On this day, Manchester United hosted Arsenal at Old Trafford in one of the most fiery matches in English football history. Arsenal arrived in Manchester carrying an unbelievable 49-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, looking to make it 50 matches without a single defeat.
However, United was determined to crash the party and end their biggest rival’s historic run.
The match was aggressive and full of hard tackles from the start. Late in the second half, Wayne Rooney won a controversial penalty that Ruud van Nistelrooy converted to put United ahead. Rooney then scored a goal himself in stoppage time, sealing a 2–0 victory for Manchester United and officially bringing Arsenal’s legendary streak to an end.
While the action on the pitch was intense, the real drama unfolded after the final whistle inside the stadium tunnel. Tempers boiled over near the dressing rooms as players and staff from both sides started shouting, pushing, and shoving each other.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was furious about the refereeing decisions, while United manager Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in to defend his players.
During the middle of the chaotic brawl, a young Arsenal midfielder named Cesc Fàbregas was eating a slice of pizza in the locker room. Hearing the commotion outside, he stepped into the hallway with his slice in hand. Unable to get into the middle of the crowd, he blindly threw the pizza over the group.
The slice flew straight through the air and hit Sir Alex Ferguson right in the face. The unexpected food fight earned the iconic match a permanent nickname in football history: the “Battle of the Buffet“.
