I was fined £43,000 and given lengthy ban for role in Battle of Old Trafford, but I would do it all again
It may be 20 years on from the infamous Battle of Old Trafford clash - but Arsenal Invincible Lauren has no regrets over his actions.
In one of the most fiery Premier League matches of all time, the Gunners held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw on 21 September, 2003.
And despite the fixture ending goalless, it had everything - a red card, missed penalty and a full-time bust-up earning Arsenal a record £175,000 FA fine.
Arsenal and United were once again the two teams vying for the Premier League title, with the north Londoners going the 2003/04 campaign unbeaten.
But things could have been so different had Ruud van Nistelrooy converted his last-gasp spot-kick instead of smashing it against the bar.
The Red Devils icon was already public enemy No.1 in the eyes of the Arsenal players after they had felt his dramatic reaction from a Patrick Vieira kick-out led to his sending off.
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So when the final whistle immediately blew after the Dutchman missed, it sparked an angry reaction from Arsene Wenger's men.
Martin Keown, who had given away the penalty for hauling Van Nistelrooy down as he looked to get on the end of a Gary Neville cross, proceeded to jump on the player and screech in his face.
Lauren, who was charged by the FA along with Keown, Vieira and Ray Parlour, received the biggest fine and ban over his actions.
The Cameroonian was seen shoving Van Nistelrooy, kicking out at Quinton Fortune as well as grabbing Phil Neville by the throat.
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He was slapped with a £43k fine and handed a lengthy ban after being charged on counts of violent and improper conduct.
But was it worth it? Absolutely.
That is according to the Arsenal legend himself, who was speaking to marvelbet369.com about the incident.
Asked whether he regrets his animated actions, the two-time Premier League champion said: "No. I will never regret my actions.
"I was banned six games and fined £43,000.
"But if I have to protect the people I care for, I will do it again.
"That game shows how much of a strong bond we had, because we were playing fantastic football, we were one of the best teams to watch on TV.
"But at the same time, we were all very competitive, and we all had that strong spirit amongst the dressing room.
"And that particular time in that moment showed how much we cared about each other.
"So I don’t have any kind of regrets."
The Battle of Old Trafford will live long in the memory of football fans, not only for the fiery scenes following the full-time whistle.
Had Van Nistelrooy's penalty been an inch underside the bar, there would be no Invincibles, and Arsenal's wait for a league title would be 22 years and counting.
Lauren was speaking to talkSPORT on behalf of
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