With no live football on in most countries, we have asked our writers to pick a game they will never forget
Much as the internet wills it otherwise, football inhabits the grey areas: everything is subjective, nothing is absolute, and it is no more deviant to change your mind than it is fraudulent to say you don’t know.
However, certain truths are elemental, and here’s one: the 1996-2005 rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United is the greatest the English game has seen, with – cue Arsène Wenger internal voice – quality, intensity and animosity beyond compare. And, though 2004’s “I’ll see you out there” game comes close, its zenith – and therefore English football’s zenith. too – was the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay, which featured every aspect that can possibly eventuate when 22 people gather to boot a pig’s bladder around a green field.
Related: Gary Neville: 1999 FA Cup win over Arsenal was only game I ever smiled in
The Semi-Final that had it all.
United vs Arsenal 1999. #FACup pic.twitter.com/TVAwteWZRr