John O'Shea has told how Gary Neville revved up Roy Keane before the Corkman's famous tunnel run-in with Patrick Vieira at Highbury.
The war of words between the two midfielders and captains of their sides epitomised a Premier League era dominated by Manchester United and Arsenal.
It is a story that Gary Neville has joked "changes every year" but O'Shea said Neville knew how to press Keane's buttons.
READ MORE: Keane left "boiling inside" during Souness and Neville on-air spat
"I was on the bench that night, but the best thing about that was how clever Gary Neville was,” O'Shea told an Off The Ball live show.
"Just before kick-off in the dressing room, he happens to quietly mention, ‘Patrick Vieira’s just pinned me up inside the tunnel saying I’m going to get it tonight after kicking (Antonio) Reyes up in Old Trafford’.
“Next thing, everyone is ‘What happened?’ Of course, Roy was just stone silent, the brain just going into overdrive.
"He didn’t say a word to anybody, and then he walked out and did what he did."
Keane confronted Vieira in the tunnel, and the pair had to be separated, with the Ireland captain heard warning the Frenchman that he would see him out on the pitch.
United would win the match 4-2 before lifting the Premier League the same year.
Keane would leave United just nine months later after an infamous rant about his teammates on MUTV.
But O'Shea, one of the players criticised by Keane, thinks the Corkman's rant has been overblown and didn't have much effect on the players.
“The best thing is, if you go back and watch the game against Middlesbrough and just have your own highlights and think about Roy giving a commentary on it, you would get opinions he had,” said O’Shea.
"It was at that time we were struggling a bit in Europe as well and he wanted to make a point.
"Obviously, at the time, the club and the manager felt this was just a step too far. But it was something that I heard before.
"Whether it was a couple of years before, or two months before, or two weeks before.
"It was Roy wanting me to be better and wanting the team to be better and wanting to keep certain standards.”
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