EVEN IN THE aftermath of a sobering Champions League exit Alex Ferguson could take joy from a moment of trickery that, two decades on, continues to enthral.

Is John O’Shea’s nutmeg on Luis Figo the most famous by an Irish player?

Incredibly – scarily – it was 20 years ago this Sunday, 23 April 2003, that the Portuguese Galactico fell victim to Waterford’s finest full-back.

United exited the competition to Real Madrid that evening but Ferguson remained enthused for the future.

The 2002/03 season had been O’Shea’s breakthrough campaign, one which would ultimately signal the beginning of the end of a rivalry with Arsenal that had defined the Premier League until that point.

“Two years ago, he’s a scrawny big lad from Ireland, all skin and bones. Now he’s playing in the quarter-finals of the European Cup.

“He has great passing awareness, two good feet and is quick and balanced. He can play anywhere,” the Scot beamed, before being able to share a laugh.

“Figo wasn’t happy. I spoke to him after the game. Carlos Queiroz (United’s assistant manager) said to Figo: ‘our youngest player nutmegged you’. Figo said: ‘You should hear it in our dressing room, I have been getting incredible stick’.”

That moment remains etched in the memory because of its audacity, but of far more significance for O’Shea and United in the days that followed was a major twist in their title race with Arsene Wenger’s side.

The Gunners had won the league and FA Cup double the previous season, beating United on their own patch to secure the second championship of the Frenchman’s reign.

Just like United fans could instantaneously replay O’Shea’s nutmeg in their minds, likewise Arsenal supporters when Sylvain Wiltord slid along the Old Trafford turf in celebration as Kanu joyously leapfrogged over his head.

This was an Arsenal side that boasted further characters like David Seaman, Lauren, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.

Yet, when they threw away a two-goal lead on a sunny Saturday in Bolton, also almost exactly 20 years ago to the day, the talk was of a mentally weak group of players who were beginning to feel the pressure having witnessed an eight-point lead in early March turn into a five-point deficit by mid-April.

Thierry Henry lies injured against Bolton in April 2003. Neal Simpson Neal Simpson

“These are the most melancholic days of Arsenal’s season,” Daniel Taylor wrote in the Guardian after Sam Allardyce’s men did a number on the Gunners, before adding an acerbic war-time analogy.

“The overwhelming conclusion from [this] capitulation is that, however lavish the talent at Wenger’s disposal, there is a stark difference in the philosophy between the skilled artistes of Highbury and the driven individuals of Old Trafford.

“Whereas Arsenal seem far more fraught with tension than at this stage last year, United showed yesterday they have discovered the secret is to get their butterflies to fly in formation.

“In the context of trench warfare, Sir Alex Ferguson has half a dozen players who would be on the front line while some of Wenger’s would be licking stamps and stamping envelopes back at HQ.”

Trawling through some of the archives from that time is stark, the characterisation being that this was an Arsenal squad, despite its experience and class, that was somehow simply unable to handle the pressure of a run-in.

Nonsense given what came before and what would happen the following season – Arsenal’s Invincibles ensuring the title returned to north London without suffering a defeat in their 38 league games.

So, it is not just that famine which Mikel Arteta’s current crop are attempting to end over the next month.

They must also disprove the same criticisms and doubts that even the finest Arsenal teams in recent history have faced.

Arsenal, it seems, must overcome more stringent examinations of character and mental fortitude than most.

The parallels between now and 20 years ago have come to the fore in recent weeks given the nature of how Arteta’s young challengers have seen two-goal leads evaporate.

The draw with Liverpool at Anfield could be viewed as a point gained given the opponents, while West Ham United’s resurgence last weekend resonated most pertinently to what Wenger went through at Bolton.

The difference tonight is that victory over Southampton – anchored to the bottom of the table and destined for the Championship – will extend their lead at the top of the table over Manchester City to seven points.

Regardless, Pep Guardiola is chasing a third title in succession – only Ferguson has managed that feat (twice) in the Premier League era – and Arsenal visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday when it feels as if they must once again battle against the perception of their inherent frailties as much as anything else.