Man United's First Division clash with Arsenal in October 1990 was marred by a 20-man brawl on the pitch that sparked the intense rivalry between the two clubs
When the two clubs met in January there were murmurings that a United win could see them mount a Premier League title charge. A 3-2 loss put an end to those claims, although fans had momentarily been able to reignite similar passions to the two sides' infamous battles at the top of the Premier League table during the late 90s and early 2000s.
Brian McClair kicked out at Arsenal's Nigel Winterburn after the Gunners defender lunged into a challenge on Denis Irwin - and all hell broke loose. Arsenal players quickly ran over to swarm the forward as Tony Adams tried in vain to hold his teammates back. "Looking back I’d have to say it was great having people in the team who had your back, but you could also say the same about the Arsenal players."
"I had never been sent off at any level, and I thought, ‘Well, this is me now – I’m getting sent off. You can’t be doing that on a football pitch’. Then Keith Hackett comes over, books Nigel Winterburn, plays on. I thought, 'That’s impossible'. Anders Limpar punched me in the side of the head from behind and then ran away like a schoolboy, so there could have been a few sent off – not just me.
"I'm honoured to have started the rivalry, I'm proud of that. But you should never throw fists on the football pitch; I'd rather have taken him out with my studs, or something like that. You should never, ever punch somebody in that environment. I'm ashamed of that." The FA fined both clubs £50,000 for bringing the game into disrepute while Arsenal also fined Paul Davis, David Rocastle, Michael Thomas, Limpar and Winterburn, as well as manager George Graham who was fined £9,000.
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