Manchester United welcome Arsenal for the penultimate game of this season at Old Trafford. When these two teams clash, irrespective of the competition, there have been always an excitement and drama around this fixture.
Soccerlens will take a look at five exciting fixtures between the Red Devils and the Gunners, which saw United walk away with a smile on their face at the end.
1. Manchester United v Arsenal, FA Cup semi final replay
Both legs of the clash were held at Villa Park. The first leg ended in a goalless draw. In the second leg, United took a lead from David Beckham’s goal in the 17th minute. The Gunners managed to equalise in the second half as Dennis Bergkamp found the back of the net in the 69th minute.
Five minutes later, Roy Keane was sent off after he received a second yellow for his tackle on Mark Overmass. The match ended in 1-1 after normal time, forcing the course of the match to be decided in extra time.
During the extra time, Patrick Vieira’s misjudged pass is collected by Ryan Giggs on the left wing in his own half. The Welshman dribbles the ball and smashes it to the roof of the next to score one of the best goals scored in British football as United went on to win the tie 2-1.
The same season, United won the treble under the guidance of the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
2. Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2005
The corresponding fixture last season at Old Trafford ended in a goalless draw after Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a penalty in the dying moments of the match. Patrick Vieira was sent off in that game and several Arsenal players felt the striker played a role in getting the former Gunners skipper sent off.
Arsenal players surrounded Van Nistelrooy after the final whistle and they went on to win the title even without losing a single match. Come October 2014, the Dutchman had got his revenge at this time he made no mistake in converting the penalty. The game was sealed by Wayne Rooney, who doubled the lead on his 19th birthday
3. Roy Keane v Patrick Viera tunnel battle in 2005 at Highbury
Arsenal and Manchester United were ready to make it to the pitch and that’s when the two star midfielders, Roy Keane and Patrick Viera were involved in an argument in the tunnel. When the time on the pitch, United drew the first blood.
Viera opened the scoring before Ryan Giggs equalised from a deflected shot. Dennis Bergkamp gave Arsenal a lead for the second time in the match before Cristiano Ronaldo’s two goals in the space of 10 minutes saw United take the lead. John O’Shea scored the fourth goal of the match as United went on to win the tie 4-2
4. Arsenal v Manchester United Champions League semi final second leg 2009
The first leg between the two sides ended in a 1-0 victory to United at Old Trafford. Ji-Sung Park gave United an early lead in the 11th minute after the South Korean capitalised on Kieran Gibbs’ slip.
United’s lead was doubled and their aggregate score was made 3-0 after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a screamer from the free kick, which took Arsenal’s then keeper Manuel Almunia and others by a storm.
A beautiful counterattacking goal from Ronaldo ended the night 3-0 in United’s favour as they reached the final of the Champions League. United went on to lose the final 20 to Barcelona
5. Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2011
Before we start going into the details, let us just give you an update on United’s starting XI. De Gea; Smalling, Jones, Evans, Evra; Nani, Cleverley, Anderson, Young; Rooney; Welbeck
The midfield was dominated by Anderson and Cleverley, who are not longer at United, while Rooney and Welbeck, who is now an Arsenal player lead United’s attack. Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick and Welbeck, Ashley Young, Nani all made it to the score sheet for that day.
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