Premier League match against Arsenal on 24 October, 2004 has become one of the most discussed fixtures in modern times.
Not only did goals from Van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney put an end to the Gunners’ 49-game unbeaten run, but what followed was truly remarkable.
At the end of the match, Sol Campbell refused to shake Rooney’s hand. There were also no shirt exchanges between the rest of the players. Tempers then flared in the tunnel and the situation escalated when Arsene Wenger confronted Van Nistelrooy over a challenge he had made on Ashley Cole — this then led to an altercation with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Amidst the chaos, a slice of pizza was thrown at the United manager, and although the identity of the player remained a mystery for several years, former midfielder Cesc Fabregas later admitted during an appearance on Sky’s ‘League of Their Own’ that he was the one responsible.
1. Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United (1999 FA Cup Semi-final Replay)
Ryan Giggs produced one of Manchester United’s most iconic moments during an FA Cup Semi-Final Replay against Arsenal in 1999.
Played at Villa Park, this fixture saw United’s legendary number 11 win the tie against all odds and, unbeknownst to him at the time, help seal the club’s famous treble.
David Beckham opened the game’s scoring after 17 minutes before Denis Bergkamp equalised in the second half. On a knife’s edge, the Gunners had the chance to steal victory with a penalty after Phil Neville fouled Ray Parlour in the box. Sent off, Neville watched on from the dugout as Bergkamp’s shot was saved by Peter Schmeichel.
The game was forced to extra-time with Giggs going on to be the Red Devils’ hero. The electric left-winger unleashed a mazey run after Patrick Vieira played a wayward pass. Although gifted the ball in the middle of the pitch by Arsenal’s talisman, the Welshman still had it all to do though.
Going on to dribble past five Arsenal players before firing the ball beyond David Seaman and into the top of the net, Giggs’ 109th-minute winner secured a 2-1 victory and set up an FA Cup Final against Newcastle United; a game United went on to win 2-0.
Fans now know just how significant Giggs’ last-gasp goal was — without it, the side would not have gone into the Champions League final against Bayern Munich four days later with the treble still up for gr
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