When two of English football's great rivals met on August 28, 2011, nobody could have expected what followed
Wayne Rooney bangs in a hat-trick. Ashley Young owns the top right corner. Arsenal smashed. Manchester United and Old Trafford in dreamland. No one will ever forget the day Sir Alex Ferguson humbled his long-time rival Arsene Wenger in one of the most remarkable games in Premier League history.
An 8-2 win on August 28, 2011 stunned the Gunners and the rest of United's title rivals – coming just three games into the season and sending out a resounding statement of intent.
Ferguson's team was in a state of evolution as he began to disband his last great side: the Champions League-winners of 2008.
No Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez. Paul Scholes had retired, Ryan Giggs was getting older, and absent from the starting line-up on the day were Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick.
This was a glimpse into the future. A look at Ferguson's work-in-progress – even on the back of a title-winning campaign the previous season.
On this day, they looked every bit like champions again. Manchester City would have other ideas, of course. Aguerooooo! and all that.
But for 90 minutes at Old Trafford, United were absolutely unstoppable…
GettyGK: David de Gea
A young goalkeeper relatively unknown to English football fans had only just signed for United, embarking on the daunting challenge of filling the void left by Edwin van der Sar.
He would go on to struggle badly in his first season, losing his place to Anders Lindegaard midway through the campaign. But he would later establish himself as one of the finest keepers of his generation and is still United's undisputed No1.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Chris Smalling
Deployed at right-back on the day, Smalling was still establishing himself at United after a £10m ($12.2m) move from Fulham the previous year.
Never truly fulfilled his potential at Old Trafford and not helped by the number of managerial changes since the retirement of Ferguson.
Famously called 'Mike' by Louis van Gaal, he has rebuilt his reputation and career in Italy with Roma under another former United boss, Jose Mourinho.
Getty ImagesCB: Phil Jones
Ferguson was convinced he had recruited a future great from Blackburn Rovers in Phil Jones, who could play centre-back, full-back and in midfield.
United's plan was for him to establish himself in the heart of defence as Ferguson started to look beyond Ferdinand and Vidic.
At the end of Fergie's final season the following year, he declared Jones as having the potential to become the greatest player in the club's history.
Injuries and the lack of Ferguson's guidance contributed to his career being derailed but he's still at the club to this day, though United are ready to sell him this summer.
Getty ImagesCB: Jonny Evans
Another part of Ferguson's plan to overhaul his defence – along with Jones and Smalling – Evans was seen as the future.
While Gerard Pique was allowed return to Barcelona over doubts about his suitability to the Premier League, Evans was seen as a real contender to force his way into the first team.
By Ferguson's final season, he had begun to break up the Vidic-Ferdinand partnership.
Sold by Van Gaal in 2015, it is a decision still questioned by fans.