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The "Battle of the Buffet" is a name used by the British press to refer to a memorable Premier League match played between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Sunday, 24 October 2004. The final result, a 2–0 victory for Manchester United proved to be significant as it ended Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run. Along with contentious decisions and ill-tempered challenges on the pitch, the game was best remembered for a food-related brawl in the tunnel – dubbed as "Pizzagate" by the media. The highlights of the match included a series of unprofessional fouls that were overlooked by referee Mike Riley, such as Rio Ferdinand on Fredrik Ljungberg in the 19th minute and striker Ruud van Nistelrooy's studs-up challenge on Ashley Cole. Arsenal dictated much of the play and created several openings, but as the game progressed Manchester United threatened. The home team were awarded a controversial penalty in the 73rd minute, as Wayne Rooney tumbled over Sol Campbell's outstretched leg. Van Nistelrooy converted the penalty kick and late in the game Rooney scored for 2–0. In the tunnel after the match tempers boiled over between staff of both clubs. It was alleged that pizza had been thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson by an unidentified Arsenal player; speculation later arose that it was Cesc Fàbregas, but this has never been confirmed. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was furious in his post-match briefing, criticising Riley for his performance and describing Van Nistelrooy as a cheat. His comments were investigated by The Football Association, who later fined him £15,000 for improper conduct. Van Nistelrooy was retroactively banned for three matches as his challenge on Cole was missed by Riley. The result was pivotal in the league season and in the rivalry between the two clubs. Arsenal's form suffered as a result; having entered the match as league leaders they found themselves five points behind Chelsea in December. Manchester United struggled for consistency and finished behind Arsenal in third. Both clubs later met each other in the Football League Cup and were FA Cup finalists. Ferguson, following his retirement in 2013, reflected that the "Battle of the Buffet" was a watershed moment for Wenger as it disorientated his management and put a strain on their relationship. ==Background== The appointment of Arsène Wenger as manager of Arsenal in 1996 brought about a successful period for the club. In Wenger's first full season, 1997–98, Arsenal won the Premier League and FA Cup to complete a domestic double. Though the club failed to win another trophy in the next three seasons, they vied for domestic honours with Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Arsenal won their second double in 2001–02, before Manchester United regained the league the following season. In 2003–04, Arsenal won the league without a single defeat – a record of 26 wins and 12 draws. Meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United were considered the pinnacle of English football during the 2000s; journalist Paul Wilson wrote in his preview of the October 2004 match: "Their rivalry is not simply about winning trophies, it is an adornment to the wider game." The matches were also popular amongst British viewers – a league game between the two in April 2003 was watched by 3.4 million viewers in Britain, making it the top-rated programme on multi-channel television for that week. Sky Sports football summariser Andy Gray said of the encounters: "In some ways it's maybe not surprising that our major clashes have been with United and Arsenal. They've been the Premiership's two dominant clubs and so the pressure is greatest on them." The equivalent fixture a year earlier was a goalless draw, notable for Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy missing a last-minute penalty. A confrontation involving the striker and several Arsenal players, in particular Martin Keown, immediately occurred. The ill feeling was originally sparked by an incident between Van Nistelrooy and Patrick Vieira. Having been fouled by Van Nistelrooy, Vieira aimed a kick in retaliation; although the kick did not make contact, he was still sent off for a second bookable offence.〔 Van Nistelrooy was accused by both Vieira and Wenger of feigning contact to get his opponent sent off, while Ferguson defended his player and denied he had dived. In the wake of the match, four Arsenal players received bans after the incident and were given fines totalling £275,000 by The Football Association (FA). Two Manchester United players were also fined for improper conduct, with a third warned about his future behaviour. The 2003 match was originally labelled the "Battle of Old Trafford" by the British press. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of the Buffet」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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