The “Battle of Old Trafford” is a name used by the British press to refer to a Premier League match played on Sunday the 21st of September 2003 between Manchester United and Arsenal.
It’s a game that will go down in Premier League history after tensions between Sir.Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils and Arséne Wenger’s Gunners reached boiling point.
The highlights of the match included the sending-off of Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, a fracas between both teams and a dramatic last minute penalty.
Video courtesy of Sky Sports via Youtube
The penalty was awarded to Manchester United and the clubs top striker, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, stepped up to take the penalty himself.
The penalty carried extra weight as The Gunners were coming off the back of their invincible season and should Van Nistelrooy score it would have ended their winning run.
Unfortunately for United their normally clinical striker missed the spot-kick and hit the crossbar which sparked aggressive reactions towards the Dutch forward.
A large scuffle kicked-off resulting in players from both teams being charged by the FA for violent conduct with five Arsenal players and two Manchester United players forced to pay fines.
During an interview with Oxford Union, Van Nistelrooy recalled the crazy events and shed his opinion on “that penalty” at Old Trafford.
This is his version of events at the “Battle of Old Trafford.”
Video courtesy of Oxford University via Youtube