Blades versus Arsenal: an unlikely noughties rivalry

One is a historic football club that hasn't won as much as it deserves, and the other is Arsenal. But despite their differences, an odd rivalry appeared in the 2000s.

Words: Dante Clarke

Some rivalries are forged through geography, others through decades of shared battles or table proximity. And then there are rivalries like Sheffield United versus Arsenal in the noughties – accidental, sporadic, and somehow unforgettable. It was a strange, slow-burning grudge formed through a series of flashpoints spread across years; refereeing blunders, miraculous saves and near-misses, each meeting adding another layer of grievance amongst Blades fans. Sheffield United and Arsenal were two clubs that were rarely, if ever, in the same league, yet whenever their paths crossed, some form of chaos, controversy or lingering injustice followed.

What a Nwankwo

It really began in 1999. Yes, technically pre-noughties, but this match lit the fuse for everything that was to follow. An FA Cup fifth-round tie between Arsenal and Steve Bruce’s Blades would become one of the competition’s most controversial matches. With fifteen minutes remaining and the game finely poised at 1-1, United keeper Alan Kelly put the ball out of play so an injury-stricken Lee Morris (shock) could receive treatment.

Ray Parlour attempted to return the ball, only for debutant Nwankwo Kanu, seemingly unaware of football tradition, to intercept and square for Marc Overmars, who tapped into an empty net. Despite United players and staff understandably incensed – and an eight-minute delay – the goal stood, proving to be the winner.

The fallout was enormous. Arsène Wenger offered to replay the match, probably out of sheer embarrassment: an unprecedented decision which the FA accepted, wiping Arsenal’s win from the history books.

It might have been wiped from history, but it certainly lingered in memory. The rematch at Highbury ten days later became the first ordered replay in the FA Cup’s 127-year history. On this rare occasion, the controversy subsided, but the outcome remained the same. 2-1 Arsenal. Wenger had restored sporting integrity, but the sense of injustice remained.

Cup runs, Graham Poll and David Seaman

Four years later, the sides would meet again for an FA Cup semi-final. Warnock’s United arrived at Old Trafford amid a remarkable 02/03 season that also included a League Cup semi-final and play-off final appearance.

After the previous affair, most Blades probably assumed lightning couldn’t strike twice. Enter Graham Poll.

Just before the half-hour mark, Poll waved play on after Wayne Alisson had gone down under a Sol Campbell challenge. He then inadvertently blocked Michael Tonge’s attempt to intervene as Arsenal broke forward. Freddie Ljungberg eventually finished the move after a scramble involving Sylvain Wiltord, sparking fury once again from players and supporters.

And just when you thought fate might balance things out, 39-year-old David Seaman returned to his peak one last time, producing one of the most extraordinary saves you’re likely to see. Arsenal held on to win 1-0 and went on to win the final, something that only deepened the feeling that it should have been our day.

Please leave us alone

By 2005, the fixture carried serious baggage. Drawn together once more in the FA Cup, the fifth-round tie at Highbury felt less like a football match and more like the continuation of a long-running argument. Once more, the match was marred with controversy.

Dennis Bergkamp was sent off in the first half, though replays showed José Antonio Reyes to be the real culprit, before Cesc Fàbregas somehow avoided a red card after a heavy challenge on Nick Montgomery.

United thought they had taken the lead through a Danny Cullip header, only for the goal to be dubiously ruled out. It felt like the latest chapter in an all-too-familiar story.

Robert Pires looked to have won it late on, but Andy Gray’s injury-time penalty sparked delirious scenes in front of the travelling away end and forced another replay. Finally, it felt like we might be getting our moment.

Spoiler: We weren’t. Not yet.

With an axe to grind and Arsenal missing a host of key players, this felt like the perfect opportunity for revenge. Michael Tonge missed an open goal inside 45 seconds, setting the tone for a night of near misses. Arsenal controlled long spells, but we battled through extra time and the game went to penalties. Arsenal did what they always seemed to do to us: just edge it. They even went on to win the FA Cup again that season, the bastards.

Christian Nadé ends the feud

Promotion in 05/06 finally reunited the two teams in league competition for the first time in over a decade. A first trip to the Emirates was forgettable, like so many of our away results that season. United held firm for an hour before Arsenal’s quality told. Goals from William Gallas, a Phil Jagielka own goal and Thierry Henry made it a comfortable victory.

But the return fixture at Bramall Lane felt different before a ball had even been kicked. Cold, wet, hostile on a late December evening – exactly the sort of night Wenger sides were supposed to hate before Stoke became the cliché.

On the stroke of half-time, the big moment arrived. Alan Quinn threaded a pass into Christian Nadé. Kolo Touré dived in only to be left chasing his shadow, as Nadé dummied the ball before coolly slotting past an onrushing Jens Lehmann.

Some sort of chaos seemed overdue, and it arrived on the hour mark. This was perhaps the peak of the Neil Warnock era: Paddy Kenny injured himself taking a goal kick, meaning Phil Jagielka donned the gloves for the final thirty minutes like it was the most normal thing in the world. He effortlessly tipped over a close-range Robin van Persie effort as United held on.

33 years since we’d beaten Arsenal in a league fixture. After all the weirdness, controversy and what ifs, the final whistle felt less like the end of a match and more like the closing chapter of a long-running feud. Players collapsed to the turf, Warnock punched the sky in elation, and Bramall Lane roared with something deeper than celebration – relief, vindication, a sense that the footballing universe had finally tilted our way. For once, no controversy, heartbreak or injustice. Just a huge win, earned the hard way, against a side that had so often played the role of tormentor. Finally, we had our moment.