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Arsenal v Man Utd may have lost the same flair and fiery streak of the late 1990s and early aughts, but it remains one of football’s most epic matches.
Many wars have been fought between these historic foes and the pendulum has often swung dramatically between North London and the red fringes of Manchester. The second installment comes on Sunday afternoon FA Cup Third Round – First duel in the competition since 2019.
Neither side enters the fixture on the best of form and there is an air of uncertainty surrounding the weekend clash, even if hosts Arsenal start the contest as favourites.
But what do previous meetings suggest about the upcoming battle at the Emirates Stadium? Let’s relive the five most recent meetings between the two Armory And Man u.
A little over a month has passed The most recent fight Between these old rivals. The Arena was Emirates and it proved to be another unhappy trip to north London for Man Utd, who lost at Tottenham Hotspur two weeks later.
Ruben Amorim’s first defeat as Man Utd manager which came against Arsenal’s set-piece prowess was certainly not a classic installment. Two corner routines paid dividends as Jurin Timber and William Saliba got their names on the scoresheet during the second half.
As Man Utd mustered just two shots on target and created zero big chances, Arsenal were similarly uncharacteristic of open play during a spectacular affair.
Arsenal were desperate for their first Premier League title in two decades during the final stages of last season and their final clash came at Old Trafford. It’s not a venue that has often proved fruitful for the Gunners in the past, but Erik ten Hag’s unflappable Red Devils made life too easy for their opponents.
Leandro Trossard’s 20th-minute strike was what separated the teams at the final whistle, with Arsenal securing victory. Premier League The title race to the final day. Manchester City were secretly backing their local rivals for this particular duel, but were disappointed in the end.
However, the following weekend mattered little as another title was secured for Pep Guardiola’s side with Man City’s final day victory over West Ham United.
Arsenal will have used all the drama of this fixture in the first meeting between the sides in 2023/24. The opening season clash between the giants was 1-1 heading into the death of stoppage time, with Alejandro Garnacho denied a potential winner for an incredibly minor offside in the 88th minute.
But set pieces were once again triumphant for Arsenal, with Bukayo Saka’s deep delivery fired home by veteran centre-back Jonny Evans via a deflection by Declan Rice in the sixth minute of added time. Wild celebrations inside the Emirates were repeated five minutes later.
This time it was a Man Utd set piece that played into Arsenal’s hands. The Gunners quickly cleared a free kick and looked to go two-goal in the 101st minute when Gabriel Jesus converted on the counter-attack to wrap up the points and score Man United’s first goal.
This fixture marked the start of a four-game winning streak for Arsenal at the start of 2023. Another home victory in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side broke Man Utd hearts once again late on.
Momentum shifted regularly in a thrilling encounter that opened with Marcus Rashford opening the scoring, before Eddie Neketia equalized after just seven minutes. The tables turned in the second half as Lisandro Martinez’s header equalized for Man United six minutes after Saka scored for the hosts.
Arsenal dominated for large periods and looked set to squander a key chance, but Nketiah’s 90th-minute tap-in sealed a deserved late victory for the Gunners, who produced an expected goals tally of 3.25 compared to their visitors’ 0.36.
You have to rewind to September 2022 to see the last time Man Utd beat Arsenal in a competitive fixture. In fact, it was not long before Antony actually scored on his debut, with Old Trafford believing they were witnessing the entrance of one of the greatest new recruits ever. It didn’t quite go to plan.
But regardless of Antony’s subsequent deterioration, Man United came away with all three points thanks to the Brazilian’s opener. Gabriel Martinelli had seen Attempt rejected For a suspected foul early in the match, but Saka eventually equalized on the hour mark.
That parity did not last long, however, with Rashford’s brace settling the evenly-fought contest in the space of nine minutes.
