Featured Image Credit: BBC Sounds/Getty
Topics: Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, Arsenal, Premier League
Chris Byfield
Topics: Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, Arsenal, Premier League
Wayne Rooney named the England team-mate who refused to speak to him for six months.
On Sunday, Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 in their Premier League opener, courtesy of a first-half Riccardo Calafiori header.
While reflecting upon the weekend’s game, former England and United forward Rooney recounted previous heated affairs between the two clubs.
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Indeed, Rooney even revealed that his England colleague, Sol Campbell, didn’t talk to him for six months after a penalty incident between the pair in United's 2-0 win over the Gunners during the 2004-05 season.
Arsenal, then coached by Arsene Wenger, had gone the entire previous Premier League season unbeaten, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s United ended their 49-game unbeaten league streak at Old Trafford.
Ruud van Nistelrooy gave United the lead from the penalty spot, after Rooney went down inside the box under a challenge from Arsenal skipper Campbell.
Rooney, who had joined United from Everton earlier that summer, then wrapped up the win in the 93rd minute.
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“I used to love playing against Arsenal,” Rooney said, on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show. “I remember my first game at Highbury for Manchester United was the game with Roy [Keane] and [Patrick] Vieira’s [argument] in the tunnel.
“The game’s on a knife edge and you can feel it. Even the referee got it.
“We had the [Cesc] Fabregas one when he threw a pizza at Alex Ferguson in the tunnel. There’s fights in the tunnel, which everyone was involved in as well.
“I think when we beat them 2-0 [a year] after the [Martin] Keown incident, Sol Campbell didn’t speak to me for over six months. We’d meet up with England and Sol wouldn’t speak to me.”
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He joked: “Sometimes I was [happy about that] with Sol.
“No I’d say to him, ‘Come on, man. We’re playing for England here.
“But he wouldn’t speak to me because he felt I’d dived [in a game between Arsenal and United]. He left his leg out and I think there was a small contact.”