Arsenal v Man Utd may have lost the even-keeled nature and fiery streak of the late 1990s and early noughties, but it remains one of the most exciting games in football.
Many wars were fought between these historic enemies and the pendulum often swung dramatically between North London and the red half of Manchester. Another meal arrives on Sunday afternoon at third round of the FA Cup – the first duel in the competition since 2019.
Neither side enters the match at their best and there is an air of uncertainty surrounding this weekend’s clash, even if hosts Arsenal start the competition as favourites.
But what do previous encounters say about the upcoming clash at the Emirates Stadium? Let’s relive the last five meetings in between Arsenal and Man Utd.
It’s been a little over a month since the last battle between these old rivals. The arena was the Emirates and it was another unlucky trip to north London for Man Utd, who lost away to Tottenham Hotspur two weeks later.
It was certainly no classic continuation of what was Ruben Amorim’s first defeat as Man Utd manager, with Arsenal’s line-ups coming to the fore. Two corner routines paid off as Jurrien Timber and William Saliba got their names on the scoresheet during the second half.
Man Utd mustered just two shots on goal and created zero big chances and Arsenal were similarly dull from open play during an unspectacular affair.
Arsenal were desperate to win their first Premier League title in two decades during the closing stages of last season and their penultimate meeting took place at Old Trafford. It’s not a venue that has often proved fruitful for the Gunners in the past, but Erik ten Hag’s uninspiring Red Devils made life too easy for their opponents.
Leandro Trossard’s 20th-minute goal was all that separated the teams until the final whistle and the win ensured Arsenal took the Premier League title race until the last day. Manchester City were secretly rooting for their home opponents for this match, but were left disappointed in the end.
However, it mattered little come the end of the following weekend, with Man City’s victory over West Ham United on the final day securing another title for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Arsenal may have used all the drama of this encounter in the first meeting between them in the 2023/24 season. The early-season clash between the giants ended 1-1 and went into the dying embers of stoppage time, with Alejandro Garnacho seeing the likely winner sent off for an incredibly marginal offside in the 88th minute.
But set-pieces were Arsenal’s trump card once again, with Bukaya Saka’s deep delivery heading home Declan Rice in the sixth minute of added time with a deflection off veteran centre-back Jonny Evans. The wild celebration inside the Emirates was repeated five minutes later.
This time it was Man Utd’s line-up that worked for Arsenal. The Gunners took a quick free-kick and raced away as they looked for a superb two-goal lead in the 101st minute, Gabriel Jesus converting on the counter-attack to wrap up the points and score their first goal against Man Utd.
The start of Arsenal’s four-match winning streak in this fixture came at the start of 2023. Another triumph at home in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side left it late once again as they broke Man Utd hearts.
Momentum shifted regularly in a thrilling encounter that began with Marcus Rashford opening the scoring, before Eddie Nketiah equalized just seven minutes later. The tables were turned in the second half when Lisandro Martinez headed Man Utd level six minutes after Saka had scored for the hosts.
Arsenal dominated for long periods and looked set to squander their best chance, but Nketiah’s 90th-minute substitution secured a deserved late victory for the Gunners, who produced an expected 3.25 goals to 0.36 for their visitors.
You have to go back to September 2022 when Man Utd last beat Arsenal in a competitive game. In fact, it was such a long time ago that Antony actually scored on his debut and Old Trafford believed they were witnessing the arrival of an all-conquering new player. That didn’t quite go according to plan.
But regardless of Antony’s subsequent deterioration, Man Utd came away with all three points thanks to the Brazilian’s opener. Gabriel Martinelli saw effort off for a questionable foul earlier in the game, but Saka eventually secured the equalizer on the hour mark.
However, that parity was short-lived, with Rashford’s goal nine minutes apart settling the tie.
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