Arsenal F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry
Encyclopedia
The Arsenal F.C.
–Manchester United F.C.
rivalry is a notable rivalry in English football
as both clubs are recognised as having great history and traditions. Although the two clubs have frequently been in the same division as each other since 1919, the rivalry has largely arisen since around 1990, and many of the clashes in recent times between the two teams have been solely due to the perceived enmity between managers Arsène Wenger
and Sir Alex Ferguson
.
The match has been noted for on-field trouble, particularly the contests in 1990, 2003
and 2004, although it is perceived by former Arsenal player Lee Dixon
that this has much diminished in recent years. Manchester United have also recently claimed that the rivalry has cooled from those "heated" exchanges.
Although the two clubs had previously contested many important matches, such as the 1979 FA Cup Final
, the rivalry is generally perceived to have begun with a notorious match at Old Trafford on 20 October 1990, which resulted in both clubs being docked points in the 1990–91 First Division. Alex Ferguson has stated that he believes that the rivalry predates this by a few years, however, to a match in January 1987 when David Rocastle
was sent off for retaliating against a foul by Norman Whiteside
.
Another key point in this rivalry was during 2003-2004 Premier League season. During this year Arsenal went on to win the league with an unbeaten record. They were labeled as "The Invincibles" and during their first game with Manchester United, they drew 0–0 at Old Trafford in a match dubbed the "Battle of Old Trafford
". Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira
was sent off in the 80th minute for two bookable offences and in second half stoppage time, Gunners defender Martin Keown
brought down United's Diego Forlán
in the Arsenal penalty area, Ruud van Nistelrooy
stepped up for the spot kick but his shot rebounded off the crossbar. This was followed by scenes of jubilation from the Arsenal players, especially Martin Keown who confronted van Nistelrooy after his miss. The resulting scuffle led to another fracas after the final whistle, which ended up with four players from both sides being given yellow cards.
The next game between these two clubs was held at Highbury, which resulted in a 1–1 tie. At the end of the season, Arsenal ended with 90 points while Manchester United finished with 75 points in the third position. Arsenal eclipsed Manchester United and truly began a hatred between the two clubs. Even famous arguments and fights occurred between players, such as Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. Arsenal went on to hold a national record of 49 games unbeaten, which was ended by a game with Manchester United. This game was later called "Battle of the Buffet". This match was a huge catalyst in the ongoing rivalry of these two clubs.
In December 2010, United manager Alex Ferguson made a personal plea to the United fans to no longer sing a "sick" chant at Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, as those kind of chants from fans were considered an embarrassment to Manchester United. With both teams going for the Premier League title in May 2011, Arsenal won their first game against Manchester United since November 2008, to leave United just three points ahead of Chelsea
and six ahead of Arsenal going into the final three games of the season. Nevertheless, United won the league, nine points ahead of Chelsea and twelve points ahead of Arsenal.
In August 2011, Arsenal suffered their heaviest league defeat in 84 years as they lost 8–2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford
. Arsenal had not lost a league game by such a margin since 1927 when they lost 7–0 to West Ham United
in the old Football League First Division
. This was also the first time they had conceded eight goals in a game since 1896, when they lost 8–0 to the now defunct Loughborough F.C.
in the old Football League Second Division
.
In the days before the current rivalry, there were many memorable matches between the two sides.
Perhaps the most memorable came on 1 February 1958, when the two sides met in a league fixture at Highbury
- the last league game that United played before the Munich air disaster
five days later, which claimed the lives of eight of their players and saw two other players injured to such an extent that they never played again. United won the game 5-4, with goals from Tommy Taylor
(twice), Duncan Edwards
, Bobby Charlton
and Dennis Viollet
. Five of the United players who would lose their lives as a result of crash took to the field in the game - captain and full-back Roger Byrne
, right-half Eddie Colman
, centre-half Mark Jones
, left-half Duncan Edwards and centre-forward Tommy Taylor.
Another high profile clash came more than 20 years later, in the final
of the FA Cup
on 12 May 1979. A 100,000-strong crowd saw Arsenal take a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Brian Talbot
and Frank Stapleton
, and with just five minutes left on the clock their lead was still intact. Then, in the 86th minute, Gordon McQueen
pulled a goal back for United, and two minutes later they equalised with a goal from Sammy McIlroy
. However, barely a minute after United equalised, Arsenal's Alan Sunderland
scored a last-gasp goal to win the cup 3-2 for Arsenal.
On 19 August 1989, at the beginning of Alex Ferguson's fourth season
as Manchester United manager (and with the club still yet to win any silverware under his management), defending league champions Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford for the first league game of the season. United won 4-1 with goals from Steve Bruce
, Mark Hughes
, Brian McClair
and new signing Neil Webb
, with Arsenal's consolation goal being scored by David Rocastle
. Arsenal finished the season fourth in the league with 62 points, putting them 17 points adrift of champions Liverpool
. Although United had a disappointing season in the league, finishing 13th (five points and five places clear of the relegation zone), they ended the season as winners
of the FA Cup
.
In 1990-91
, Arsenal won the second of their league titles under the management of George Graham
, losing just one of their 38 league games all season. They sealed their title on 6 May 1991, just before the kick-off in their league game against United at Highbury, which they went on to win 3-1. Their title was confirmed without kicking a ball as their last remaining challengers Liverpool
had been defeated by Nottingham Forest
earlier in the day. The season had already seen two high profile clashes between United and Arsenal - one being the ill tempered league clash at Old Trafford on 20 October, the other in the Football League Cup
just over a month later. The two clubs were drawn to play at Highbury in the fourth round tie on 28 November 1990. United won the tie 6-2, with 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe
scoring a hat-trick.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
–Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
rivalry is a notable rivalry in English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
as both clubs are recognised as having great history and traditions. Although the two clubs have frequently been in the same division as each other since 1919, the rivalry has largely arisen since around 1990, and many of the clashes in recent times between the two teams have been solely due to the perceived enmity between managers Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
and Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
.
The match has been noted for on-field trouble, particularly the contests in 1990, 2003
Battle of Old Trafford
The "Battle of the Buffet" is a name used by the British press to refer to a memorable Premier League match played on Sunday, 24 October 2004 between Manchester United and Arsenal...
and 2004, although it is perceived by former Arsenal player Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
that this has much diminished in recent years. Manchester United have also recently claimed that the rivalry has cooled from those "heated" exchanges.
Although the two clubs had previously contested many important matches, such as the 1979 FA Cup Final
1979 FA Cup Final
The 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...
, the rivalry is generally perceived to have begun with a notorious match at Old Trafford on 20 October 1990, which resulted in both clubs being docked points in the 1990–91 First Division. Alex Ferguson has stated that he believes that the rivalry predates this by a few years, however, to a match in January 1987 when David Rocastle
David Rocastle
David Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...
was sent off for retaliating against a foul by Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
.
Another key point in this rivalry was during 2003-2004 Premier League season. During this year Arsenal went on to win the league with an unbeaten record. They were labeled as "The Invincibles" and during their first game with Manchester United, they drew 0–0 at Old Trafford in a match dubbed the "Battle of Old Trafford
Battle of Old Trafford
The "Battle of the Buffet" is a name used by the British press to refer to a memorable Premier League match played on Sunday, 24 October 2004 between Manchester United and Arsenal...
". Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
was sent off in the 80th minute for two bookable offences and in second half stoppage time, Gunners defender Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
brought down United's Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán Corazo is an Uruguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Internazionale and the Uruguayan national team. He is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.Forlán was born...
in the Arsenal penalty area, Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
stepped up for the spot kick but his shot rebounded off the crossbar. This was followed by scenes of jubilation from the Arsenal players, especially Martin Keown who confronted van Nistelrooy after his miss. The resulting scuffle led to another fracas after the final whistle, which ended up with four players from both sides being given yellow cards.
The next game between these two clubs was held at Highbury, which resulted in a 1–1 tie. At the end of the season, Arsenal ended with 90 points while Manchester United finished with 75 points in the third position. Arsenal eclipsed Manchester United and truly began a hatred between the two clubs. Even famous arguments and fights occurred between players, such as Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. Arsenal went on to hold a national record of 49 games unbeaten, which was ended by a game with Manchester United. This game was later called "Battle of the Buffet". This match was a huge catalyst in the ongoing rivalry of these two clubs.
In December 2010, United manager Alex Ferguson made a personal plea to the United fans to no longer sing a "sick" chant at Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, as those kind of chants from fans were considered an embarrassment to Manchester United. With both teams going for the Premier League title in May 2011, Arsenal won their first game against Manchester United since November 2008, to leave United just three points ahead of Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and six ahead of Arsenal going into the final three games of the season. Nevertheless, United won the league, nine points ahead of Chelsea and twelve points ahead of Arsenal.
In August 2011, Arsenal suffered their heaviest league defeat in 84 years as they lost 8–2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. Arsenal had not lost a league game by such a margin since 1927 when they lost 7–0 to West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in the old Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. This was also the first time they had conceded eight goals in a game since 1896, when they lost 8–0 to the now defunct Loughborough F.C.
Loughborough F.C.
Loughborough Athletic and Football Club were an English football club based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, that played in The Football League at the end of the 19th century.-History:...
in the old Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
.
In the days before the current rivalry, there were many memorable matches between the two sides.
Perhaps the most memorable came on 1 February 1958, when the two sides met in a league fixture at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
- the last league game that United played before the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
five days later, which claimed the lives of eight of their players and saw two other players injured to such an extent that they never played again. United won the game 5-4, with goals from Tommy Taylor
Tommy Taylor
Thomas "Tommy" Taylor was an English footballer, who was known for his aerial ability. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster....
(twice), Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national team. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid 1950s, and one of eight players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster.Born in Dudley,...
, Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
and Dennis Viollet
Dennis Viollet
Dennis Sydney Viollet was an English footballer best remembered for his time with Manchester United in the 1950s and early 1960s.-Club career:...
. Five of the United players who would lose their lives as a result of crash took to the field in the game - captain and full-back Roger Byrne
Roger Byrne
Roger William Byrne was an English footballer and captain of Manchester United F.C.. He died at the age of 28 in the Munich air disaster....
, right-half Eddie Colman
Eddie Colman
Edward "Eddie" Colman was an English football player and one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster....
, centre-half Mark Jones
Mark Jones
Mark Jones is the name of:* Mark Jones * Mark Jones , English footballer* Mark Jones , full back who played for Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Birmingham City and Hereford United...
, left-half Duncan Edwards and centre-forward Tommy Taylor.
Another high profile clash came more than 20 years later, in the final
1979 FA Cup Final
The 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...
of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
on 12 May 1979. A 100,000-strong crowd saw Arsenal take a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Brian Talbot
Brian Talbot
Brian Ernest Talbot is an English football manager and former player. His son is Daniel Talbot.-Playing career:...
and Frank Stapleton
Frank Stapleton
Francis Anthony "Frank" Stapleton is an Irish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his time at Arsenal, Manchester United and as a pivotal player for the Republic of Ireland...
, and with just five minutes left on the clock their lead was still intact. Then, in the 86th minute, Gordon McQueen
Gordon McQueen
Gordon McQueen is a former Scottish football player, who played as a central defender for Leeds United, Manchester United and Scotland.-Early career:...
pulled a goal back for United, and two minutes later they equalised with a goal from Sammy McIlroy
Sammy McIlroy
Samuel Baxter "Sammy" McIlroy is a former Northern Ireland international footballer whose clubs included Manchester United....
. However, barely a minute after United equalised, Arsenal's Alan Sunderland
Alan Sunderland
Alan Sunderland is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal and Ipswich Town. He was capped once for England.-Career:...
scored a last-gasp goal to win the cup 3-2 for Arsenal.
On 19 August 1989, at the beginning of Alex Ferguson's fourth season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
as Manchester United manager (and with the club still yet to win any silverware under his management), defending league champions Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford for the first league game of the season. United won 4-1 with goals from Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
, Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
, Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
and new signing Neil Webb
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb is an English former footballer and television pundit. He played as a midfielder and defender between 1980 and 1997 notably for Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United...
, with Arsenal's consolation goal being scored by David Rocastle
David Rocastle
David Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...
. Arsenal finished the season fourth in the league with 62 points, putting them 17 points adrift of champions Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. Although United had a disappointing season in the league, finishing 13th (five points and five places clear of the relegation zone), they ended the season as winners
1990 FA Cup Final
The 1990 FA Cup Final was a football match contested by Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The match finished 3–3 after extra time. Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes scored for United; Gary O'Reilly and Ian Wright for Palace...
of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
.
In 1990-91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
, Arsenal won the second of their league titles under the management of George Graham
George Graham
- Politics :*George Graham , 18th-century governor of Newfoundland*George Graham , former political activist*George Perry Graham , Canadian MP from Ontario*George Graham...
, losing just one of their 38 league games all season. They sealed their title on 6 May 1991, just before the kick-off in their league game against United at Highbury, which they went on to win 3-1. Their title was confirmed without kicking a ball as their last remaining challengers Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
had been defeated by Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
earlier in the day. The season had already seen two high profile clashes between United and Arsenal - one being the ill tempered league clash at Old Trafford on 20 October, the other in the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
just over a month later. The two clubs were drawn to play at Highbury in the fourth round tie on 28 November 1990. United won the tie 6-2, with 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
scoring a hat-trick.
External links
- The Classic: Arsenal-Manchester Utd at FIFA.com
- Division One match report on the great Arsenal 4 Manchester United 5 game in 1958 from football-england.com
- Daily Mirror report on the 1979 FA Cup Final from mirrorfootball.co.uk
- Statistics from Manchester United - Arsenal game on opening day of 1989/90 league season from stretfordend.co.uk
- First Division final table for 1989/90 season from fchd.btinternet.co.uk
- http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompetitions/TheFACup/History/HistoryOfTheFACup/1990ManchesterUnitedCrystalPalace Report on the 1990 FA Cup Final from www.thefa.com
- Manchester United's results from the 1990-91 season from footballsite.co.uk
- http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/graham-s-gunners-clinch-league-title Report on Arsenal's league title success in 1991
- Report on United's 6-2 win over Arsenal in a November 1990 League Cup tie from telegraph.co.uk