A brief guide to … the history behind Manchester United and Arsenal's rivalry

Man United and Arsenal had rarely contested the big prizes together. Then Arsene Wenger came to town, and the two sides suddenly couldn’t stand each other

With the Guardian’s unstoppable rise to global dominance (NOTE: actual dominance may not be global. Or dominant) we at Guardian US thought we’d run a series of articles for newer football fans wishing to improve their knowledge of the game’s history and storylines, hopefully in a way that doesn’t patronise you to within an inch of your life. A warning: If you’re the kind of person that finds the Blizzard too populist this may not be the series for you.

When Arsenal were establishing themselves as the Establishment club during the 1930s, Manchester United were a second-division irrelevance. Then when United began to build their own stellar reputation during the wonders and wakes of the 1950s, Arsenal fell into the doldrums, for a while in the sixties a busted flush. The Gunners bounced back in the early 1970s, but by then United were on the road to the second division again.

Continue reading...