Former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg has slammed Martin Keown after he apologised to Ruud van Nistelrooy over two decades on from their infamous clash.
Keown, 58, and Van Nistelrooy, 48, became embroiled in a heated exchange during a Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford back in September 2003.
The fixture ended goalless but is remembered by fans due to the fact that Van Nistelrooy missed a crucial penalty before chaos ensued. Keown jumped on and shoved the former Netherlands striker in the aftermath, which caused a mass confrontation between both teams.
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And the miss was crucial as Arsenal, then managed by Arsene Wenger, went on to win the Premier League without tasting a single defeat as Thierry Henry pipped Van Nistelrooy to the Golden Boot with 30 goals – ten more than the Dutchman’s total of 20.
22 years on, Keown and Van Nistelrooy came face-to-face in February of this year, when the former Arsenal defender was working as part of TNT Sports’ live broadcasting team for the Gunners’ Premier League fixture against Leicester City, who are managed by Van Nistelrooy.
“Martin, are you OK? Good to see you,” said Van Nistelrooy as they shook hands.
“Nice to see you,” replied Keown.
The Leicester boss added: “It’s been a while eh? I have seen you once at Villa Park, you remember?”
To which Keown answered: “Yes. Apologies for all of the shenanigans that went on back in the day.”
Before van Nistelrooy explained: “What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. I am happy that I have him in front of me, not at the back of me, you know. It was a good rivalry, wasn’t it? I would like to block you out as well, and then fall over."
However, Keown's former Arsenal teammate Ljungberg has revealed how he "would never apologise" for such an incident.
"I've seen some of your interviews afterwards and you apologised," Ljunberg told TNT Sports while in conversation with Keown. "I would have never apologised for what happened."
"When you did that, by the way, I felt - I never said this on TV - but that we stood up for ourselves," he added. "A lot of people in the media were like: 'We were weak, we could get bullied, we were this, we were that, we’re not strong enough.'
"And that day, even if it didn't look good, I felt inside that yes, that team, we don't get bullied. And that's what everyone in England said: 'Just kick them and they will fall.' So no."
Keown then explained how he was simply "being the bigger man" when referencing the warm exchange between him and Van Nistelrooy earlier this year.
Topics: Football, Premier League, Arsenal, Manchester United, Martin Keown, Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Luke Davies