The Times says the battle of the Emirates was watched by an estimated one billion people, the highest ever TV audience for a Premier League game. A spokesman for the Premier League confirmed that the match was available in 600 million households in 202 countries. As Sir Alex Ferguson said after the 2-2 draw: "No one will be asking for their money back".

If those figures prove correct, more viewers tuned in to watch the Gunners v the Red Devils than switched on for the 2006 World Cup final, which reportedly drew 715.1 million viewers across 214 countries