Although Arsenal and Manchester United have frequently been in the same division in English football since 1919, the rivalry between the two clubs only became a fierce one in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the teams regularly competed against each other for the Premier League title and the FA Cup.

There was also an enmity between the managers, Arsenal's Arsène Wenger (1996–2018) and United's Sir Alex Ferguson (1986–2013), as well as club captains Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane.

[5] The league fixture in September 2003, known as the "Battle of Old Trafford", was marred by a mêlée instigated by Arsenal players, who felt striker Ruud van Nistelrooy had cheated to get Vieira sent off.

Several players have featured for both clubs at different stages of their career, including Brian Kidd, Andy Cole, David Platt, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sánchez and former manager George Graham.

[10] Five of the United players who would lose their lives as a result of the crash took to the field in the game – captain and full-back Roger Byrne, right-half Eddie Colman, centre-half Mark Jones, left-half Edwards and centre-forward Taylor.

[12] Although Arsenal and Manchester United had previously contested many significant matches, Sir Alex Ferguson believed the rivalry started in January 1987 when David Rocastle was sent off for retaliating against a foul on Norman Whiteside.

[7][14] The scuffle started when Arsenal's Anders Limpar, who scored the only goal of the game, contested for the ball with Manchester United defender Denis Irwin.

An incident in the first half involving United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and Arsenal striker Ian Wright evoked memories of the 1990 brawl.

[22] The return fixture at Highbury, a 2–1 win for United, was again marred by an incident between Wright and Schmeichel; the striker challenged for the ball with both feet and caught the goalkeeper with his studs.

[28] Wright's behaviour was scrutinised at a hearing, where he complained he was subject to racial abuse by Schmeichel, at which point the FA intervened and met with representatives of both clubs.

[23] In March, it was announced that Schmeichel would not face any charges for the allegations, and the pair were asked to make a public reconciliation, with Wright agreeable to the idea,[29] but it wasn't until April that they agreed to settle their differences.

[34] Injuries and poor results however destabilised the team, and by the time Arsenal visited Old Trafford in March, a title race was looking probable.

Arsenal began the 1998–99 season with a 3–0 win over United in the Charity Shield; Ferguson was unconcerned by the result, but losing to the champions a month later by the same scoreline was, in his words, "a lot less tolerable.

[42] David Beckham and Dennis Bergkamp scored for their respective clubs either side of half time, Roy Keane was dismissed, and the holders late on were awarded a penalty.

[42] "A match that had everything finished with a pitch invasion, sporadic fighting and David Beckham carried shoulder-high from the field" wrote Matt Dickinson in The Times.

A late-season encounter between the teams ended in controversial circumstances after the match officials allowed Thierry Henry's second goal to stand despite the player being offside and Sol Campbell was sent off for an elbow on Ole Gunnar Solskjær in a 2–2 draw.

In the match Vieira was shown a second yellow card for his part in an altercation with striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, and during stoppage time, defender Martin Keown brought down Diego Forlán in the Arsenal penalty area.

[56] The FA immediately took action, charging six of Arsenal's players (Jens Lehmann, Ray Parlour, Lauren, Cole, Keown and Vieira) with improper conduct.

[60] Ferguson's side then knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park the following weekend; United supporters at the ground led a chorus of "Where's your Treble gone?"

"[66] The October 2004 league match, staged at Old Trafford, was blighted by a number of fouls, overlooked by referee Mike Riley, including striker Van Nistelrooy's studs-up challenge on Cole.

[77] The West London club won back-to-back league titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 under José Mourinho, at a time when Arsenal and United underwent a period of transition.

[81] Though the rivalry cooled, the two clubs were still involved in engrossing battles; The Guardian's Jamie Jackson wrote after a November 2007 fixture: "For once here was enough spectacle to meet the pre-match hype and convince the millions watching around the world that the Premier League may just have the best footballers who can play the very best stuff.

[86] Wenger paid his respects to Ferguson, saying that it was "remarkable to have such a consistent motivation at that level – and deal with the stress and all the other ingredients",[87] and declared United worthy champions.

[104] Ahead of Wenger's last game against United in April 2018, Channel 5 aired an hour-long documentary titled "The Feud", described in a review by The Guardian as "exhilarating".

[109] During the season, Wenger commented on rule changes which permitted an extension to the league calendar: "It's wrong the programme is extended so Manchester United can rest and win everything.

[121] Ferguson in his autobiography said a major turning point in his relationship with Wenger was after the Champions League semi-final of 2009; the Arsenal manager invited his competitor into the dressing room and congratulated him on United's win.

[122] Ferguson assessed the change in philosophy proved that Wenger did not "like to blend them too much with older players;" he also felt the team lacked a much needed balance between attack and defence.

[123] The growth of the rivalry during the 1990s attracted the attention of broadcasters and has led to fixtures being rescheduled from the 3 pm blackout period to primetime viewing in the United Kingdom.

[132] To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the first radio football commentary, the BBC reintroduced its "grid system" to help listeners visualise the action between Arsenal and Manchester United in January 2007.

[133] Musician David Gray was enlisted as guest summariser, with John Murray describing the action and James Alexander Gordon calling out the grid numbers to explain where the ball was.