Overview of the Man United vs Arsenal rivalry
This is a clash between the largest club from northern England and the largest one from the nation’s capital in the southern region. Their rivalry originated in the 19th century when they played their first match as Newton Heath and Woolwich Arsenal at Bank Street in October 1894.
It’s not surprising that these two teams have met in many big football matches over the years since they are among England’s most popular and successful clubs. The north-south divide between Manchester United, located in the north-west, and Arsenal, located in London in the south, also intensifies these fixtures. However, the rivalry was truly sparked by two legendary managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
Despite their collective grandeur, success, and size, this rivalry didn’t reach its peak until a century later. However, the more enduring rivalry between Arsenal and United began in the final decade of the 20th century.
History of the rivalry, from its inception in 1894 to present day
United considers Liverpool, Manchester City, and Leeds United as stronger rivals compared to this one. Meanwhile, for Arsenal, their greatest enemies will always be at White Hart Lane. Even though this rivalry was born during the Premier League era, it has seen some fantastic footballers and games in the last 25 years. The games have always been played in an environment of hostility with a touch of respect.
In October 1990, a rivalry between Arsenal and United intensified when the Gunners triumphed over United 1-0 and won the title. However, the game is more famous for a major fight that erupted in the second half after Denis Irwin and Nigel Winterburn collided. In this incident, 21 players engaged in pushing, shoving and kicking each other that lasted only 20 seconds. The game only resulted in two yellow cards on the day, but the Football Association later took away two points from Arsenal and one point from United.
Brian McClair was a soccer player for United. He wrote in his book how he got into a fight with another soccer player, Nigel Winterburn. When Brian watched himself on Watch TV later, he was surprised to see how out of control he had acted. He felt bad that the moment had made him act this way and not think clearly.
Winterburn made a shrewd observation that the incident might have been a reason for the lasting animosity between the two teams, despite the bruises having faded away. However, the deduction did not stop Arsenal from clinching the First Division title in 1991. Manchester United was not doing very well, but then they got a new coach, Sir Alex Ferguson. He made them do better and they won the Premier League in 1993, 1994 and 1996. Arsenal wanted to match Manchester United’s success so they hired Arsene Wenger in 1996 to help them get better.
Notable moments between the two teams over their long history
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger shook hands after a football match at Old Trafford in Manchester. Manchester United won 2 to 1. After the game, they started competing against each other for 10 years. When Wenger arrived from Japan, Ferguson was better than him and wasn’t worried about the Frenchman wearing glasses.
According to BBC Sport, in April 1997, when United was close to winning the title, Wenger stated that they should not be granted an extension despite their busy schedule. Ferguson, enraged, called him a novice and advised him to limit his opinions to Japanese football. However, within a year, Wenger won the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first full year of coaching in England, proving to be a quick study and attracting sponsors to the club represented by 1xBet 1xCorp N.V.
During that season, United had a 12-point lead, but the point where the title chase changed was when Arsenal won 1-0 at Old Trafford in March.
During the FA Carling Premiership match at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on March 14, 1998, Marc Overmars scored the winning goal for Arsenal against Manchester United. The final score was 1-0 in favor of Arsenal. Shaun Botterill/Allsport captured this moment in a photo. Ferguson was mad because Wenger was getting a lot of attention for his new ideas about eating and exercise. He thought people were making him look like he had old-fashioned ideas.
Ferguson commented on the intelligence of a man who speaks five languages
He then pointed out that he has a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast who also speaks five languages. United figured out that they needed to play teams that were good in order to be really great. After Arsenal beat them, they worked hard and had their best season ever in 1999 when they won the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League.
The two sides had another encounter in the FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park in April 1999. Ryan Giggs helped his team win the tie by running past all the players from Arsenal. This gave them enough energy to win the league by one point more than Arsenal. If Dennis Bergkamp had scored a penalty at the end of the replay, then Arsenal would have won both the FA Cup and the title.
On April 14th 1999, Ryan Giggs from Manchester United scored a winning goal against Arsenal in a soccer game. The game was in Villa Park in Birmingham. The final score of the game was 2-1 in favor of Manchester United. Later, in the years 2000 and 2001, Manchester United defended their title, beating Arsenal 6-1 at Old Trafford. However, in 2002, Arsenal stopped Manchester United from winning their fourth consecutive championship by beating them 1-0 at Old Trafford.
According to BBC Sport, Ferguson made some ungracious comments about the new champions, calling them “scrappers” who depend on their toughness
He also claimed that his team was better. Wenger responded by saying, “Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home,” with a cheerful tone. United won the title again in 2003. The next season, Arsenal was even better and they won the Premier League without losing a single game.
In October 2003, Arsenal had a close call when playing at Old Trafford
The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but they almost lost due to a missed penalty by Ruud van Nistelrooy in the final minute of the match.
Manchester United and Arsenal were playing a game at Old Trafford. Ruud Van Nistelrooy missed a penalty kick. Martin Keown from Arsenal was mad because he thought Ruud was responsible for Patrick Vieira’s red card earlier in the game. After the game, some of his teammates also made fun of Ruud and pushed him around.
According to the Daily Mail, Keown remembered that the team became aggressive towards an opposing player. The player had faked an injury, leading to Patrick Vieira’s unfair expulsion from the game. This was the tipping point for the team, who had lost all respect for that player. The game had been uneventful until then, but the unfair play fueled the team’s anger. They believed the opposing team had earned three points only through cheating.
Although we agree that our actions were unforgivable, we did jump around him. Arsenal received a fine of £175,000 for not controlling their players and Ferguson criticized them for it. He believed that what they did was the worst thing he had seen in sports. Arsenal’s next visit to Old Trafford was very exciting because they had not lost in their last 49 league games. They wanted to make it 50 games without a loss.
During the FA Barclays Premiership match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on October 24, 2004 in Manchester, England, there was speculation that Arsenal players were wearing T-shirts with the message “50 Not Out” underneath their jerseys. However, these T-shirts were never revealed. Manchester United won the game 2-0 with goals from Wayne Rooney and a penalty from Van Nistelrooy.
BBC Sport said that in his book, Rooney wrote about how Arsenal wanted to get 50 games without losing at Old Trafford. However, this ended up motivating the Manchester United team instead. In the tunnel after the game, Wenger angrily confronted Ferguson and a player from Arsenal threw a slice of pizza at him, which ruined his suit.
In his book, Ferguson wrote that someone threw a pizza at him in the hallway. He didn’t know who it was, but people thought it might have been Cesc Fabregas. But no matter what happened off the field, when Arsenal and United played each other it was always very exciting. It was really good football!
Gary Neville said the Manchester United and Arsenal game on August 22, 1999 was very exciting. Both teams played hard without arguing. Roy Keane from Manchester United had an argument with Patrick Vieira from Arsenal during the game. In the end, Manchester United won 2-1.
According to BBC Sport, Roy Keane said he had a lot of hatred for Arsenal when he faced them. He said he couldn’t think of another word to say how he felt about the team. He didn’t like anyone at Arsenal. Keane and Vieira were the captains of their teams. They had to lead their teammates during games. In 2005, they argued in the tunnel before a Manchester United game which they won 4-2.
In a conversation from two years ago, Keane told me that he was only defending Gary Neville on that particular night. He expressed his fondness for competing against Patrick, as success against top players determines one’s ability. Both Keane and Patrick considered each other as tough opponents and enjoyed boasting about their skills like two boxers. Similarly, in an interview with ITV4, Vieira referred to Keane as his favourite enemy and stated that he thoroughly appreciated every aspect of his game.
Between 1996 and 2004, Manchester United and Arsenal took turns winning the Premier League for nine seasons. However, in 2005, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea interrupted their streak by winning the title. Manchester United later regained the title for three consecutive seasons between 2007 and 2009, while Arsenal has been waiting for a win since 2004. As they are no longer direct competitors, the relationship between the two teams and their managers is expected to improve.
According to an interview with the Daily Mail’s Martin Samuel in August 2009, Wenger stated that he and Manchester United had not always had a respectful relationship, but it had improved since their intense competition at the top level had ended.
Robin Van Persie, who recently signed with Manchester United for £24 million, attended a press conference at Old Trafford in Manchester on August 17, 2012 with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. According to Ferguson’s 2013 autobiography, he and Arsene Wenger, Van Persie’s former manager at Arsenal, became good friends and discovered a mutual respect for each other after past conflicts.
List of Arsenal F.C. managers
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Thomas Mitchell
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Unknown
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William Elcoat
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Arthur Kennedy
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Harry Bradshaw
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Phil Kelso
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George Morrell
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James McEwen
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Leslie Knighton
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Herbert Chapman
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Joe Shaw
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George Allison
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Tom Whittaker
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Jack Crayston
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George Swindin
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Billy Wright
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Bertie Mee
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Terry Neill
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Don Howe
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Steve Burtenshaw
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George Graham
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Stewart Houston
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Bruce Rioch
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Stewart Houston
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Pat Rice
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Arsène Wenger
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Unai Emery
It was surprising when Wenger sold his best player, Robin van Persie, to United in the summer of 2012. This move helped Ferguson win another title in his final season before retiring. Although Wenger is still with Arsenal, the rivalry with United has decreased since Ferguson left. However, the rivalry could heat up again with the arrival of Mourinho, who has always had a strained relationship with Wenger.
During the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London, the Portuguese manager of Chelsea, Erik ten Hag (R), and the French manager of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger (L), were kept apart by the fourth official Jonathan Moss. The rivalry between the two clubs has always been based on their position in the table rather than social, cultural, or geographical factors. Currently, Arsenal are only two points away from the top of the Premier League, while Manchester United are eight points behind and struggling.
List of Manchester United’s head coaches
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Alfred Elbat
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James West
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Ernest Mangnell
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T.J. Wallworth
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John Bentley
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Jack Robeson
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John Chapman
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Lal Hilditch
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Herbert Bamlett
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Walter Krickmer
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Scott Duncan
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Walter Krickmer
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Matt Busby
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Jimmy Murphy
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Wilf McGuinness
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Matt Busby
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Frank O’Farrell
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Tommy Doherty
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Dave Sexton
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Ron Atkinson
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Alex Ferguson
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David Moyes
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Ryan Giggs
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Louis van Gaal
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Jose Mourinho
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Ole Gunnar Sulscher
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Michael Carrick
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Ralf Rangnick
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Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag’s responsibility is to revive Manchester United’s competitiveness and pose a threat again, while also reigniting their intense rivalry with Arsenal.
