Arsenal vs. Man United history, head to head: All-time record, recent results of games between Premier League rivals

Meeting regularly since 1894, football clubs Arsenal and Manchester United have a long and storied history of heated competition across multiple tournaments.

With over 240 all-time matchups, Arsenal are Man United’s most commonly faced opposition, while the Red Devils are the second-most regular opponent for the Gunners.

While the rivalry’s heyday of the late 1990s and early 2000s has cooled somewhat thanks to the departures of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, as well as the rise of other Premier League giants to join the fray, this fixture remains one of the most prominent in all of English football regardless of the competition.

The Sporting News details the historical records between the two clubs, their recent history, and the overview of their historical ups and downs.

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Arsenal vs. Man United history, head to head

Arsenal and Manchester United are approaching their 250th all-time meeting across the long history of competition against one another, with a nearly even split in terms of results.

Thanks largely to their dominance in the early Premier League days, United have the slight edge in all-time victories, as well as wins in the only two UEFA Champions League meetings between the sides.

Arsenal, however, have won four of the six Community Shield matchups between the clubs, with the Red Devils winless in those games across regulation. The Gunners also won the Football League Centenary Trophy meeting between the two clubs in 1988.

Arsenal vs. Man United all-time record, results

Data correct as of January 9, 2025

Arsenal vs. Man United recent results

As a result of United’s downturn following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsenal have dominated the list of recent results, winning seven of the past 10 meetings between the clubs. United have won two, both at home, with one draw in that span as well.

All of the most recent 10 matches between these two rivals have come in league play, as they have not met in cup competition since a 2019 FA Cup fourth-round meeting won by the Red Devils. That match, interestingly enough, represents the last time Man United won at Arsenal in any competition.

Last 10 matches between Arsenal and Man United

Overview of Arsenal vs. Man United rivalry

Arsenal and Manchester United met for the first time in competitive action in 1894 in the English Division Two, when Arsenal was officially known as “Woolwich Arsenal” and Man United were known as “Newton Heath.”

By 1920, the clubs were Division One participants and were known by their modern names we recognise today.

The two clubs have played each other in a number of prominent and memorable games for both on-the-field reasons as well as off-field narratives. Arsenal and Man United’s first final meeting came in the 1979 FA Cup, with the Gunners winning 3-2 on an 89th-minute goal by Alan Sunderland after having given up a 2-0 lead minutes before. The only other time they have met in the final of a knockout competition was in the 2005 FA Cup, when Arsenal won on penalties after a 0-0 draw; they have never met in the EFL Cup final.

Legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson stated he believes the rivalry kicked off in its modern form in 1987 when Arsenal’s David Rocastle was sent off, leading to a United win stopping Arsenal’s 22-game unbeaten run. The heyday of the rivalry, through the late 90s and early 2000s, saw multiple high-temperature confrontations that had significant competitive stakes on the line at a time when these two clubs were the dominant forces in English football.

Hostilities built when Ian Wright and Peter Schmeichel got into a months-long war of words, which built animosity between the managers as well. Patrick Vieira’s 2003 dismissal for a foul on Ruud van Nistelrooy, which resulted in six Gunners being charged for improper conduct, marked a high-point in the rivalry, as did Roy Keane’s confrontation of Patrick Vieira in the tunnel in 2005.

In that same year, United ended the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ 49-game unbeaten run in league play with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in October. Tempers frayed throughout the contest and boiled over in the tunnel after the match, with players and staff seen brawling. Amid the chaos, a slice of pizza was thrown at Ferguson by an unnamed assailant, later revealed to be Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The incident came to be dubbed ‘Battle of the Buffet’ or ‘Pizzagate’. 

When Wenger congratulated Ferguson for winning the 2009 Premier League title, it marked a cooling of the hostilities between the two sides, but this fixture remains a top-tier meeting every year given the sheer stature of the clubs.