Martin Keown and Ruud van Nistelrooy have settled a feud that dates back 22 years. <\/strong><\/p>\n The two former Premier League stars were involved in one of the most infamous incidents<\/a> in top-flight history in 2003. <\/p>\n 3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> 3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Van Nistelrooy missed a last-minute penalty for Manchester United in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal, sparking a wild reaction from Keown and a mass brawl. <\/p>\n It became known as the ‘Battle of Old Trafford’ and came to symbolise one of the fiercest rivalries in English football. <\/p>\n These days, Van Nistelrooy is in charge of Premier League strugglers Leicester, while Keown is a prolific pundit for talkSPORT and other broadcasters. <\/p>\n Before the meeting of Leicester and Arsenal on Saturday, the pair were reunited for Van Nistelrooy’s pre-match interview on TNT Sports. <\/p>\n And it resulted in the following exchange…<\/p>\n Van Nistelrooy<\/strong>: “Martin, you OK? Good to see you.”<\/p>\n Keown<\/strong>: “Nice to see you after all these years.”<\/p>\n Van Nistelrooy<\/strong>: “Likewise. It’s been a while.”<\/p>\n “I saw you once at Villa Park, you remember?”<\/p>\n Keown<\/strong>: “Yes, apologies for all of the shenanigans that went on back in the day.”<\/p>\n Van Nistelrooy<\/strong>: “What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.”<\/p>\n Keown<\/strong>: “I thought you were going to stamp on me when you came out.”<\/p>\n Van Nistelrooy<\/strong>: “It was a good rivalry, wasn’t it?”<\/p>\n Keown<\/strong>: “Great days. I am glad you are standing there and not next to me because you used to love stamping on me.”<\/p>\n Van Nistelrooy<\/strong>: “I liked to block you out and fall over as well.”<\/p>\n Keown<\/strong>: “Great memories.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Arsenal would finish the 2003\/24 campaign as the first ‘Invicible’ team in Premier League history, making the ‘Battle of Old Trafford’ eternally significant. <\/p>\n The Gunners were fined \u00a3275,000<\/a> for their role in the incident – and Keown has always held Van Nistelrooy responsible for starting it<\/a>. <\/p>\n Speaking on talkSPORT in 2021, Keown said: \u201cYou have to go back all the way to Patrick Vieira being sent off.<\/p>\n \u201cVan Nistelrooy feigns injury, you could say it was cheating, he goes down and Vieira gets sent off.<\/p>\n \u201cThen after that, it was like the Alamo, because they saw they had a chance to win the game. They had a penalty, which you could argue wasn\u2019t a penalty, which I am involved in.<\/p>\n![\"But](\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/keown_f88dc3.jpg?strip=all&w=935\")
<\/a><\/p>\nREAD MORE FROM MARTIN KEOWN<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
Keown and Van Nistelrooy settle feud<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Keown](\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/fa-premiership-pic-mark-robinson-3409652.jpg?strip=all&quality=100&w=763\")
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