Arsenal’s FA Cup Record Against Manchester United

The FA Cup third round draw can be a big deal for clubs from the lower echelons of English football who’ve made it that far. It’s their chance to land a plum draw against one of the Premier League’s ‘big boys’; the kind of game that will fill the smaller club’s coffers and give their fans the chance to dream of an unlikely giant-killing.

Premier League clubs, meanwhile, are hoping for an easy home tie against a side that can be easily brushed aside, ideally with the services of reserve and/or youth players. When record FA Cup winners Arsenal were drawn against current holder Manchester United, neither side would have been particularly pleased.

Of course, for the neutrals, it’s a great cup tie. As it is for any other side with ambitions to go all the way in the competition, given that one of their two rivals for glory will be out of the draw by the time the fourth round rolls around. So before these behemoths of English football clash in the world’s oldest national football competition, let’s take a look back at the previous FA Cup meetings between them. And, if you’re interested in the overall timeline and stats of the two teams, be sure to take a look at our Arsenal vs Man United head-to-head overview.

Arsenal v Manchester United – Overall FA Cup Head to Head

Prior to their third-round meeting set for the weekend of 11th January 2025, Arsenal and Man United have met 16 times in the FA Cup. The first time they met in the competition was way back in 1906 when the Gunners were known as Woolwich Arsenal. Of those 16 clashes, Arsenal won six, Man United won eight and there were two draws: one that resulted in a replay and the other leading to Arsenal winning on penalties. Here are all the FA Cup games between the sides over the years:

As you can see, the sides have met in the FA Cup final twice: first in 1979 and then again in 2005 (with Arsenal victorious on both occasions). They’ve also met in the semi-finals in two seasons (though three games, because of the replay in 1999). While the Gunners got the glory in both finals, it was the Red Devils celebrating after their semi-final encounters. Let’s take a look back at the three biggest FA Cup matches between them.

Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United, FA Cup Final, 12th May 1979

The first time these sides met in the FA Cup final became known as the “five minute final” as three of the five goals were scored in the final five minutes. Arsenal were managed by Northern Irishman Terry Neill in 1979, while Dave Sexton was in the Man United dugout. Both sides came out with positive intent and it looked like developing into an open game. So it proved when Arsenal’s Brian Talbot scored after 12 minutes.

United had a fine team that included the likes of Gordon McQueen, Lou Macari and Steve Coppell, but they couldn’t find the breakthrough. Arsenal doubled their lead through Frank Stapleton in the 43rd minute. It stayed 2-0 for most of the second half until the game really sprung to life. McQueen got one back for United in the 86th minute, and two minutes later the sides were level when Sammy McIlroy took on half the Arsenal defence and slotted home. United’s celebrations were short-lived, however, as Alan Sunderland scored the winner with just a minute left on the clock.

Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United (Arsenal 5-4 on Penalties), FA Cup Final, 21st May 2005

Compared to the 1979 final, the 2005 affair between the Gunners and United might not appear as entertaining, at least based on the scoreline. But this match pitted two of the greatest managers of the modern era against each other: Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson. They had of course clashed plenty of times over the years, mostly in the Premier League but also in other competitions (including the FA Cup, see below!). But this was the first time the managers had contested an FA Cup final.

It was a tight, rather dour and ill-tempered affair in which neither side really found their rhythm. Arsenal had the better of the possession (56%) but mustered just a single shot on target. United, for their part, managed eight shots on target, but failed to find the back of the net. The referee, Rob Styles, was kept busy as there were more than 50 fouls. Arsenal received three bookings and a red card, while United got one yellow.

There was plenty of top talent on the pitch too. United had Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy; Arsenal’s team included Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas. But ultimately the sides cancelled one another out and it remained goalless. Wenger’s Arsenal won the subsequent penalty lottery, scoring a perfect five from five spot kicks. Scholes was the single man to miss for United, and – for that day at least – Wenger had the bragging rights over his great managerial rival.

Arsenal 1-2 (AET) Manchester United, FA Cup Semi-final Replay, 14th April 1999

Three days after their first semi-final encounter at Villa Park finished 0-0, the sides were back at the same venue to battle it out anew. As with their 1979 final, this game also garnered its own title: the Epic! And it was certainly one hell of a game (especially if you were a Man United fan… not so much for Gooners!).

David Beckham opened the scoring for the Red Devils, and with chances for each side it was somewhat surprising that no further goals were scored in the opening 45 minutes. Bergkamp got the equaliser in the 69th minute and five minutes later the balance of power swung Arsenal’s way when United’s captain Roy Keane got sent off.

Arsenal had the lion’s share of possession and created more chances, and Bergkamp had the chance to wrap up victory from the penalty spot after Phil Neville took out Ray Parlour in the box during injury time. The penalty wasn’t one of Bergkamp’s best efforts and United keeper Peter Schmeichel kept it out, sending the game to extra time and the crowd into a wild frenzy.

Great players make it count when it really matters and Ryan Giggs certainly did that in the 109th minute when he picked up the ball in his own half, ran half the length of the pitch, taking on and beating Arsenal defenders for fun, and smashed the ball past David Seaman into the roof of the goal. Giggs’s shirt-twirling, hairy chest-exposing celebration has been replayed almost as often as his famous goal.