14 April 1999
VIDEO: Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal

It remains one of the greatest FA Cup matches of all-time - click here to watch highlights of a Villa Park classic.

Manchester United v Arsenal
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Fifth Round Proper
Old Trafford, Manchester United FC
5.15pm, Saturday 16 February 2008
Live on BBC
Winning clubs will receive £120,000 from The FA
The FA Live TV fee is £265,000 per club
Click here to see the fixtures



Owen Hargreaves has passed most of his footballing exams with flying colours, but the combative midfielder is ready for another test on Saturday.

Manchester United line up against Premiership leaders Arsenal at Old Trafford in the tie of the Fifth Round and the England international knows his team-mates will have to bring their 'A' game if they want to be in the hat for Monday's draw.

"It’s a big game for us and we need to win," Hargreaves told MU Radio. "We’ll put all our energy into that and then we’ll prepare for the game against Lyon. We won’t have one eye on Europe – certainly not. All the attention is on the Arsenal game right now."

United's players face a demanding schedule for the remainder of the season. As well as the defence of their league title, they have reached the latter stages of The FA Cup and Champions League.

Another majestic treble might be a step too far but Hargreaves is relishing the prospect of regular matches.

"The good thing about this part of the season is that every three days you have a new game," he said. "It’s probably one of the only jobs in the world where you get a new exam every few days. We now have a good opportunity to play Arsenal and I expect us to win."

But Arsenal will travel north in jubilant mood. They are currently five points clear in the race for the title, although Hargreaves says that margin would be more narrow had United won at the Emirates earlier in the season.

With United leading 2-1, Arsenal captain William Gallas swept home from a tight angle to grab a last-gasp share of the spoils.

"We could have won that game at the Emirates and probably should have," added Hargreaves. "They were fortunate to get that second goal and I think they knew that.

"You could tell by the way they celebrated at the final whistle. We took a lot of positives from that game. On Saturday we’re going to get on the front foot and look to get at them and cause them some problems.

"We know how Arsenal play football and we don’t mind letting them have possession away from our goal. That’s fine. But as soon as they get into the danger areas, that’s where we have to defend well. I think we can be very confident going into this match."