English Premier League sides Manchester United and Arsenal played a pre-season friendly in front of a packed MetLife Stadium in New York. Both the clubs finished in the top 4 of the PL in the 2022/23 season, with Arsenal finishing second after leading the league for a majority of the season. The friendly was part of the side’s pre-season tour of the USA, and both managers fielded a strong lineup in the match.
The game ended with the Red Devils winning 2-0 in regulation time and also coming up trumps in the exhibition penalty shootout with a score of 3-5. New captain, Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring with an outside-the-box finish from his left foot, and English winger Jadon Sancho doubled the lead after capitalizing on Gabriel’s error. Overall, it was a learning curve for both sides with some United youth players playing better than settled Arsenal ones.
The ‘friendly’ match, however, was not so friendly in the stands, with the fans creating a damp on the massive occasion with their antics. Here is what happened.
Tempers flare in the crowd while heated rivals clashed
During the match, the fans in the stands collided and entered into a fistfight. The reason for the fight remains unknown but saw 2 males punching each other’s faces in the middle of the stands. Both of them were first controlled by women, who seem to be with them. Later, the security and stewards stepped onto the scene and separated the individuals. Here is the video recording of the incident:
I got this lol https://t.co/ZzheqMbST2 pic.twitter.com/CcPOe1gZ9p
— Riddy Muppetiers (@RiddyMuppetiers) July 22, 2023
As reported by Riddy Muppetiers, the incident was later sorted out and there is no report of any fans being kicked out from the stadium. Such rage moments are common between fans of different soccer clubs, but, it seems as if the fans were supporting the same club. The incident is against all the ideals of sportsmanship and definitely shall not be condoned.
MetLife Stadium witnesses new attendance record for Manchester United vs Arsenal
The MetLife Stadium in New York, New Jersey hosted the friendly between Arsenal and Manchester United. The stadium, which is home to the New York Jets in the NFL boasted a record attendance ever for a soccer game in New Jersey. The stadium was filled to the brim with a total of 82,262 people in attendance for the clash of English heavyweights.
The packed crowd provided a good test to the players, especially during the penalty shootout. Players are expected to take penalty shootouts in front of a large crowd during the regular season, thus, such a shootout exhibition will give the teams the necessary exposure required.
Arsenal will now face Spanish champions FC Barcelona in SoFi stadium, California, whereas Manchester United will face Wrexham on July 26 immediately followed by Real Madrid on July 27. Do you think the Premier League teams will be able to end their pre-season tour on a hight note? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
