The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United has had plenty of iconic moments over the years, with flashpoints triggering days that fans and neutrals will remember forever.
It stemmed from the early days of the Premier League, where the two sides dominated the division to sweep up league titles.
Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson had infamous clashes that then moved on to the next generation of managers.
So with that said, here’s a look at the best Arsenal moments from clashes against their rivals Manchester United.
- READ MORE: I was banned and fined £20k after Arsenal vs Man United but Arsene Wenger still backed me
Arsene Wenger sent off at Old Trafford to the stands
Cast your mind back all the way to August 2009, where Arsenal make an early trip to rivals Man United at Old Trafford.
While it wasn’t the best moment for the incidents on the pitch – where the Gunners lost 2-1 in a second-half collapse – but rather the imagery that came from it.
A late chance to equalise was squandered and in his frustration, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger kicked a water bottle on the touchline.
Referee Mike Dean showed a red card to the manager, sending him to the stands, but there was a bit of confusion.
Wenger didn’t know where to go, with it being so late in the game, and climbed up behind the dugout in front of the supporters.
Stretching his arms out, the manager looked on in one of the most iconic photos in recent Arsenal history.
Declan Rice’s late Arsenal winner against Man United
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a late winner and the Emirates Stadium crowd firmly discovered that in 2023.
Two goals in two minutes saw Arsenal and Man United level heading into stoppage time, but that changed late on.
In the 96th minute, Declan Rice pounced on a loose ball from set-piece to score what turned out to be the winning goal.
The crowd were ecstatic, but they were treated to one more goal in the 101st minute as Gabriel Jesus scored on the counter-attack to seal a 3-1 win.
Martin Keown’s celebrations to Ruud van Nistelrooy
2003/2004 is best known as the Arsenal Invincibles season, though the story of the Gunners going Invincible could have been ended early.
In September 2003, Arsenal went to Old Trafford for a clash with Man United in a potential early title decider.
A 38-year-old Martin Keown started in the clash, filling in for Sol Campbell, and was tasked with keeping an eye on Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Late in the game, the Arsenal legend gave away a penalty in a huge blow for the side, with his striker counterpart stepping up to take it.
Van Nistelrooy blasted the penalty over, leading to huge celebrations from Keown in the aftermath of the penalty and the final whistle.
It meant the game ended 0-0 and the unbeaten run continued.
Since the incident, Keown explained his celebrations at Van Nistelrooy, which ended up being an infamous moment in the clash.
Fabian Barthez hands Thierry Henry an Arsenal brace
Nothing can be worse than a goalkeeping howler at times, but it went in the favour of Arsenal back in November 2001.
Manchester United goalkeeper Fabian Barthez made two of those mistakes in a clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Thierry Henry capitalised twice on his fellow countryman’s mistake, having cleared the ball straight to the Arsenal star.
It happened again moments later as Barthez made a routine collection of the ball but let it slip under his body, allowing Henry to sweep home a goal into an empty net – winning 3-1.
David Platt goal vs Manchester United
In the 1997/98 season, Arsene Wenger’s revolution at Arsenal was truly underway after a good start to the campaign.
The first true test came in November 1997 against Man United, though it seemed to be a breeze at first.
Nicolas Anelka scored his first Premier League goal early on before Patrick Vieira netted a second for the Gunners.
United fought back as former Tottenham man Teddy Sheringham scored twice, bringing the game level in a stunning comeback.
The match wasn’t done there though as a late header from David Platt won the game for Arsenal, with the side eventually going on to win the league title.
Arsenal win the title at Old Trafford
Some of Arsenal’s biggest title wins have come at the ground of their rivals, with a win over Manchester United one of their biggest.
In the penultimate game of the 2001/2002 season, the Gunners played their nearest rivals at Old Trafford knowing a win would secure the Premier League title – stopping the Red Devils from winning four in a row.
A 57th minute winner from Sylvain Wiltord was enough for Arsenal to win the league away at their fierce enemy.
It doesn’t often get sweeter than doing that, something the Gunners have got the taste for over the years.
Arsenal make Premier League title lunge against Man United
In March 1998, Arsenal had a clear advantage over Man United in the final few months of the 1997/98 season.
With six points separating leaders United and the challengers, Wenger’s side had three games in hand to usurp their rivals.
A defeat at Old Trafford would’ve made for a difficult end to the campaign though, meaning anything other than losing could be a positive result.
Arsenal went one step further, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to Marc Overmars.
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