Battle of Old Trafford
Encyclopedia
The "Battle of the Buffet" is a name used by the British press to refer to a memorable Premier League match played on Sunday, 24 October 2004 between Manchester United
and Arsenal
. Originally this fixture was known as "The Battle of Old Trafford II", in reference to a previous fixture which gained the name, but this quickly fell out of common use before it became better known at the time of the match as the "Battle of the Buffet".
's Ruud van Nistelrooy
missing a last-minute penalty before a confrontation involving himself and several Arsenal
players, especially Martin Keown
. The ill feeling was originally sparked by an incident between Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Vieira
; having been fouled by van Nistelrooy, Vieira aimed a kick in retaliation, although did not make contact, he was still sent off for a second bookable offence. Van Nistelrooy was accused by both Vieira and Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger
, of feigning contact to get Vieira sent off, while United manager Alex Ferguson
defended his player and denied he had dived. In the wake of the match, four Arsenal players received bans after the incident and were given fines totalling £
275,000 by the FA
. Two Manchester United players were also fined for improper conduct, with a third warned about his future behaviour. The 2003 match was originally labelled "The Battle of Old Trafford" by the British press.
The significance of the fixture for the two clubs was increased by the fact that, had Arsenal avoided defeat, they could have extended their unbeaten league run to 50 matches, while Manchester United – who were 11 points behind the league leaders at the time – wanted to prove they were title contenders and end Arsenal's run. The teams had met a few months earlier, kicking off the season in the FA Community Shield
, which Arsenal had won 3–1.
The match was notable for a series of controversial incidents; not for the first time a meeting between the two sides was followed by claim and counter-claim of gamesmanship, bad refereeing decisions and diving.
The match was goalless until the 72nd minute, when Wayne Rooney
won a penalty under a challenge by Sol Campbell
, despite the defender seeming to withdraw from the tackle. Ruud van Nistelrooy
converted the penalty, and Rooney went on to score a second goal in the 90th minute.
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center>
ARSENAL:
|
GK
1
Jens Lehmann
RB
12
Lauren
CB
23
Sol Campbell
CB
28
Kolo Touré
LB
3
Ashley Cole
RM
8
Fredrik Ljungberg
CM
4
Patrick Vieira
(c)
CM
17
Edu
LM
9
José Antonio Reyes
CF
10
Dennis Bergkamp
CF
14
Thierry Henry
Substitutes:
GK
13
Stuart Taylor
DF
18
Pascal Cygan
MF
7
Robert Pirès
MF
15
Cesc Fàbregas
FW
11
Robin van Persie
Manager:
Arsène Wenger
, coffee
, tomato soup
or pea soup
, had been thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
by an unknown Arsenal
player.
The Arsenal coach, Arsène Wenger
, later claimed that Rooney had dived to win the penalty. Mike Riley
, who had attracted criticism as England
's representative referee at Euro 2004 – specifically, for failing to award Latvia
a penalty against Germany
– was said to have made many mistakes during the match.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was charged with serious foul play after a challenge on Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole
. He pled guilty to the offence and received a three-match ban for his conduct during the match.
Former referee Jeff Winter
said of Riley's performance, "It's more about winning than fair play now and if you get the decision then it's all part and parcel of the game but if you don't, the attitude is 'let's complain' and usually the referee is the easy target. But that game, with the baggage that goes with it, is almost becoming an impossible match to referee – and I speak from personal experience."
Premier League refereeing chief Keith Hackett
said "We know this is one of the tough encounters of the season. Mike clearly had a game plan to try not to suppress the match. He wanted it to breathe and perhaps went in with the intention of getting through the game without having to dismiss any players. In the back of his mind was trying to get through a game without having a blow-up and I think Mike did extremely well to keep a lid on things."
Arsène Wenger was less generous; "Riley decided the game, like we know he can do at Old Trafford. There was no contact at all for the penalty, even Rooney said so. It's very difficult to take to see how lightly the referee gives the penalty. We can only master our own performance, not the referee's performance. We got the usual penalty awarded against us when we come to Manchester United and they are in difficulty. It happened last season and it's happened again." He also said of other incidents, "At some stages there were incidents, especially on [José Antonio] Reyes
, where there was some deliberate kicking. The rules are there to be respected and only the referee can make the players respect them.
Arsenal's captain Patrick Vieira
, whose rivalry with Manchester United's captain Roy Keane
had become a key element of meetings between the two sides, said "You get used to it when you play at Old Trafford, we are used to it."
Keane was seen to confront Vieira in the players tunnel before the return fixture later in the season, which Manchester United won 4–2 at Highbury
. This came about by an incident during the pre-game warm up when Vieira had allegedly pushed Gary Neville
after confronting the player about the challenges José Antonio Reyes
suffered at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Once Keane found out back in the United locker room, he unleashed a verbal tirade on Vieira including telling the Arsenal skipper "I'll see you out there". The match that followed was another ill spirited affair with both sides guilty of poor challenges, which also saw Mikaël Silvestre
sent off after a clash with Freddie Ljungberg. United however would go on to win the game, coming from behind twice before running away with it, despite being reduced to 10 men for the last third of the match.
The teams then faced each other once more in the FA Cup final at the end of the season. The match ended 0–0 after normal and extra time, taking it to a shootout. Paul Scholes missed his penalty for Manchester United, and Patrick Viera, who was Arsenals captain, converted his kick a few kicks later to win the cup for Arsenal.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Originally this fixture was known as "The Battle of Old Trafford II", in reference to a previous fixture which gained the name, but this quickly fell out of common use before it became better known at the time of the match as the "Battle of the Buffet".
Background
The equivalent fixture the previous season was a goalless draw, notable for Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
's Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
missing a last-minute penalty before a confrontation involving himself and several Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
players, especially Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
. The ill feeling was originally sparked by an incident between Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
; having been fouled by van Nistelrooy, Vieira aimed a kick in retaliation, although did not make contact, he was still sent off for a second bookable offence. Van Nistelrooy was accused by both Vieira and Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, of feigning contact to get Vieira sent off, while United manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
defended his player and denied he had dived. In the wake of the match, four Arsenal players received bans after the incident and were given fines totalling £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
275,000 by the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
. Two Manchester United players were also fined for improper conduct, with a third warned about his future behaviour. The 2003 match was originally labelled "The Battle of Old Trafford" by the British press.
The significance of the fixture for the two clubs was increased by the fact that, had Arsenal avoided defeat, they could have extended their unbeaten league run to 50 matches, while Manchester United – who were 11 points behind the league leaders at the time – wanted to prove they were title contenders and end Arsenal's run. The teams had met a few months earlier, kicking off the season in the FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
, which Arsenal had won 3–1.
Summary
Manchester United won the match 2–0, ending Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run in the Premier League that had included the whole of the previous season (a first in Premier League history). It was played in front of a crowd of 67,862.The match was notable for a series of controversial incidents; not for the first time a meeting between the two sides was followed by claim and counter-claim of gamesmanship, bad refereeing decisions and diving.
The match was goalless until the 72nd minute, when Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
won a penalty under a challenge by Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...
, despite the defender seeming to withdraw from the tackle. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
converted the penalty, and Rooney went on to score a second goal in the 90th minute.
Details
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | MANCHESTER UNITED: | |||
| GK | 13 |  Roy CarrollRoy Carroll Roy Eric Carroll is a Northern Irish footballer who is currently playing for Greek Superleague club OFI Crete. He is a goalkeeper and is best known for his spells at Wigan Athletic and Manchester United, where he won the 2004 FA Cup... |
||
| RB | 2 | Gary Neville Gary Neville Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years.... |
||
| CB | 5 | Rio Ferdinand Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team... (c) |
||
| CB | 27 | Mikaël Silvestre Mikael Silvestre Mikaël Samy Silvestre is a French international footballer. He plays as defender and is currently signed with Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga. He has also played for the French national team... |
||
| LB | 4 |  Gabriel HeinzeGabriel Heinze Gabriel Iván Heinze is an Argentine footballer who plays for A.S. Roma in Italy. Mainly a left back, he can also operate as a central defender.... |
||
| RM | 7 |  Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team... |
||
| CM | 3 | Phil Neville |
||
| CM | 18 | Paul Scholes Paul Scholes Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being... |
||
| LM | 11 |  Ryan GiggsRyan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season... |
||
| CF | 8 | Wayne Rooney Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team... |
||
| CF | 10 | Ruud van Nistelrooy Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals... |
||
| Substitutes: | ||||
| GK | 1 |  Tim HowardTim Howard Timothy Matthew Howard is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team.... |
||
| DF | 6 | Wes Brown Wes Brown Wesley Michael "Wes" Brown is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Sunderland. Before joining Sunderland, Brown had spent his entire career at Old Trafford, having joined the Manchester United youth team in 1996... |
||
| MF | 17 |  Liam MillerLiam Miller William Peter "Liam" Miller is an Irish footballer who plays for Perth Glory in the A-League. Miller began his career with Celtic; at an early stage after injury he was loaned to Aarhus in 2001, making 18 appearances for the Danish Superliga club. He returned to Celtic Park and broke into the... |
||
| FW | 9 | Louis Saha Louis Saha Louis Laurent Saha is a French footballer of Guadelupian origin who currently plays as a forward for Everton FC in the Premier League and the France national team. A former scholar at the Clairefontaine football academy, he started his career at Metz before playing on loan at Newcastle United... |
||
| FW | 14 | Alan Smith |
||
| Manager: | ||||
 Sir Alex FergusonAlex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... |
||||
Jens LehmannJens Lehmann
Jens Gerhard Lehmann is a German former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning...
LaurenLauren Etame Mayer
Laureano Bisan-Etame Mayer , commonly known as Lauren, is a retired Cameroonian footballer of Equatoguinean origin, who formerly played for the Cameroonian national team.-Early career:...
Sol CampbellSol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...
Kolo TouréKolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Manchester City and Ivory Coast. Touré is a central defender. He is the elder brother of Manchester City team-mate Yaya Touré and Makasa's Ibrahim Touré.-Arsenal:...
Ashley ColeAshley Cole
Ashley Cole is an Barbadian-English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world....
Fredrik LjungbergFredrik Ljungberg
Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg is a Swedish footballer who currently plays as a right winger for Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. Ljungberg was captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008.Ljungberg was a model for Calvin Klein underwear...
Patrick VieiraPatrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
(c)
Edu José Antonio ReyesJosé Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.Mainly a left winger but also a forward, he made his professional debuts for hometown's Sevilla at only 16, signing with England's Arsenal aged 20.After a relatively successful career abroad, Reyes...
Dennis BergkampDennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
Thierry HenryThierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
Stuart Taylor Pascal CyganPascal Cygan
Pascal Cygan is a retired French footballer. His favoured position was central defender, but he could also play at left back when needed....
Robert PirèsRobert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
Cesc FàbregasCesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
Robin van PersieRobin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
Arsène WengerArsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
Aftermath
Sol Campbell was seen to refuse to shake Wayne Rooney's hand at the final whistle and tempers were reported to have boiled over in the players' tunnel. There were accusations that certain foodstuffs, variously reported as pizzaPizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, tomato soup
Tomato soup
Tomato soup is a soup made from tomatoes. It may be served hot or cold, and can be made in many styles. It may be smooth in texture, but there are recipes which include chunks of tomato, cream and/or chicken stock. Popular toppings for tomato soup include sour cream, and croutons. Tomato soup is...
or pea soup
Pea soup
Pea soup or split pea soup is soup made, typically, from dried peas. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of peas used; all are cultivars of Pisum sativum.Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; it...
, had been thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
by an unknown Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
player.
The Arsenal coach, Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, later claimed that Rooney had dived to win the penalty. Mike Riley
Mike Riley (referee)
Riley took charge of the 2004 Carling Cup final, between Bolton and Middlesbrough, in a game that saw all three goals scored within the first 25 minutes...
, who had attracted criticism as England
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
's representative referee at Euro 2004 – specifically, for failing to award Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
a penalty against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
– was said to have made many mistakes during the match.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was charged with serious foul play after a challenge on Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is an Barbadian-English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world....
. He pled guilty to the offence and received a three-match ban for his conduct during the match.
Former referee Jeff Winter
Jeff Winter
Jeff Winter is a former FA Premier League referee from Middlesbrough in the north-east of England.-Refereeing career:Winter took charge of the 2004 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Millwall, his final game as a professional referee before retirement...
said of Riley's performance, "It's more about winning than fair play now and if you get the decision then it's all part and parcel of the game but if you don't, the attitude is 'let's complain' and usually the referee is the easy target. But that game, with the baggage that goes with it, is almost becoming an impossible match to referee – and I speak from personal experience."
Premier League refereeing chief Keith Hackett
Keith Hackett
Keith Stuart Hackett is an English former football referee, who began refereeing in local leagues in the Sheffield, Yorkshire, area in 1960...
said "We know this is one of the tough encounters of the season. Mike clearly had a game plan to try not to suppress the match. He wanted it to breathe and perhaps went in with the intention of getting through the game without having to dismiss any players. In the back of his mind was trying to get through a game without having a blow-up and I think Mike did extremely well to keep a lid on things."
Arsène Wenger was less generous; "Riley decided the game, like we know he can do at Old Trafford. There was no contact at all for the penalty, even Rooney said so. It's very difficult to take to see how lightly the referee gives the penalty. We can only master our own performance, not the referee's performance. We got the usual penalty awarded against us when we come to Manchester United and they are in difficulty. It happened last season and it's happened again." He also said of other incidents, "At some stages there were incidents, especially on [José Antonio] Reyes
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.Mainly a left winger but also a forward, he made his professional debuts for hometown's Sevilla at only 16, signing with England's Arsenal aged 20.After a relatively successful career abroad, Reyes...
, where there was some deliberate kicking. The rules are there to be respected and only the referee can make the players respect them.
Arsenal's captain Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
, whose rivalry with Manchester United's captain Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
had become a key element of meetings between the two sides, said "You get used to it when you play at Old Trafford, we are used to it."
Keane was seen to confront Vieira in the players tunnel before the return fixture later in the season, which Manchester United won 4–2 at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
. This came about by an incident during the pre-game warm up when Vieira had allegedly pushed Gary Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
after confronting the player about the challenges José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.Mainly a left winger but also a forward, he made his professional debuts for hometown's Sevilla at only 16, signing with England's Arsenal aged 20.After a relatively successful career abroad, Reyes...
suffered at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Once Keane found out back in the United locker room, he unleashed a verbal tirade on Vieira including telling the Arsenal skipper "I'll see you out there". The match that followed was another ill spirited affair with both sides guilty of poor challenges, which also saw Mikaël Silvestre
Mikael Silvestre
Mikaël Samy Silvestre is a French international footballer. He plays as defender and is currently signed with Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga. He has also played for the French national team...
sent off after a clash with Freddie Ljungberg. United however would go on to win the game, coming from behind twice before running away with it, despite being reduced to 10 men for the last third of the match.
The teams then faced each other once more in the FA Cup final at the end of the season. The match ended 0–0 after normal and extra time, taking it to a shootout. Paul Scholes missed his penalty for Manchester United, and Patrick Viera, who was Arsenals captain, converted his kick a few kicks later to win the cup for Arsenal.