Roy Keane was waiting at the top of the tunnel for Alan Shearer - and the former England striker knew he would be.
The Cork native had been sent off just seconds earlier after being 'done like a kipper' by Shearer in the closing stages of Newcastle's 4-3 win against Manchester United, and Keane was still raging as his opposite number climbed the stairs on the way to the dressing room.
If Shearer and Keane had got their way, these captains would have had it out in the tunnel there and then. There was not a camera in sight as insults were exchanged and voices were raised, and Warren Barton was among those who soon found himself caught in the thick of it, reports Chronicle Live.
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"I think Roy had come out of the changing room after Al as we tried to get in," the former Newcastle defender told ChronicleLive about that incident on September 15, 2001. "I played at Wimbledon so I had been used to scuffles in the tunnel but it was one of them where it was, 'Hold me back! Hold me back!' and there were around 40 people holding him back.
"It's part of that competitive edge, part of the game, and that little bit of dislike between the two teams and the players. There was a bit of argy-bargy in the tunnel and a bit of screaming and shouting, but we had [physio] Derek Wright and no one was going to get past him so we were all good."
So why was Keane so angry? Well, you have all seen the clip by now. Many times, in fact. Newcastle were seconds away from marking Sir Bobby Robson's 100th game in charge with a memorable victory when Shearer ran to the corner and knocked the ball out of play deep in Manchester United's half. Keane, desperate to get the game back under way, picked up the ball to take a quick throw-in but Shearer was in the way.
If Keane was already frustrated by the scoreline and Shearer scoring what proved to be the winning goal, well, the Manchester United skipper soon hit the roof. In an effort to eat up another couple of precious seconds, Shearer stretched his arm out to delay Keane and put his hand on the midfielder's chest. Keane petulantly threw the ball at the back of Shearer's head and the pair soon squared up.
Suddenly, supporters were on their feet, sensing something was about to kick off. Andy Griffin was only half-joking when the former Newcastle right-back said there was 'an opportunity for a pay-per-view fight there - even now'.
"There had always been a little bit of needle between Alan and Roy," he told ChronicleLive. "Two iconic figures, two great captains, two winners and two very tough physical individuals. I don't think a lot of people actually realised how tough Alan was."
By the time referee Steve Bennett had made his way over, a smiling Shearer had long got into Keane's head as Gary Neville feebly tried to break things up. Keane later wrote that Shearer had simply said 'you p-----' before the Newcastle skipper mischievously put his hand on his opposite number's chest once more. That was the cue for Keane to swing a punch at Shearer but not only did the Manchester United captain miss, he ended up knocking the yellow card out of Bennett's hand.
The referee quickly pulled out a red instead and sent Keane off to loud cheers. That only made Keane angrier and the midfielder tried to launch himself at Shearer again before being restrained by David Beckham and led away.
Keane had fallen into the trap and those on the field that day saw it coming. Barton recalled how 'we knew the red mist was coming with Roy' and team-mate Nikos Dabizas was already well-aware that the Manchester United captain was 'very explosive as a character'.
"Alan was very smart and very clever because he was not dragged into that," Dabizas told ChronicleLive. "He didn't do anything stupid which is how you should be if you're a smart player, but Roy Keane lost his head. He paid the price."
Keane was still furious by the time Shearer made his way down the tunnel at full-time but, after being led back into the away dressing room, the 30-year-old realised he had let his side down. Even Keane recognised that manager Sir Alex Ferguson was 'too hurt to bother having a go' at him.
Yet few knew what a profound effect the ninth red card of Keane's career had on him. As some of the Newcastle players celebrated with a team meal that night, Keane did not sleep a wink and, remarkably, wanted to 'pack it in' before Sir Alex eventually talked him round.
Not many figures had a better insight into that complex personality than Mick Clegg, Manchester United's former power and development coach, who literally boxed with Keane in the gym at the club's training ground. As far as Clegg was concerned, Keane was 'absolutely dying to get that ball going' that day and the Irishman knew 'people were doing things to stop that happening'.
"Roy is one of those guys who's relentless in his desire to do well and, sometimes, that goes wrong," Clegg told ChronicleLive. "The great thing about it is he hated himself for what he did but, I tell you what, a match later he could have well done the same again because he's so passionate. Would you ever want him to lose his passion?"
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