Lisandro Martinez angers Odegaard after wiping out Saka in Arsenal v Man Utd | OneFootball

Arsenal and Manchester United players reached boiling point in a pre-season friendly after a crunching tackle from Lisandro Martinez on Bukayo Saka.

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The incident sparked a confrontation between both sets of players, with Arsenal’s squad furious with the United defender.

The two Premier League sides met in New Jersey at the MetLife stadium, with both squads looking to get regular minutes ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Arsenal came into the match off the back of a 5-0 result against the Major League Soccer All-Stars, with Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz all finding the back of the net.

United, meanwhile, had beaten Leeds United 2-0 in their first match of pre-season, before a goal from Donny van de Beek ensured they beat French side Olympique Lyonnais.

Horror show from Arsenal in the first half

Both teams finished in the Premier League’s top four last season and came into the friendly looking to get an early edge over their rivals.

But it was a disaster for Arsenal as they went behind in the first half.

Newly announced Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes hit an effort from just outside the box on the half-hour mark.

Aaron Ramsdale, diving low to his right, got a hand to the shot but was unable to keep the ball out.

More agony followed later in the first half when Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães misjudged the flight of the ball.

It bounced beyond the centre-back and was latched onto by Jadon Sancho.

The winger drove at the Arsenal goal before then finishing superbly.

You can watch both goals for yourself below.

Martinez sparks a scuffle vs Arsenal

However, the main talking point from the first half came when United defender Martinez made a crunching tackle on Arsenal star man Saka.

The winger had cut inside with the ball and was ferociously tackled by the Argentine.

That then sparked a scuffle on the pitch, with Martin Odegaard angrily confronting Martinez about the incident.

The match might have been a friendly, but there was certainly nothing friendly about the whole thing.

Check it out for yourselves below.

Video: Martinez’s crunching tackle on Saka sparks a fight

Utd win the penalty shootout after the game

The scoreline remained unchanged in the second half, with United building on their early pre-season success.

But following the game, a penalty shootout took place despite United's victory.

The two clubs had reportedly agreed to take spot kicks after the game no matter the result, with both seeing it as an opportunity for their squads to practice spot kicks in front of a large crowd.

United followed up their victory in regular time with a victory in the penalty shootout, with the tie ending 5-3 to the Red Devils.

Fabio Vieira missed the decisive spot kick for the Gunners.

What next for Arsenal and Man Utd?

Both clubs will now continue their pre-seasons with more matches in the States.

United are set to take on Wrexham on Wednesday 26 July, with Erik ten Hag set to field a, "youth-focused team."

The following day, they face Real Madrid at the NRG Stadium.

Arsenal also face a La Liga side next, with the Gunners set to play Barcelona on Thursday 27 July.