Ruud van Nistelrooy stood over the ball in stoppage time with the chance to give Manchester United victory over Arsenal.
His penalty struck the crossbar.
Seconds later, one of the Premier League’s most infamous confrontations erupted around him.
On 21 September 2003, United and Arsenal drew 0-0 at Old Trafford in a match that became known as the Battle of Old Trafford.
The fixture arrived during the height of the rivalry between Sir Alex Ferguson’s United and Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, but the afternoon produced more confrontation than flowing football.
The decisive sequence began late in the second half when Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira received a second yellow card following an incident with Van Nistelrooy.
Arsenal were reduced to ten men, but United still had not found a breakthrough.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Martin Keown challenged Diego Forlán inside the penalty area and referee Steve Bennett awarded United a penalty.
Van Nistelrooy stepped forward with the opportunity to win the match.
He smashed the penalty against the crossbar.
Arsenal’s players celebrated the miss immediately. Keown confronted Van Nistelrooy, with several players becoming involved as tempers boiled over at the final whistle.
The scenes resulted in extensive Football Association disciplinary action. Arsenal and six of their players were charged, while Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo also faced charges relating to the confrontation.
What happened afterwards gave Van Nistelrooy’s miss even greater historical significance.
Arsenal did not lose a single Premier League match during the 2003-04 season, becoming the Invincibles.
Had Van Nistelrooy’s stoppage-time penalty gone several inches lower, one of the defining achievements in English football history would never have happened.
Instead, the ball hit the bar, Arsenal escaped Old Trafford with a point, and a goalless draw became one of the most memorable matches of the Ferguson-Wenger rivalry.
