Arsenal v Manchester United is one of the biggest grudge matches in English football.
A game full of often heated exchanges, late tackles and plenty of drama, the two have met exactly 240 times since 1984, with United coming out on top 101 times to the Gunners’ 89.
16 of these meetings took place in FA Cupalthough soon, it will be 17.
In the new year, Arsenal and United will meet at the Emirates Stadium in the third round of the competition in what will no doubt be another terrific affair. Ahead of the match, we’ve recalled the seven best FA Cup encounters between the pair.
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7
Man Utd 4-0 Arsenal (2008)
The Red Devils hit much-changed title rivals
Arsenal were on course for a first league title in four years when they met United in the fifth round of the 2007/08 FA Cup and as a result, manager Arsene Wenger opted to rest a number of first-team players. It turned out to be a bad decision by the Frenchman.
To no one’s surprise, Justin Hoyte, Armand Traore and Nicklas Bendtner were unable to keep pace as United ran out 4-0 winners thanks to a Darren Fletcher strike and goals from Wayne Rooney and Nani.
Arsenal’s season began to unravel soon after. They went on to win just one of their next eight games Premier League as their title hopes slipped through their hands and United, who went on to be crowned champions.
6
Arsenal 0-1 Manchester United (2004)
Scholes’ strike beats the Invincibles at Villa Park
Arsenal were in the midst of an unbeaten league season and an 18-match FA Cup unbeaten run when they faced United at Villa Park in the semi-finals in 2003/04.
United, seemingly exasperated by their opponents’ good form, were ready for a fight – and gave the Gunners just that.
After scoring the eventual winner in the 31st minute, Paul Scholes delivered a terrible challenge on Jose Antonio Reyes which, although unpunished, left the Spaniard with ligament damage.
Roy Keane also overcame a series of questionable challenges, while Freddie Ljungberg broke his arm as the Gunners’ hopes of a famous treble were literally hacked.
5
Man Utd 1-2 Arsenal (2015)
Welbeck returns to fire United
Just a day after Radamel Falcao completed a big-money loan move to United in September 2015, Red Devils academy product Danny Welbeck has left the club to join Arsenal in a £16million move.
“We let him go because of Falcao,” United manager Louis van Gaal said after his departure.
Six months later, Welbeck returned to Old Trafford for the first time and scored the winner, which he wildly celebrated, to send Arsenal into the FA Cup semi-finals and end United’s realistic hopes of silverware for the season.
With Falcao on the bench, United responded quickly to Nacho Monreal’s opener through Wayne Rooney, but collapsed as Welbeck’s strike was followed by the sending off of Angel Di Maria, who literally saw red after confronting the referee Michael Oliver.
The Gunners then dismantled Reading and Aston Villa to secure a second successive FA Cup triumph.
4
Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United (2005)
Vieira seals the tense final despite United’s dominance
United completely dominated the 2005 FA Cup final, but it was Arsenal who emerged victorious on penalties.
The Red Devils had four times as many shots as their opponents, eight times as many shots on target and 12 times as many corners, but were unable to find the difference, with Wayne Rooney going close in the 66th minute.
In the penalty shootout, Paul Scholes saw his effort saved by Jens Lehmann, before Patrick Vieira stepped up to score the winning spot-kick with his last kick of the ball in an Arsenal shirt. Arsene Wenger admitted after the game that his team “He was a bit lucky”.
3
Man Utd 0-2 Arsenal (2003)
Giggs missed and Beckham booted as the holders advanced
Arsene Wenger rested Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp when Arsenal met United in the fifth round of the 2002/03 FA Cup, but it proved to be of little consequence as substitutes Francis Jeffers and Sylvain Wiltor proved too much for the Red Devils in a typically sick. -Toned down affair at Old Trafford.
After three yellow cards in the first seven minutes, United had a chance to take the lead when Ryan Giggs got in on goal and rounded Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman. However, with an empty net, the Welshman put the ball over the bar.
The miss proved pivotal as midfielder Edu put the Gunners in front shortly after with a mistimed free-kick before Wiltord doubled their advantage just after the break.
The aftermath of the match was then overshadowed by an extraordinary dressing room incident that left David Beckham requiring stitches thanks to Sir Alex Ferguson’s flying boot.
Arsenal won the trophy, beating Southampton 1-0 in the final.
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2
Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United (1979)
The Penalty Final ends in glory for the Gunners
The 1979 FA Cup final was decided in five minutes of pure, unadulterated chaos.
Arsenal had taken a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton, and with 86 minutes remaining, looked set to avenge their defeat to Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town in the previous year’s final.
However, United then inexplicably equalised, scoring twice in two minutes through Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy, the latter of whom took advantage of some truly awful defending from the Gunners.
Almost as soon as McIlroy had finished celebrating, Alan Sunderland hit the back post to score the winner for the Gunners, their first trophy in eight years. Absolute madness.
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Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United (1999)
Giggs’ wondergoal settles epic semi-final replay
In the last FA Cup semi-final replay, the game got a proper send-off in 1999 thanks to Arsenal and United giving us a game for the ages at Villa Park.
David Beckham had given United an early lead before Dennis Bergkamp equalized for Arsenal in the second half. After Roy Keane was sent off early on, Phil Neville conceded a 90th-minute penalty to give the Gunners a chance to win the game.
But Peter Schmeichel saved Bergkamp’s strike and the tie went into extra time, where Ryan Giggs would score the winner with one of the greatest FA Cup goals of all time, dribbling through four Arsenal defenders before firing the ball into the roof friend’s .
In 2019, Gary Neville described the match as the “The best soccer game I’ve ever played.”
“It was the only time in a match where I ever smiled when I was playing – the only time I did it in a moment of pressure as it was enjoyable as well as exciting,” he said, adding: “You know when you just feel: ‘This is something special’.”
