Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal: Revisiting Wenger’s darkest Premier League moment at Old Trafford

When Manchester United hosted Arsenal on August 28, 2011, few would have expected what was to come.

The match ended with a stunning 8-2 win for the home team, a result that instantly became a notable and distressing entry in Premier League history for Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal squad.

Having been title rivals for much of their time in English football, that success for Sir Alex Ferguson and Wenger, along with Arsenal’s decline, highlighted the latter pair’s diminished status.

In this article, Pulse Sports revisits events from 14 years ago. 

Arsenal’s 2011-12 Premier League season started poorly. Before visiting Old Trafford, they had not won a league game, drawing 0-0 against Newcastle and losing 2-0 to Liverpool, and their early struggle revealed deeper squad issues. 

The summer transfer window worsened these problems with key players leaving: captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, midfielder Samir Nasri to Manchester City and left-back Gael Clichy. 

Compounding those blows were the absences in the lead-up to that Old Trafford visit: Gervinho and Alex Song were suspended, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Abou Diaby were injured, Thomas Vermaelen was touch-and-go to feature, Bacary Sagna was ill and Laurent Koscielny, though available, was nursing a back issue. 

As a result, Wenger was forced to rely on Francis Coquelin, making his league debut in a three-man midfield alongside Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky, Armand Traore at left-back and Carl Jenkinson at right-back.

In contrast, Ferguson's Red Devils began the season winning the Community Shield against Manchester City, and followed that curtain raiser success with wins over West Bromwich Albion (2-1) and Tottenham Hotspur (3-0). 

Before the game, Ferguson openly criticised Wenger's recent record, saying he "would not have allowed" such a long trophy drought. 

The Scot’s jab emphasised the pressure on Wenger, as his team had not secured a win since 2005, and also touted United's better management and record of success.   

Despite the critique, Ferguson showed sympathy for the Frenchman over the Fabregas and  Nasri sales, comparing it to his own experiences with player departures.

Man Utd lineup: De Gea; Smalling, Jones, Evans, Evra; Nani, Cleverley, Anderson, Young; Rooney, Welbeck

Arsenal lineup: Szczesny; Jenkinson, Djourou, Koscielny, Traore; Ramsey, Coquelin, Rosicky; Walcott, Van Persie, Arshavin

Referee: Howard Webb

Attendance: 75,448

United wasted little time asserting their dominance. After threatening to expose Arsenal’s makeshift backline in the opening 15 minutes, Danny Welbeck opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, heading the ball past Wojciech Szczęsny after beating Johan Djourou to a scooped pass from Anderson.   

A pivotal moment occurred just five minutes later when Arsenal were awarded a penalty after Jonny Evans fouled Theo Walcott. 

A successful conversion would have levelled the score at 1-1, potentially altering the game's momentum and instilling confidence in the struggling Arsenal side; however, David de Gea correctly anticipated Robin van Persie's penalty kick and pushed it around the post. 

This missed opportunity proved to be a significant turning point. For an already fragile and inexperienced Arsenal team, the rapid swing from potential parity to a continued deficit likely shattered any remaining belief and served as a psychological catalyst for the subsequent onslaught.   

United immediately capitalised on this reprieve. Ashley Young doubled the lead in the 28th minute with a stunning curling shot from outside the box. 

Wayne Rooney then added a third with a superb free-kick in the 41st minute, further extending United's advantage. 

Arsenal managed a brief respite just before halftime, with Theo Walcott pulling a goal back in injury time, shooting through De Gea's legs to make the score 3-1.   

The second half, however, saw a complete demolition. United continued their relentless attack: Rooney scored his second goal from another free-kick in the 64th minute, Nani chipped Szczesny in the 67th minute and substitute Park Ji-sung made it 6-1 in the 70th minute.  

Although Van Persie scored his second for Arsenal in the 74th minute, it was a mere consolation.  

After Jenkinson received a second yellow card for a professional foul on Javier Hernandez, the Gunners faced a doubly uphill final 15 minutes.

It proved to be the case as Rooney completed his hat-trick from a penalty in the 82nd minute and Young sealed the 8-2 victory in injury time with another curling shot from just inside the penalty area. 

In the immediate aftermath, Wenger described the result as "humiliating" and a "terrible day”, even though he followed that up by stating that the outcome was not a fair reflection of the match.

Wenger also publicly apologised to the around 3,000 Arsenal supporters at Old Trafford, a rare gesture for such a senior manager.

The defeat led to a quick, reactive transfer market response, as Arsenal bought five players, including experienced figures like Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Yossi Benayoun. 

Those moves marked a shift from Wenger’s usual focus on youth development, as the decision to sign seasoned professionals aimed to strengthen the squad following the humiliation.

Despite their miserable start, Arsenal would ultimately end third in the Premier League, one point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, but a distant 19 points behind second. As for Man Utd, they lost out on the title on goal difference after Sergio Aguero's last-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day.

Ferguson reacted to that setback by signing Arsenal talisman Robin van Persie, a move that has gone down as one of the most controversial in the history of the Premier League.

Heading into Sunday’s match, Arteta, one of Wenger’s signings after that 2011 humiliation, is now Arsenal manager, and the Gunners are among the favourites for this year’s Premier League crown after three consecutive second-place finishes. 

As for United, the decline since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 has seen the Red Devils fall further behind the elite teams, culminating in last season’s 15th-place finish. 

While Arsenal are chasing their first title since going unbeaten in 2003-04, Arteta’s men have a considerable chance to end that drought in the 2025-26 campaign.