rewrite this title The 7 best FA Cup clashes between Arsenal and Man Utd

Arsenal v Manchester United is one of the biggest grudge matches in English football.

A fixture often filled with 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 those meetings have been in the FA Cup, though soon, it will be 17.

In the new year, Arsenal and United will go head-to-head at the Emirates Stadium in the third round of the competition in what will no doubt be another feisty affair. Ahead of the match, we’ve recalled the seven best FA Cup clashes between the pair.

7

Man Utd 4-0 Arsenal (2008)

Red Devils batter 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 such, manager Arsene Wenger opted to rest a host of first-team players. It proved to be a poor decision by the Frenchman.

To nobody’s surprise, the likes of Justin Hoyte, Armand Traore and Nicklas Bendtner couldn’t keep up with United, who ran out as comprehensive 4-0 winners thanks to a brace from Darren Fletcher 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 in the Premier League as their title hopes slipped through their hands and into United’s, who went on to be crowned champions.

6

Arsenal 0-1 Man Utd (2004)

Scholes strike defeats Invincibles at Villa Park

Arsenal were in the midst of an unbeaten league season and on an 18-match unbeaten run in the FA Cup when they took on United at Villa Park in the semi-finals in 2003/04.

United, seemingly incensed by their rivals’ good form, were up for a fight – and gave the Gunners just that.

After scoring the eventual winning goal in the 31st minute, Paul Scholes put in an awful challenge on Jose Antonio Reyes, which, while unpunished, left the Spaniard with ligament damage.

Roy Keane also got away with a number of questionable challenges, while Freddie Ljungberg broke his hand as the Gunners’ hopes of a famous treble were literally hacked short.

5

Man Utd 1-2 Arsenal (2015)

Welbeck returns to dump United out

Just one day after Radamel Falcao completed a big-money loan move to United in September 2015, Danny Welbeck, a product of the Red Devils’ academy, left the club to join rivals Arsenal in a £16 million move.

“We let him go because of Falcao,” United manager Louis van Gaal said following his departure.

Six months later, Welbeck returned to Old Trafford for the first time and scored the winner, which he celebrated wildly, to steer Arsenal into the semi-finals of the FA Cup and end United’s realistic hopes of silverware for the season.

With Falcao left on the bench, United responded quickly to Nacho Monreal’s opener through Wayne Rooney, but imploded as Welbeck’s strike was followed by the sending-off of Angel Di Maria, who literally saw red after confronting referee Michael Oliver.

The Gunners then saw off Reading and Aston Villa to secure a second successive FA Cup triumph.

4

Arsenal 0-0 Man Utd (2005)

Vieira seals tense final despite United domination

United completely dominated the 2005 FA Cup final, but it was Arsenal who prevailed as winners by way of 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 couldn’t find a breakthrough, with Wayne Rooney coming closest when he hit the post in the 66th minute.

In the shootout, Paul Scholes saw his effort saved by Jens Lehmann, before Patrick Vieira stepped up to score the winning spot-kick with what was his last kick of a ball in an Arsenal shirt. Arsene Wenger conceded after the game that his side “were a bit lucky”.

3

Man Utd 0-2 Arsenal (2003)

Giggs misses and Beckham booted as holders progress

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 not to matter as replacements Francis Jeffers and Sylvain Wiltord proved too much for the Red Devils in what was a typically ill-tempered affair at Old Trafford.

After three yellow cards in the opening seven minutes, United had the chance to take the lead when Ryan Giggs ran through on goal and rounded Arsenal ‘keeper David Seaman. However, with an empty net, the Welshman put the ball over the bar.

The miss proved to be pivotal, as shortly after, midfielder Edu put the Gunners in front with a deflected free-kick before Wiltord doubled their advantage just after the break.

The aftermath of the game was then overshadowed by an extraordinary dressing room incident that left David Beckham requiring stitches courtesy of Sir Alex Ferguson’s flying boot.

Arsenal went on to win the trophy, beating Southampton 1-0 in the final.

2

Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd (1979)

The Five-minute Final ends in Gunners glory

The 1979 FA Cup final was decided in five minutes of pure, unadulterated chaos.

Arsenal had taken a 2-0 lead by half-time thanks to goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton, and with 86 minutes on the clock, looked set to avenge their loss to Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town in the previous year’s final.

However, United then inexplicably drew level, 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 stole in at the back post to score the winner for the Gunners, clinching their first trophy in eight years. Utter madness.

1

Arsenal 1-2 Man Utd (1999)

Giggs wondergoal settles epic semi-final replay

In the last-ever FA Cup semi-final replay, the fixture got a fitting send-off in 1999 thanks to Arsenal and United, who gave us a game for ages at Villa Park.

David Beckham had given United the lead early on before Dennis Bergkamp levelled for Arsenal in the second half. After Roy Keane was sent for an early bath, Phil Neville then conceded a penalty in the 90th minute to hand the Gunners a chance to win the game.

But Peter Schmeichel saved Bergkamp’s spot kick 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 slamming the ball into the roof of the net.

In 2019, Gary Neville described the match as the “best game of football I have ever played in.”

“It was the only time in a match where I ever smiled when I was playing – the only time I have done that in a pressure moment as it was enjoyable as well as exciting,” he said, adding: “You know when you just feel: ‘This is something special.'”