The 'Battle of the Buffet' is one of the most infamous incidents in Premier League history, with Cesc Fabregas admitting he was the man who threw the pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson
Gary Neville had a cheeky message for Cesc Fabregas following the infamous 'Battle of the Buffet' incident at Old Trafford in 2004.
The memorable game between Manchester United and Arsenal saw the Red Devils end the Gunners' impressive 49-game unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory. However, it's often remembered more for the post-match brawl than the game itself.
The tension that had been building throughout the 90 minutes exploded in the tunnel after the final whistle, as a scuffle broke out between the two teams. Amidst the chaos, a slice of pizza was hurled at Sir Alex Ferguson.
For years, it remained a mystery who had thrown the pizza at the legendary manager. However, Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas eventually admitted to being the culprit.
Speaking to ITV Sport in 2022, the former Spanish international confessed that he had lost his temper after the game, but insisted he hadn't intended to get involved in the tunnel fracas. The trouble started when Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger criticised United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
This led to a clash between the two sides, while Ferguson and Wenger were embroiled in a heated argument, the Manchester Evening News reports. Reflecting on the incident, Fabregas said: "We were 49 games unbeaten. They were so competitive but they were very smart people. I was getting a lot of stick as well."
A frustrated Fabregas recalled the infamous Battle of the Buffet incident, explaining: "So, I was very frustrated. You're warming up and didn't play. You're annoyed you lost. I just went in quickly to the dressing room and there was some food there, I was starving.
"I took a slice of pizza and we started hearing noises. You started seeing players and Arsene Wenger everywhere."
Interestingly, the former Arsenal star conceded that he chose pizza as his weapon because he felt outmatched by Manchester United's 'monsters'. "The first thing that occurred to me was to throw the pizza because I didn't have the power or the courage maybe to go into that fight. They were monsters in there. They were super, super big guys. Apparently, it hit Sir Alex Ferguson."
United legend Gary Neville also weighed in on the rivalry between the two football giants, admitting both sides were sore losers during a 2016 Sky Sports interview: "Every time they lost they seemed to not handle it particularly well and they probably thought the same about us."
With a tinge of nostalgia, Neville reminisced about illuminated moments in these epic games adding: "There always seemed to be a 'spark point' during the game, but looking back now they were great games and I'm sure fans of both clubs would look and say what great games they were, they were brilliant to be a part of when you think about it."
Reflecting on the infamous pizza incident years later, Gary Neville admitted he was still in the dark about who flung the slice, but shared his frank thoughts on the post-match fracas, remarking: "I just remember there being some sort of melee. I used to think they were bad losers, they probably thought we were as well.
"I don't even know who threw the pizza at the time, I know it's been reported since it was Fabregas but I don't even know if that's true. Good luck to him if he threw it, I think if it was in your hand you would throw it."
The tale doesn't end with Neville and Fabregas; Rio Ferdinand also chimed in during his Vibe with Five podcast, saying: "I don't think he (Fabregas) meant to throw it at the gaffer, I think he just dashed it out the door and the gaffer was walking past.
"It did hit him, the lasting memory for me was a security guard was having to hold him back from trying to get into the changing room."
Sir Alex Ferguson himself, in his 2013 autobiography, confessed to being clueless about the pizza thrower's identity, writing at the time: "To this day, I have no idea who the culprit is."
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