Man Utd vs Arsenal: Rio Ferdinand's tactical analysis of 'Battle of the Buffet'

Rio Ferdinand faced some astonishingly good teams across his illustrious career.

From Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and the Real Madrid ‘Galacticos’ to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winners, Ferdinand has been there, done that and got the t-shirt when it comes to facing impeccable sides.

And while even a legend of Ferdinand’s stature would often come up second best in many of those Titanic battles, he can always hold his head up high when it comes to locking horns with Arsenal‘s ‘Invincibles’.

Regarded by some as the greatest team that the country has ever seen, Arsene Wenger’s dazzling outfit became the first side since Victorian times to go an English top-flight season without losing a game.

The Gunners were crowned 2003/04 Premier League champions with their iconic unbeaten run also stretching into the season before and after, eventually totalling 49 league games of only wins and draws.

In that time, Arsenal went to war with Ferdinand’s Manchester United on three occasions and the Red Devils, like their opponents, enjoyed something of an unbeaten record.

That’s because Sir Alex Ferguson’s men never actually lost to Arsenal during their 49-game purple patch as they secured 0-0 and 1-1 draws during the ‘Invincibles’ season itself, before ending the run themselves on an infamous night at Old Trafford.

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The 2-0 win that United secured to prevent Arsenal from reaching 50 games without defeat was marred by refereeing controversy and ultimately culminated in the notorious ‘Battle of the Buffet’.

As such, the highly charged game continues to be a fiery talking point more than 15 years down