This week, football reflected on one of its most intense rivalries.

Manchester United and Arsenal relived the glory years of the late 90s and early 00s as Arsene Wenger travelled to Old Trafford for his final game against the Red Devils as Arsenal manager.

If the match itself felt like a testimonial, that was because of the respect that the old rivals had for each other on the occasion of Wenger’s final trip to the ground, and also because of the fact that the Gunners have bigger fish to fry – this week’s Europa League semi final is weighing heavy on the horizon and as a result Arsenal fielded a weakened side.

But when it came to the occasion, social media was still awash with updates from the game: and with one particular incident which happened just before kick-off.

In honour of his services to English football and the Arsenal in particular, Manchester United enlisted the legendary Alex Ferguson and current boss Jose Mourinho to present Arsene Wenger with a gift before kick-off: a silver vase as a gift from the club.

#MerciArsène pic.twitter.com/w6VH6hkQNo

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) April 29, 2018

It was, as Wenger himself later said, a classy gesture from a club with which the Frenchman has had some incredible battles in the past. Their rivalry arguably made the Premier League was it is today. Arsenal’s suave European sophistication coupled with United’s swashbuckling attack-play was thrilling to watch, and taking place in the early 2000s, it was played out at a time when the league was being swept up in a wave of globalisation which has turned it into the game we know today.

???? “It was just another game for me but I’m very grateful for the gesture from @ManUtd before the game. It was very classy of them.”#MUFCvAFC pic.twitter.com/s8zHTOhQnI

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) April 29, 2018

#MUFCvAFC pic.twitter.com/564JMDbD1H

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) April 29, 2018

The respect between Wenger and Ferguson, Arsenal and Manchester United is perhaps a sign of the times. The rivalry was bitter at the time, often carrying with it a very literal threat of violence. That’s one of the things that made it so thrilling. Taking place before the social media age, too, perhaps also helped us to remember it for the games themselves, rather than the soap opera which, these days, carries on 24/7 on Twitter.

Jose and Sir Alex presented Arsene Wenger with a special gift on behalf of the club, prior to his final match in charge of Arsenal at Old Trafford yesterday… #MUFC

A post shared by Manchester United (@manchesterunited) on Apr 30, 2018 at 4:17am PDT

As classy as this gesture was from United, it’s hard to escape the fact that this is all happening now because both clubs are nostalgic for the days when they were such fiery rivals: not just because they were both more successful back then, but also because the football both sides played was so much more thrilling, too.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been chatting to #MUTV about #MUNARS and Arsene Wenger… #MUFC pic.twitter.com/43iap5WW8e

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 29, 2018

Even listening to Sir Alex Ferguson’s voice is to be taken back to a time when United were on top and had an aura of invincibility that they don’t yet possess under Mourinho. They had, perhaps, a more attractive brand of play then, too.

As football reflects on the time that Wenger had at Arsenal, it will have to remember that the first half of the Frenchman’s reign took place away from the glare of social media whilst in the second half every success and failure was greeted with millions of joyous or outraged fans eager to amplify their emotion beyond what’s reasonable.