Ray Parlour has revealed how Arsenal’s famous clash with Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy got him a £10,000 fine… and an angry call from his ex-wife.
It’s a scene now firmly grounded in English football folklore – Van Nistelrooy stepping up to take a last-minute match-winning penalty, slamming his shot against the bar and Martin Keown going absolutely nuts.
It was easily the most exciting 0-0 draw the Premier League had ever seen, and has been since dubbed ‘The Battle of Old Trafford’.
The fallout was huge. Six Arsenal players, two United players and the north London club itself were all charged with improper conduct by The Football Association, with Parlour among those to be fined.
In the league, meanwhile, the point helped Arsenal go on to become Invincibles and Premier League champions, beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to the title by a huge 15 points.
But it appears Man United and the fined Arsenal stars weren’t the only losers of the infamous scenes, as the Romford Pele explained on Friday’s talkSPORT Breakfast…
“We were bang out of order,” conceded the Gunners legend.
“I got fined £10,000 for that, which wasn’t good. Lauren got fined, Ashley Cole got fined and Martin Keown, obviously, because he started it! He got fined the most.
“We didn’t want to be beaten at Old Trafford and the relief at the end of the game, we probably went a bit over the top a little bit.
“We were all a bit disappointed and we got the fines through, which he took and whatever…
“But the funny thing about it was that my ex-wife wasn’t happy, either – she lost four grand!
“Out of my ten grand, I was paying her 40 per cent of my future income at the time, so she lost four grand that month. She was devastated!
“She was having a go at me over the phone as well – all angles, I was getting it from all angles.
“It was a joke!”
Fines and grief from his old Mrs aside, the Romford Pele will be hoping for the same level of passion from Mikel Arteta’s men this weekend.
Arsenal vs Manchester United is LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on talkSPORT with commentary from the Emirates Stadium – Saturday, January 30 – Kick off: 5:30pm