#2 Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal (2004)
Video courtesy: Youtube user – Arsenal Retro TV
24 October 2004 – as Sir Alex Ferguson rightly implied later, was the beginning of the end of for Arsene Wenger and his glorious run with the Invincibles. The match was famously titled the ‘Battle of the Buffet’ and was the undoing of the Gunners’s 49-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. Arsenal went into this game as league leaders at Old Trafford.
The match was rife with violent tackles and intentional fouls often ignored by the referee Mike Riley. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored first from a penalty that was dubiously awarded. A young Wayne Rooney sealed the victory for the Red Devils after a 90th-minute goal and brought an end to the reign of the Invincibles. After the match, players and staff from both sides got into an angry confrontation, even Ferguson and Wenger got involved.
A pizza was reportedly thrown at Ferguson during the fight, with Cesc Fabregas the most likely suspect. However, since no recording of the incident was found and no one from either team admitted anything, the FA could not conduct an investigation. Wenger criticised the referee by name at the post-match press conference and was in turn charged by the FA for improper conduct.
