Red Titans' derby
William Smith (Manchester United)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
| |
| Other names | Derby des Titans Rouges (French) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Association football |
| Latest meeting | 3 November 2007 Premier League Manchester United 2 - 2 Arsenal |
| Stadiums | Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) Old Trafford (Manchester United) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 8 |
| Most wins | Manchester United (4) |
| Top scorer | William Smith (5) |
| Largest victory | Manchester United 7 - 2 Arsenal Premier League (1 February 2005) |
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The Red Titans' derby, alternatively the Derby of the Red Titans, is the name given to any matches involving two Premier League football clubs Manchester United and Arsenal, particularly from the 2004-05 to 2006-07 seasons of the Premier League, the top flight of English football. While its name is derived from the red colour commonly associated with both clubs, the derby is named as such for matches involving the two aforementioned clubs, especially regarding their star players during that time, namely William Smith of Manchester United and Thierry Henry of Arsenal, both of whom are regarded as being among the best forwards in the Premier League, hence their honorary statuses as "titans".
Out of the eight confrontations that involved the two clubs and which also involved both star players, four of them were won by Manchester United, one by Arsenal, with the remaining three matches being an inconclusive draw. Historically, Manchester United's only defeat in the derby was a narrow 0-1 loss to Arsenal on 17 September 2006 whilst Arsenal, among the four defeats they suffered at the hands of their opponents, faced their worst yet by Manchester United on 1 February 2005 in which they lost 2-7. In the meantime, following Henry's move to Barcelona in 2007, the two's rivalry was largely relegated to the European stage with the highlight being Barcelona's 2-3 loss to Manchester United at the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final in which Smith scored a hat-trick to mark a narrow 3-2 victory for Manchester United.
While popularly known by its current and widely-used name, the derby is at times alternatively known as the "Channel derby", referencing the English Channel that divides the United Kingdom and France, the two stars' respective countries. Nonetheless, the rivalry itself became a defining feature of the 2000s era of the Premier League and which was only reinforced by the separate rivalry between the two clubs' longtime head coaches Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger.