Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has now reflected on one of the most fiery moments of his playing career.
Across two spells with Arsenal in his career, Martin Keown racked up 449 appearances for the North London club, across all competitions.
The centre-back was a member of the Arsenal Invincibles squad, who won the 2003/04 Premier League title without losing a single game in the competition.
The 43-cap former England international also won two other Premier League titles with the Gunners, as well as three FA Cups, and the 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
For all of his success with Arsenal, though, one incident involving Keown has perhaps remained fresher in the memory of fans than any other.
- READ MORE: Who are The Invincibles? Meet the Arsenal record-breakers who became Premier League legends
What happened between Martin Keown and Ruud van Nistelrooy?
A fierce rivalry existed between Arsenal and Manchester United during Keown’s playing days. The competition between the two teams defined English football for the better part of a decade, and things often became heated when the two sides met on the pitch.
In September 2003, during the season that would end with Arsenal’s Invincibles being immortalised for that feat, Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy had the opportunity to deny the Gunners that glory.
In the final moments of a clash between the two sides at Old Trafford, the Red Devils were awarded a penalty. The Dutch forward striker stepped up to take it, but hit the bar, allowing Arsenal to escape with a draw.
In the immediate aftermath of that miss, Keown famously goaded the forward by screaming and jumping in his face. In Martin Keown: On The Edge, the autobiography, Keown has now explained his actions.
He said: “The truth is, I was so incensed with his gamesmanship that I just wanted to goad him, humiliate him, and try to get him to react to me in the way that he got Patrick [Vieira] to react to him.
“And he was right there when the whistle blew – he was hard to avoid. I remember jumping in the air and thinking, ‘What should I do? Should I just jump in the air and land next to him? Or should I just brush him a little bit?’ So I made that calculated decision straight away.
“I just wanted to let him know that his plan hadn’t worked. To make him realize who the real devil on the pitch was and that we weren’t going to stand by and let him win.”
The Arsenal and Manchester United rivalry
The intensity of the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United brought the best out of both clubs.
With Arsene Wenger at the helm in North London, and Sir Alex Ferguson in charge at Old Trafford, both clubs enjoyed golden eras as they went head-to-head for major honours.
Whilst the Gunners ultimately couldn’t sustain that standard, and fell away from being title contenders, the legacy of the successful teams that Wenger built in that period remains.
Mikel Arteta is now seeking to bring that glory back to the Emirates Stadium. He has made the Gunners genuine contenders again. Keown still insists Arsenal can win the title this season.
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