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One former Arsenal star carried that infamous 8-2 defeat to Manchester United with him throughout his career, and managed to get what he describes as 'revenge'.
Who could forget that crushing defeat at Old Trafford in 2011? The Gunners had the new-season hope flowing through their veins heading into that game only to be crushed with their heaviest league defeat since 1927.
Francis Coquelin's sweet revenge over Man United
One player who was part of that group was Francis Coquelin, who made his debut for Arsenal in the worst possible way having signed as a youngster and come through the academy.
Things got better for Coquelin, who went on to spend another seven years with the club, winning two FA Cup titles. But he enjoyed an even more fruitful spell with Villarreal after leaving the Gunners via Valencia, where he won a Copa del Rey. At Villarreal, he won the Europa League title in 2021, and the Castellon side actually beat Arsenal in the semi-final of the competition.
Coquelin played a key role in that Unai Emery side, and he managed to get revenge over Manchester United by beating them in the final in Poland, the Yellow Submarine ultimately winning on penalties that saw every player, including the goalkeepers, take a spot kick.
“It was a bit of revenge. When I made my Arsenal debut, we lost 8-2 at Old Trafford and Sir Alex Ferguson criticised me in his biography," Coquelin recalls. "He was in the stands, so lifting the trophy in front of him was nice.”
A sweet slice of revenge indeed for Coquelin, who will feel hard done by to have been called out as a young player making his Premier League debut. In his biography, Ferguson described Coquelin as being "completely out of his depth". The only issue is that Coquelin had to knock Arsenal out, too, on his way to the final.
The Frenchman certainly developed into a solid player, and he also went on to help Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals the following year, getting further than Manchester United did.
Injuries held Coquelin back a little at Villarreal, though, and he ultimately left in 2024 to join Nantes, where he still plays, now 35 years of age. Coquelin made 105 league appearances for Arsenal, and that is the most he has managed at any club during his career so far, and it's likely to stay that way, given he has made 22 league appearances for Nantes so far.
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