It was a game to evoke memories of when these two clubs had the rivalry that defined English football and the destination of the Premier League title; a shuddering collision which was surely the best watch of the season so far.
Keane in the tunnel; Keown versus Van Nistelrooy; brawls; flying pizza. It all felt like a part of it again because, for the first time in a long while, the fixture had a relevance to the championship race. As it always was, it was incident filled from first to last; the tackles flying, the tempers flaring. And when it was over Arsenal had taken an adrenaline-fuelled step towards their first title since 2004.
