Top five classic matchups

Arsenal and Manchester United faced off for the 217th time on Sunday, AFP Sports selects the pick of those previous encounters:

ARSENAL 3 UNITED 2 (FA Cup final, May 1979)

Nicknamed 'The Five-minute Final', the climax to the 1978-79 FA Cup burst into life in its final stages on a sultry afternoon at Wembley. Arsenal was 2-0 up and cruising when Gordon McQueen pulled a goal back for United in the 86th minute. Two minutes later Sammy McIlroy equalized, only for Arsenal to race straight back down the pitch, with Liam Brady crossing from the left for Alan Sunderland to slide home a memorable 89th-minute winner.

UNITED 0 ARSENAL 1 (First Division, October 1990)

The enmity that developed between the teams in the 1990s and 2000s can be traced back to this fiery encounter at Old Trafford. A 21-man brawl sparked by a foul on United's Denis Irwin by Arsenal left-back Nigel Winterburn saw the visiting side deducted two points and the home side one. The game's only goal, which became something of a sidenote, was scored by Arsenal's Swedish winger, Anders Limpar.

UNITED 2 ARSENAL 1 (FA Cup semifinal, April 1999)

The last FA Cup semifinal replay conjured up one of the most memorable games in the competition's history. On a night of nerve-jangling drama at Villa Park, Dennis Bergkamp canceled out David Beckham's long-range opener and the tie appeared to be tipping in Arsenal's favor after United captain Roy Keane was sent off. However, in extra time Patrick Vieira gave the ball away to Ryan Giggs and the Welshman scythed through the Arsenal defense before smashing a shot past David Seaman to score one of the great FA Cup goals and keep United on track for the treble.

UNITED 2 ARSENAL 0 (Premier League, October 2004)

Arsenal's record-breaking 49-game unbeaten run was brought to an end in dramatic and controversial style. A year on from a tempestuous 0-0 draw in Manchester, United prevailed through a contentious Ruud van Nistelrooy penalty and a late Wayne Rooney strike. A post-match melee in which United manager Alex Ferguson had a pizza thrown at him saw the game dubbed 'The Battle of the Buffet'.

UNITED 8 ARSENAL 2 (Premier League, October 2011)

United would end the season as runner-up to Man City, but it dealt Arsenal its heaviest defeat since 1896 on an extraordinary day at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney claimed a hat-trick, Ashley Young scored a brace and Danny Welbeck, Nani and Park Ji-sung also scored for United. A shell-shocked Arsenal, which had Carl Jenkinson sent off, replied through Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie.

(China Daily 11/12/2013 page24)