Manchester United and Arsenal were once the only title contenders of the Premier League.
That was the time when the rivalry of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson was world famous and both teams didn’t let any other team claim the PL title for an incredible NINE years.
Now both teams have seen a great downturn in their fortunes: currently Arsenal and United are outside the top four and look very likely to finish outside it.
Arsenal’s next two matches are against Brighton and Burnley while United’s remaining two fixtures are against Huddersfield and Cardiff City. Using the acca insurance offer, you can bet on any of these matches and still save your money even if your team lets you down.
It is a very handy offer for keen punters of football: all the most well-known and trusted betting sites give this offer which saves a lot of money for new customers.
William Hill offers Acca 5 Insurance which means that punters will get their money back on an accumulator of 5 or more selections.
BetVictor gives the acca insurance of bets on 5 or more selections while Betfred’s offer applies to accas on 5+ fold. Ladbrokes and Paddy Power are also giving the accumulator insurance offers.
Here MM look at three timeless Man Utd and Arsenal clashes over the years…
1. Arsenal 2 United 4 (2005)
This was one of the classic encounters between the duo, with the scoreline suggesting a comfortable victory for United. However, the reality on the pitch was very different. Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira had a bust-up in the tunnel before the match, and the tension was felt during the entire game as well.
Arsenal drew first blood when Vieira headed home a corner after just eight minutes, but Ryan Giggs quickly cancelled out their advantage with a deflected shot.
Dennis Bergkamp restored Arsenal’s ascendency before the break by driving through the legs of Roy Carroll, but the Red Devils responded very well in the second half.
The budding star Cristiano Ronaldo equalised by firing home from an acute angle early in the second half.
Four minutes later, Ronaldo struck again after Giggs floated a superb ball towards him. United were forced to play with ten men when Mikael Silvestre got his marching orders, but Sir Alex’s side came away with a victory when substitute John O’Shea also got on the scoresheet.
2. United 0 Arsenal 1 (2002)
In 2002, Arsene Wenger registered a memorable victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
A victory at the Theatre of Dreams would mean a domestic double for the Gunners and although Sir Alex Ferguson’s side gave a very good fight, it was Wenger who was smiling in the end.
Manchester United looked to be the better side in the first half as they created many chances. However, the Gunners gave a resolute defensive display to thwart the attempts from United.
Arsenal started creating chances just after the break and succeeded in breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute. Sylvain Wiltord delivered a composed finish after Freddie Ljungberg’s shot was blocked. Sir Alex responded by sending on Ruud van Nistelrooy but even he couldn’t produce the desired result for the home side.
3. United 2 Arsenal 2 (2003)
Manchester United and Arsenal were the two most dominant sides in the Premier League in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Therefore, it was always a highly anticipated event when these two sides played against each other.
The match between Arsenal and Manchester United in April 2003 was particularly important for both sides as their title hopes hinged on it.
United were three points ahead before this match but the Gunners had an extra game in hand.
Van Nistelrooy fired his team ahead with a brilliant solo effort in the first half, but a double from Thierry Henry swung the match in favor of Arsenal. However, the Red Devils were quick to restore parity through a superb header from Giggs.
The match ended as a draw but United went on to win the Premier League title that year as Arsenal slumped to a defeat against Leeds United.
