Old foes renew hostilities this FA Cup weekend, as Arsenal make the Monday evening trip to face Manchester United for the first time in almost four years in the competition.
The two sides have met 14 times in the FA Cup throughout their long and illustrious histories; competing in some classic cup encounters.
The Red Devils have been successful in half of the FA Cup fixtures played between the sides with seven victories, whilst the Gunners could restore matters on Monday evening, as they lay just behind with six successes.
Completing the set of fixtures between the red side of Manchester and North Londoners is the only draw between the two clubs in England’s prestigious cup competition; a stalemate which forced the infamous 1999 semi-final replay for the Gunners.
The first ever meeting between the two clubs in the FA Cup came in 1906, as United hosted the Gunners whilst they were under the guise of Woolwich Arsenal, and it was the visitors who drew first blood in the sides cup history with a narrow fourth round 3-2 success.
Over 30 years later and once again the North Londoners faced the Red Devils in the FA Cup fourth round; this time however United travelled down to London as Arsenal played host. Goals from Gunners legends Cliff Bastin and Ted Drake helped the home side on their way to a record home win, which still stands, over Manchester United, in a commanding 5-0 victory.
With two Arsenal victories from two in the cup competition, during the next 25 years and into the early 1960’s the Manchester side reduced the deficit with two victories of their own in two further earlier round encounters between England’s elite. A fifth round tie in 1951 and fourth round tie in 1962 saw United run out 1-0 victors, twice at Old Trafford.
With two wins apiece during their first four ties in the FA Cup, the showpiece event in the 1978/79 season saw the two sides meet in their biggest clash yet in the competition's final. In one of the most memorable cup finals in English football's history, the Gunners raced into a first-half, two goal lead thanks to goals from Brian Talbot and future Red Devil Frank Stapleton. With the game approaching the final five minutes, the scene was set for a relentless period of unforgettable drama. Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy stunned the North Londoners with two quick-fire strikes in the 86th and 88th minutes respectively; however Terry Neill’s side had the final word as in the last minute Alan Sunderland’s strike secured a 3-2 cup final success for Arsenal.
During the next 10 years the Gunners and Manchester United would meet twice further in the FA Cup before the Arsene Wenger era. Almost four years after their devastating final loss, United sought revenge in the semi-final stage of their 1982/83 cup campaign. The Reds of Manchester had already dumped their North London Red counterparts out of the League Cup in the semi-final, and lightning struck twice as goals from Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside secured a second cup final appearance for Ron Atkinson’s side with a 2-1 win.
In 1988 the two clubs would meet for a second time in the fifth round and the ‘tit for tat’ nature of victories within their cup history continued, as Arsenal, after their semi-final defeat five years earlier, once again ran out victors. An Alan Smith strike and Mike Duxbury own goal set the Gunners on their way to a 2-1 win at Highbury.
Within the 11 years it took for the two sides to meet again since Arsenal’s 1988 success, Monsieur Wenger had arrived in North London and a bitter rivalry was beginning to emerge between the Premiership's two big hitters. Wenger’s side drew Sir Alex Ferguson’s team once again at the semi-final stage of the FA Cup in 1999, as the clubs could not be split with their first draw in the competition in a goalless game over 120 minutes.
In the final ever semi-final replay three days later, neither side could be split again as approaching the final minutes of the tie a Dennis Bergkamp stunner had cancelled out a first half David Beckham strike to leave the game finely balanced at 1-1. From there however the encounter appeared to tip in Arsenal’s favour as Roy Keane was dismissed for a second bookable offence after Gunners complaints towards a contentious Nicolas Anelka disallowed effort. Although United were a man down the match seemed destined for extra-time, until Phil Neville fouled Ray Parlour inside the box to leave Bergkamp the opportunity to send the FA Cup holders back to Wembley.
The Dutchman’s penalty arguably was the catalyst for what would become a historic season for Manchester United, as his effort was palmed away by United number one Peter Schmeichel. The jubilation of saving the tie for the Red Devils gave Ferguson’s side a renewed impetus within extra-time and as such Ryan Giggs’ unforgettable solo strike sunk the North Londoners season and sent Manchester United onto a remarkable treble trophy feat.
Four years later and Giggs would play a vital part in a Manchester United versus Arsenal FA Cup fixture once again. In a 2003 fifth found tie at Old Trafford, Giggs rounded Gunners ‘keeper David Seaman to seemingly fire United ahead, but astonishingly fired over the bar with the goal at his mercy. With that miss Wenger’s side poured further misery on the home side as an Edu defected free-kick and Sylvian Wiltord strike ended up giving the visitors a welcome and impressive 2-0 success, although an Arsenal goal in open-play against Manchester United in the FA Cup has been hard to come by since.
Ferguson’s team would not wait long for FA Cup revenge as just over a year after their Old Trafford fifth round defeat, they completed a hat-trick of semi-final victories against the Gunners. Paul Scholes scored the only goal of the game to dent Wenger’s hopes of a third successive FA Cup title, as the Red Devils went on to secure what is currently their last FA Cup success.
A further year later and in 2005, with the emergence of Chelsea to Arsenal and United’s Premier League dominance, the two clubs would meet for a third successive season in England’s premier cup competition. For a second time two of English football’s top sides met in the final, and as the Red Devils have never lost a semi-final against the Gunners, the North Londoners can lay claim to have never lost an FA Cup final to United. Although Wenger’s side rode their luck throughout normal and extra-time, Patrick Vieira scored the vital penalty in the shootout at the Millennium Stadium to hand Wenger what had become an infamous last success until Arsenal’s cup victory last season.
Monday evening’s quarter-final tie between Louis Van Gaal’s and Wenger’s men will be a third successive FA Cup encounter at Old Trafford and a second quarter-final tie in succession. A 2008 fifth round tie saw United record their biggest FA Cup win over Arsenal, as a brace from Darren Fletcher alongside goals from Wayne Rooney and Nani, gave Ferguson’s team a resounding 4-0 win over a disappointing Gunners.
Last time out in the FA Cup between the two teams in March 2011, and their only previous quarter-final matchup, Wenger’s side needed to keep their season alive after a humiliating League Cup final defeat to Birmingham City and crashing out of Europe to imposing Barcelona. However their all too familiar spring collapse continued as they produced another ineffective Old Trafford display, with Fabio and predictable foe Rooney scoring to send United into the semi-finals after a 2-0 win.
Recent history in the FA Cup and meets between the two sides at Old Trafford would suggest a home victory on Monday evening, but Arsenal and Manchester United share a rich tradition of even success in the cup competition throughout their history, and the Gunners faithful will certainly hope the cup record against their quarter-final hosts will tip back in their favour come Monday night.