Martin Keown has shed light on a backlog of incidents between him and Ruud van Nistelrooy that led to their infamous clash at Old Trafford.
Arsenal and Manchester United 's rivalry peaked in September 2003 during a 0-0 draw, which saw Patrick Vieira sent off and Van Nistelrooy miss a late penalty. It would help the Gunners preserve their unbeaten start to the campaign in what would be their 'Invincible' year.
The talk after full-time though was about how the Arsenal players reacted to Van Nistelrooy's miss, with Keown leading the way. The centre-half was angered by the Dutchman's role in Vieira's dismissal, but has opened up on a catalogue of incidents between the pair in the lead up to the match.
Keown's issues with the former Red Devils forward began at the end of the 2001/02 season. The United man stood on his foot during a game which jeopardised Keown's hopes of going to that summer's World Cup. Months later there was another stamp and the Arsenal defender swung his arm into Van Nistelrooy, which ended with an FA fine for Keown.
In February 2003, during a game at Highbury, Van Nistelrooy was issued with a yellow card for a high-foot which sparked yet another brawl between both sets of players, with their rivalry at its peak at this point.
Keown said in the Daily Mail : "I didn’t feel I could trust Van Nistelrooy going into that game at Old Trafford in September 2003. He would collapse at the slightest touch in the box. Ray Parlour years later said that I started the Battle of Old Trafford. I didn’t! I maintain it started when Van Nistelrooy feigned injury, as if Patrick Vieira had kicked him."
He added: "Van Nistelrooy instantly became a figure of hate among Arsenal’s players. We felt he had succeeded in cheating to leave us up against it at Old Trafford, one of the most intimidating stadiums in world football at that time."
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Arsenal were charged with "failing to ensure the proper behaviour of their players" after the scenes in Manchester back in 2003 and were fined £175,000 - Keown himself was also fined and banned for three games. Their actions post-match copped major criticism and Keown admits the Arsenal players could've reacted differently, but doesn't regret his actions.
He said: "I felt like justice had been served and so did my team-mates. Looking back, perhaps we could have toned down our reaction. But it happened in the heat of the moment and I don’t regret anything I did. I certainly don’t hold any malice towards Van Nistelrooy today. What happened, happened."
