The potential Premiership title decider between Manchester United and Arsenal will go ahead on Wednesday, May 8th, the Premier League confirmed today.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had asked the Premier League to shift the showdown to the day before, allowing his side more time to prepare for a possible Champions League final.
However Arsenal objected to the switch as it would have left Arsene Wenger's men with just two days to recover from the FA Cup final against Chelsea before making the trip to Old Trafford.
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 13th, but that date was axed when Arsenal secured their spot in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, a game which was played on Sunday.
The Old Trafford showdown was then lined up for May 5th or 8th, but the Gunners' 1-0 success in the last-four cup encounter with Middlesbrough clinched their place in the final on May 4th against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium.
That meant Wednesday, May 8th was the only option remaining for the problematic fixture before the climax to the season on May 11th.
Ferguson, planning for the scenario in which his side overcome Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League semi-finals and reaches the final on May 15th, feared playing three games in eight days, against Arsenal, Charlton and either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
But an United now has no choice in the matter.