In the 1990s and early 2000s the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United reached its historical peak. At the time they were two of the strongest teams in the top flight, led by two of the best managers in Europe in Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson, and were always in contention for the league title. Yet even before the Premier League era, clashes between the two heavyweights were known to create drama and excitement.
This week we take a look at one famous meeting between the two, at Highbury, April 1st, 1978.
This was the season when Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest stormed up the First Division, winning the title with several games to spare in addition to taking the League Cup. As far as the league was concerned, neither Arsenal or United had much to play for beyond pride. Despite that—and the fact that Arsenal had an FA Cup semifinal the following week against the club now known as Leyton Orient—both sides sent out their strongest team for what would be a classic match-up in front of more than 40,000 fans.
After a squandering a few early chances, Arsenal went up 1-0 in the 36th minute thanks to the lethal center forward Malcolm “Supermac” Macdonald. Yet before the fans in the Clock End could finish singing, United equalized in the 37th after striker Joe Jordan collected a long ball in the box and finished from close range. Having gone into the tunnel level at a goal apiece, Arsenal were determined to take charge of the game in the second half. The Gunners reclaimed the lead in the 69th minute when midfielder Liam Brady hit a half-volley right on the 18 yard line and struck gold. United couldn’t quite find their way back into the game before Supermac settled the tab in the 83rd minute. It finished 3-1 to the Arsenal, a well-won victory against a tough United side that gave the Gunners some much-needed confidence heading into the cup tie the following weekend.
(Also of note: the police officer getting stretchered off at 1:45 due to what legendary commentator John Motson described as “crowd trouble,” a reminder that English football grounds in the 1970s and 80s were not for the faint of heart.)
This Sunday, Arsenal and United meet again in the last “glamour match” of the season. Both teams have secured a Top 4 spot, but there are still stakes to play for as neither team are keen on finishing fourth (and thus having to play a qualifier round in the Champions League next season). Kickoff is at 11am EST on NBC Sports Network.