Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn is more qualified than most to say, "Every game between Arsenal and Manchester United is important, regardless of the competition." He knows how much the fixture means to the players. When it comes to the Manchester United – Arsenal rivalry no one wants to give an inch. This was the case in October 1990 when nearly every player on the field got involved in a brawl. It all started after Winterburn hurled himself at Dennis Iwin. Arsenal won the battle with them winning the title.

The two teams love to give it to each other. In 2003, the likes of Martin Keown, Ray Parlour and Ashley Cole were getting stuck into Ruud van Nistelrooy after he missed a penalty. Patrick Vieira was another Arsenal player who refused to take a backward step when Manchester United were concerned. There was a fight in the tunnel following the match and a number of players were banned.

Much of the Arsenal - Manchester United rivalry has come from the rivalry between the managers. For a while Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were anything but cordial with each other but a respect has come into their relationship. Maybe that was helped by the presence of Jose Mourinho who for a while gave both managers a common enemy.

Over the years the two teams have played out some monumental games. The 1979 FA Cup Final automatically springs to mind. This is one of the greatest FA Cup finals of all time and took the Manchester United – Arsenal rivalry to the next level. Arsenal had the likes of Pat Jennings, Pat Rice, Liam Brady and Alan Sunderland. In the Manchester United side that day was Martin Buchan, Steve Coppell, Joe Jordan and Lou Macari. At half time Arsenal held a 2-0 lead. With 10 minutes to go, it looked like this would be good for the trophy. But eight minutes later the match was all square after goals to Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIllroy. With it looking certain to be heading for extra time after United's two goals in two minutes, Sunderland scored in the last minute of regular time. There had been three goals in three minutes.

Arsenal also won the 2005 FA Cup final at Manchester United's expense. It was 0-0 after extra time and went to penalties. Paul Scholes was the only player of the 10 to miss.

While it wasn't a final, Manchester United's win over Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi final added a few more chapters to the Manchester United – Arsenal rivalry. The first leg was a 0-0 draw at Villa Park. The replay was three days later also at Villa Park. What happened in the second leg is enough for a book. David Beckham scored. Dennis Bergkamp equalized, Roy Keane was sent off, Peter Schmeichel saved a last minute penalty and then it was all capped off by the most incredible goal by Ryan Giggs. How good was the goal? It was labeled as one of the greatest FA Cup goals ever.

The two teams also met in the 2009 Champions League semi-final. United won the first leg and then scored two goals early in the second to effectively end the tie. Not great reading for Arsenal fans as far as this chapter of the Arsenal – Manchester United rivalry goes.

What is better is Arsenal's 1-0 win over Manchester United in 1998. It looked like it was going to be Manchester United's title but Arsenal won the match and eventually the premiership as well.

The Manchester United 0- Arsenal rivalry was red hot when Arsenal came to Manchester United in 2004. Arsenal hadn't lost in their last 49 Premiership matches and were looking to bring up the half-century. Manchester United won 2-0 thanks to goals from Van Nisterlrooy and Wayne Rooney. Frankly speaking, Arsenal haven't been the same since that loss. It really took it out of them.

A game that Arsenal fans cherish when it comes to the Arsenal - Manchester United rivalry is the game they played in 2002. Coming off the high of winning the FA Cup, Arsenal had to travel to Old Trafford. They ended up winning the league at Old Trafford which when it comes to the rivalry is as good as it gets.

The great thing about the Manchester United – Arsenal rivalry is that you know it is always going to exist. These two teams are giants of the game and giants of English football. They spur each other on to greater heights and their rivalry is both good for the game and each other. While at times they may not like each other, they definitely respect each other and would concede that things wouldn't be as exciting without the other. They are always going to have star-studded sides and the recent international flavor of the Arsenal - Manchester United rivalry has definitely taken it to a new level.