The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United was never as strong as it was in the early 2000s.
The two teams battled it out for Premier League dominance year after year, with clear tensions on the field, especially between the likes of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira.
Arsenal had won the league the season before (plus the FA Cup) and were the favourite of many to do so again, but Paddy Power got rather carried away with themselves and decided to pay out with 7 weeks still to play. That’s 21 points still on the line, and Arsenal had just a 2 point lead ahead of United, while the Red Devils had a game in hand and an easier run.
It was a bold move and no mistake.
Paddy Power admitted this themselves when they announced the early payout, saying:
“We are taking a risk here, but this is what betting should all be about”
The risk would not pay off.
In their annual report, Paddy Power bragged about the early payout despite having to fork out twice on the same market, saying the publicity was definitely worth it. Arsene Wenger even mentioned the Irish bookie in one of his press conferences, which can’t have hurt.
Even so, I think they really believed Arsenal had it in the bag, so all of those bets on Man Utd must have stung nonetheless.
How Arsenal Bottled the League
Almost as soon as Paddy Power announced their stunt, things began to go wrong for Arsenal.
A comical own goal saw them lose the lead and draw with Aston Villa who were around 14th at the time, in the same week that United thumped Liverpool 4-0 at Old Trafford.
Arsenal had lost their lead.
The next match would see the title contenders face each other directly, with Arsenal having the advantage playing at home. This was their chance to finish United off, but Alex Ferguson’s men managed to hold the Gunners to a 2-2 draw.
United would comfortably win all of their remaining games, but Arsenal would suffer a disappointing draw at Bolton followed by an embarrassing 3-2 loss at home to Leeds.
They won their final two games but by this point Manchester United were already 5 points clear, and the table would stay that way until the end.
Arsenal managed to retain the FA Cup, but the Premier League went to United.