Manchester United vs Arsenal Tickets

Almost all rivalries in England are based on geography, but what makes Manchester United vs Arsenal so special is that the conflict comes from pure competition. As the Premier League went global in the 1990s, this became a truly international rivalry. The historical peaks of both clubs coincided, even if Manchester United’s peak was longer. In short, a reason the teams didn’t like each other is because they were two gigantic fish in a big pond.

One reason you absolutely have to get tickets for AFC vs MUFC is to experience this match in the stadium, which is something special. To preserve bragging rights, the home fans are desperate for a win. This is one of the reasons the record skews towards the home side, even if they’re having a poor season. The atmosphere is always spectacular and will lift the home team, no matter their form.

Few Premier League matches carry the same kind of historical weight as Man United vs Arsenal. As we’ll show a little later, if you’re lucky enough to buy Manchester United vs Arsenal tickets you’ll be attending a match with a lot of baggage, but also elevated by some of the greatest moments English club football has witnessed. These are moments and images that have become famous around the world.

So, the two clubs have met each other in truly momentous clashes, with everything on the line, from league titles to FA Cups and Champions League progression. What made things even more exciting were the spicy personal match-ups between Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, between midfielders Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. There was no love lost, and a steady escalation in intensity led to some of English football’s most iconic moments. That magic can still be felt today.

More than any other Arsenal and Manchester United have a “way” of playing, and it’s what helped build the teams’ global fanbases. Almost as much as results, both sets of fans expect stylish football and attacking aggression. So even during difficult spells both teams will go for the jugular, and will be filled with creative and unpredictable players capable of spectacular moments.

Everybody thinks of Manchester United and Arsenal as dominant English clubs, but the two teams spent a lot of the 1970s being dreadful. As the decade wore on, Arsenal finished as low as 17th and United were relegated. Both sides had the chance to end the 70s on a high in 1979 when they reached the FA Cup final. Arsenal were two-nil up heading into the last five minutes, when Man U equalised with two goals in two minutes. Arsenal replied with an Alan Sunderland winner in the 89th minute to claim one of history’s most memorable FA Cup victories.

When people look for the first signs of bad blood between Arsenal and Manchester United, this is the game they usually point to. Early in the Ferguson era, United hosted George Graham’s Gunners in the first big game after the World Cup. Arsenal, who were trying to chase down Liverpool, got the win, but not before a 21-man brawl.

It was instigated by Nigel Winterburn who wiped out Denis Irwin with a brutal lunge. In truth, only a couple of punches were thrown, and most players acted as peacemakers. In the aftermath, United were docked one point, and Arsenal were docked two as they had recently been involved in another scrap against Norwich. Fortified by a sense of indignation, Arsenal went on to win the league title.

Arsène Wenger took the Arsenal job in 1996 and quickly turned the Gunners into the first permanent rival for Manchester United since the Red Devils became the dominant English club in the early 90s. Wenger and Ferguson did not get along, and Arsenal vs Man United matches turned into nervy battles between two evenly-matched and highly competitive outfits. If there’s a game that sums up this period it’s the 1999 FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park.

Beckham scored early on, and Bergkamp equalised after the break before the Red Devils went down to ten men thanks to a rough Roy Keane tackle. In extra time the drama truly began as Arsenal knocked on the door, earning a penalty that Schmeichel saved from Bergkamp. With the clock ticking down, Ryan Giggs went on a mazy run and walloped the ball past Seaman into the roof of the net for an extraordinary winner that has lived long in the memory.

The two teams were pushing each other to new heights, and in 1998-99 United claimed an unprecedented league, cup and Champions League treble.

The 1999 treble ushered in a period of Man U dominance that was interrupted by an Arsenal double in 2001-02. A depleted Arsenal team wrapped the league title up with a 1-0 win away at Old Trafford. The Gunners were in the middle of a 30-game unbeaten run that powered them to the top of the league, but had to go away to Manchester United without talismanic striker Thierry Henry to clinch it. They pulled it off with an opportunistic finish from Sylvain Wiltord.

No image sums up the feistiness of this rivalry better than a gang of Arsenal players including Martin Keown, Lauren and Ashley Cole, goading United’s Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The story is that van Nistelrooy has just missed a last-minute penalty that would have earned Man U a last-minute win at home.

Venomous personal rivalries had developed in the years before this match, and van Nistelrooy never backed down in these confrontations. So the Arsenal players celebrated his miss a little more, even if it earned the club a then-record fine of £175,000. Arsenal didn’t mind, as the draw helped preserve an unbeaten record that carried them to the title in 2003-04 and lasted until the next league meeting at Old Trafford.

The rivalry reached a crescendo in the autumn of 2004. Arsenal had just gone an entire season unbeaten, and arrived at Old Trafford hoping to extend their streak to 50 league games without defeat. Manchester United had other ideas, and battled to a contentious 2-0 victory, ending the Invincibles’ run. Since the turn of the millennium Arsenal vs Man U games had become grudge matches, with vendettas and running battles fought between players. This victory was a grim spectacle, showcasing United’s defiance in the face of a swashbuckling Arsenal side.

By 2011 Wenger’s Arsenal had regressed. Their spending had been curtailed by the burden of the new Emirates Stadium, while bigger teams like the newly rich Manchester City raided the Gunners for players every summer. One such summer had just taken place when a disjointed Arsenal team was mercilessly thrashed at Old Trafford by Manchester United with the help of a Wayne Rooney hat-trick. This was Arsenal’s heaviest league defeat since 1927 and summed up the gulf between the two clubs at that time. Arsenal recovered to scramble to third place, while Manchester United claimed the last last of their 20 top-flight titles in the following season.

You can always try to buy Arsenal vs Man United tickets with club memberships. We have a complete guide to Arsenal membership, telling you everything you need to know. The vast majority of people who try to buy MUFC vs AFC tickets this way won’t be successful because the demand is outrageous. So for a match like this you may be better off browsing Arsenal tickets or Manchester United tickets on Ticket Compare.

Sadly, cheap Man U vs Arsenal tickets are practically unheard of. In an ideal world, the cheapest tickets come with Arsenal season tickets or Manchester United season tickets. Failing that, you may be one of the lucky few to snag AFC vs Manchester United tickets with a membership. One of the benefits of the secondary market is the freedom to select the price that suits you, and also select the section in which you want to sit. Check out our detailed Emirates stadium seating plan and Old Trafford Stadium seating plan.

This is difficult to sum up here. What we can say is that the cheapest Manchester United tickets with Adult General Admission are £36. When it comes to a prestigious fixture like this Arsenal General Admission tickets are more expensive, starting at £70. In reality, the prices of Arsenal vs MUFC tickets fluctuate greatly, depending on how you obtain your tickets and where you choose to sit.

To make this fixture extra special, you can opt for a premium matchday experience. These packages include luxury padded seats, complimentary match programmes, appearances from legends of the past, and a wide range of drinks and dining options. On Ticket Compare you can browse a wealth of packages from official hospitality agents.