Is Arsenal v Manchester United still the greatest Premier League rivalry of all time?

Is Arsenal v Manchester United still the greatest Premier League rivalry of all time?

By Jonny Bray
Sky and other mainstream media outlets have been trying to find a successor to Arsenal v Manchester United for several years now.
The decline of the 'biggest' northern and 'biggest' southern clubs on the pitch has seen a hunger for a new game that can be fairly labelled as the greatest rivalry in English football.
But can the natural development of a rivalry as complex and layered as United and Arsenal's was ever truly be surpassed by one created in the media to sell subscriptions?
Arsenal wrote the latest chapter in this historic back-and-forth between two of English football's most historic sides this weekend.
The 3-1 win was a reminder of just what this rivalry means to Arsenal fans.
So what better time to take a look at if Arsenal v Manchester United is still the greatest Premier League rivalry of all time?

What changed?

The hatred between Arsenal and United was at its most visceral between 1998 and 2005.
That changed with the arrival of José Mourinho.
Not only did he make Chelsea a force on the pitch, but he made them the hottest topic off the pitch too.
And in doing so, he ensured that Chelsea v Liverpool, Chelsea v United and Chelsea v Arsenal all became massive fixtures in the Premier League calendar.
Mourinho made Chelsea the most disliked team domestically and in Europe, taking some of the gloss of Arsenal v United as well as Sir Alex Ferguson v Arsène Wenger in the process.
So, each of those rivalries could be said to have been the most bitter of the second half of the 2000s.
And then there was Manchester City v Manchester United.

Aguerooooooo

City v United is probably the only modern Premier League rivalry that can hold a candle to Arsenal v United.
It had hatred, it has history, and it had arguably the most memorable Premier League moment ever in the form of Sergio Agüero's last-minute goal against QPR.
In scoring that goal, the Argentine stole the title from under United's nose.
But it also had moments like City's 6-1 win, Michael Owen's late winner, the Carlos Tevez billboard, and so much more.
Before Ferguson called time on his Premier League career, he gave us one last rivalry to remember him by.
It is a testament to the man that he was able to keep the noisy neighbours quiet for so long.

What has happened since?

Since Ferguson's departure, the press have tried to push several matches as the Premier League's biggest rivalry.
For a time, it was Chelsea v City, then United v Liverpool, and more recently City v Liverpool.
There's just one big problem with that.
With the exception of United v Liverpool, these clubs have no genuine historical dislike for each other.
In most cases, the players like each other, and the rivalry is strictly professional.
Furthermore, Liverpool and United have an incredible ability to be on top while the other is suffering their lowest moments.
It happened in the 80s, with Liverpool dominating English football for much of the decade before the roles were reversed during the 90s and 2000s.
It's hard to be invested in the rivalry when one of the teams is an absolute shambles.

Conclusion

Arsenal v Manchester United is still the greatest Premier League rivalry of all time.
It is a shame that we didn't see Ferguson v Pep Guardiola, as that could have elevated City v United above the Gunners v the Red Devils.
And for now, things are unlikely to change.
It is hard for new rivalries to blossom when the most successful club in the country garners an unprecedented amount of apathy.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

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