sport news The five things you REALLY need to know about the Battle of Old Trafford... as ... trends now

Arsenal travel to Old Trafford this weekend to take on Manchester United in what is their next biggest game of a potentially historic season.

Mikel Arteta's side are running out of games if they are to win their first Premier League title since 2004, but must keep winning if they want to oust the seemingly undeniable Manchester City.

Next up is a United side at rock bottom, going into the game on the back of a 4-0 humiliation against Crystal Palace at the start of the week, but with nothing to lose.

Defeat in Manchester would almost certainly spell and end to any title hopes. And Old Trafford isn't an easy place to go - as least historically.

The Gunners will be confident of a result, just like they were 20 years ago. It ended 0-0 that day, but it was a game that has lived long in the memory of one player in particular that played in the game.

VAR would have changed the penalty decision

Mail Sport's Martin Keown is somewhat the poster boy of that day, for better or for worse. Having given away a last-minute penalty, Ruud van Nistelrooy missed from the spot for United, triggering ecstatic scenes from the Arsenal players.

Read More

Arsenal legend's 'Invincibles' cash grab: How one of their former stars secured the trademark to their greatest-ever season to leave the Gunners shocked

Keown had fouled Diego Forlan late on in the game, and celebrated in Van Nistelrooy's face when he missed the kick. At full time, a number of Gunners players surrounded the Dutchman. All may have been avoided had it been for VAR, however.

The forward was involved in the red card earlier in the game that saw Arsenal's Patrick Vieira sent off for a clash with Van Nistelrooy. It wasn't a situation the away players took too kindly to.

'If you look back at the challenge, I can see that anyone who plays the game, you can see that Van Nistelrooy, when he goes up to challenge, he is leaving all sorts on Patrick,' Keown told Mail Sport earlier this season. 'He's gone in with his leg, he's kicked out, and Patrick has tried to react a little bit, and Van Nistelrooy cowers away as if he's been hit.

'The angle the referee has, you might say it's a good decision. VAR today would just completely wipe that out, it's ridiculous.

'We knew this was a game that was comfortable. We were always concerned about everyone else in the league going there because they had such an aura. Back in those days, you were lucky to get a free kick, never mind a penalty at Old Trafford. It was almost unheard of, it was a really difficult place to go, but for us it wasn't, we loved it. 

'When you look around at the players, World Cup winners, wonderful talents everywhere, they knew head to head they were in trouble, and we knew we were better than them, as good as them. They went onto win the Treble, we won the double.

'We didn’t trust Van Nistelrooy'

On the surface, it appeared hard to understand why the players were so angered by Van Nistlerooy. He had been involved in the red card, but Arsenal players took it a step further.

What followed full time was pushing, shoving, an exchange of some very heated words and a number of players from both teams involved in the melee.

'There was a tremendous rivalry between the two teams but this was about trust,' Keown said. 'We didn't trust Ruud Van Nistelrooy because he was a hugely smart, intelligent player. 

'He would fall over in the penalty box out of nowhere like a pack of cards. He would position himself in an offside position when the ball was being delivered, and when it was switched you had 10 yards to make up on him. Very clever player, ruthless in front of goal.

'He trampled all over me. The little one where you back into the striker and push away to come back, he's stamping all over your feet. We felt we were wronged by him, I was more reactive than proactive. Patrick Vieira paid the price the most,

read more from dailymail.....