From Louis van Gaal's theatrical touchline fall to Roy Keane's infamous tunnel bust-up with Patrick Vieira, the Premier League era is awash with iconic moments from when Manchester United and Arsenal have squared up to each other down the years.
Two of English football's greatest powerhouses have produced some iconic and unforgettable moments, both on and off the pitch, sparking a fierce and much-craved rivalry between the pair of them, despite being separated by the best part of 200 miles. Despite the distance in mileage, it is a fixture that whets the appetite every time they meet, such is the history between them.
The history between United and Arsenal is so special and littered with that many unforgettable moments that you could ask 100 Reds supporters for their most vivid memory of the fixture and get umpteen different answers - that is how unique and special an occasion it is when the two of them meet.
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However, you could almost guarantee that several answers would point you in the direction of October 24, 2004. That was the afternoon that United ended Arsenal's historic 49-game unbeaten league run and all hell broke loose following the full-time whistle.
Arsenal were just 17 minutes away from extending their unbeaten run in the Premier League to half a century of games, only for Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney to bring Arsene Wenger's side back down to earth with a thump after such a historical period in the history of English football. Van Nistelrooy dispatched a penalty with 73 minutes on the clock before Rooney condemned the Gunners to their first league defeat since losing 3-2 at home to Leeds United in May 2003.
But instead of leaving Old Trafford and heading back down south quietly, in acceptance that all good things must come to an end, Arsenal's players and management team, including Wenger, created a scene inside the Stretford End tunnel unlike anything that had ever been seen before. It resulted in a mass brawl unravelling and legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was involved in so many iconic fixtures with Arsenal over the years, being hit in the face by a slice of pizza.
It was that moment that earned this particular meeting between United and Arsenal the title 'Battle of the Buffet', also more commonly known as 'Pizzagate'. It all stemmed from Wenger confronting Van Nistelrooy and making it clear that he was unhappy with a challenge the Dutchman was alleged to have committed on former Gunners left-back Ashley Cole, while tempers were still running high about Rooney's antics, who had thrown himself over Sol Campbell's outstretched leg to earn United the penalty that Van Nistelrooy converted to make it 1-0.
Ferguson was understood to have intervened in the melee and confronted Wenger, telling him to leave his players alone. After all, United had just ended the Gunners' 49-game unbeaten run to extend their own unbeaten league run to nine matches, meaning they would have much preferred to get inside the home dressing room and celebrate with a beer or two, all without having to contend with the Londoners' frustrations.
That, however, was only half the story, with the most infamous moment of the whole scuffle being when Ferguson was hit with a slice of pizza, hence why the contest is now remembered as 'Pizzagate'. Cesc Fabregas, who was a youngster at the time, was the culprit, although, in the eyes of former United defender Rio Ferdinand, it was never his intention to hit the legendary United manager.
"I don't think he (Fabregas) meant to throw it at the gaffer, I think he just dashed it out the door and the gaffer was walking past," Ferdinand recalled, speaking on his Vibe with Five podcast earlier this year. "It did hit him, the lasting memory for me was a security guard was having to hold him back from trying to get into the changing room.
"That's what I remember. You know what he's like, if his head went that was it."
Ferguson, as he so often was, was prepared to back his players to the hilt. He was having none of Wenger's outburst and ordered the Frenchman to back down and leave them alone.
Recalling the events that unravelled in his autobiography, Ferguson said: "Ruud van Nistelrooy came into the dressing room and complained that Wenger had been giving him stick as he left the pitch. Right away I rushed out to say to Arsene: 'You leave my players alone'.
"He was incensed at losing the game. That was the reason for his combative behaviour. 'You should attend to your own players', I told him. He was livid. His fists were clenched. I was in control, I knew it.
"Anyway, the next thing I knew I had pizza all over me…They say it was Cesc Fabregas who threw the pizza at me but to this day, I have no idea who the culprit was."
But although Fabregas was always widely considered as the perpetrator, it was not until 13 years later that he actually fessed up to being the man who launched Italy's most popular dish at the most successful manager in the history of British football.
Appearing on A League of Their Own back in October 2017, Fabregas was asked if he was the culprit, to which he replied: "Yes. All of a sudden, I heard noises (from the tunnel) and I thought what's happening? So I go out with my slice of pizza and I saw Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, Martin Keown, everyone pushing each other.
"I was like, I want to get in but I don't know how to and I threw... peeew... just threw it. Once I saw it was hitting, like, who it was hitting, which I didn't mean…"
Fabregas also confessed that it hit Ferguson in the face, adding: "I apologise Sir Alex, really didn't mean to do that."
The Spaniard's throw, although he has always insisted that it was accidental, was, however, the moment that brought the whole scuffle to a conclusion. Everyone just stopped and stood staring at Ferguson, watching a slice of pizza fall off his face and roll down onto his suit.
Former Gunners man Cole recalled: "This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush. The slap echoed down the tunnel and everything stopped, the fighting, the yelling, everything.
"All eyes turned…to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit."
Given the whole sequence of events took place inside the tunnel, no photographs or video footage ever emerged of the melee. But despite the lack of visual evidence, it remains one of the most infamous and talked about afternoons in Premier League history.
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