Cesc Fabregas has finally admitted he threw the pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson during the ‘Battle of the Buffet’.

It is a tale that has entered footballing folklore. Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford on October 24, 2004 on a record 49-match unbeaten run. They went on to lose a tempestuous game 2-0.

The sides clashed in the tunnel, and, in a tale that had never been confirmed, Fabregas was alleged to have thrown a slice of pizza at the Manchester United manager.

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Cesc Fabregas has admitted he was the culprit behind the Battle of the Buffet in 2004

He was asked by host James Corden whether it was him who famously threw the pizza

The incident in the tunnel followed a tense encounter between Arsenal and Manchester United

Ashley Cole wrote in his autobiography: ‘All eyes turned and all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit.’

Ferguson previously said: ‘They say it was Cesc Fabregas who threw the pizza at me, but to this day I have no idea who the culprit is.’

Sportsmail columnist Martin Keown hinted at the assailant, commenting: ‘From what I understand, it was a Spanish fella with great technique.

‘Even when it came to the pizza he had great technique. He threw it like a Frisbee.’

MARTIN KEOWN: THESE GAMES WERE UTTERLY FEROCIOUS Sorry Cesc, I wasn’t at Old Trafford when you flung the pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson... but I wish I had been! Often memories of these titanic clashes merge into one. Maybe he assumed that because there was a melee I must have been there, but I had already left Arsenal for Leicester. There was always an added emphasis when we played Manchester United. We knew if we took three points off them, we would have an excellent season. These were two teams at the peak of their powers. United won the Treble in 1999 but that year, head-to-head, I felt we were as good if not better than them. Where they had the edge was their ability to beat everyone else. Such was their psychological hold over the rest of the Premier League that to beat them you had to play them at their own game. I remember seeing Sir Alex give the referee the hairdryer treatment during United’s victory over us in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final. From then on, it was always in the back of my mind that I needed to intervene if I saw him go near the officials. United’s players also had a habit of crowding the referee and I wanted to make sure we matched their numbers. In these games, you could not afford to get embroiled in personal vendettas. But with such strong-willed individuals on both sides it was inevitable that tempers would flare. In the 801 games I played for club and country I only saw punches thrown in the tunnel on two or three occasions — and one of them was during a game between Arsenal and United. But when I look back, there was always a level of respect between us. United beat us in the FA Cup semi-final in 2004, six months after I had clashed with Ruud van Nistelrooy at Old Trafford. I saw him in the tunnel before the game and told him that the incident had not been personal. I’d simply been caught up in the heat of a battle between two great adversaries. Advertisement

And now, while making an appearance on Sky’s A League of Their Own, the Chelsea midfielder has confirmed he was the culprit.

In tonight’s episode, host James Corden asks Fabregas: ‘Tonight, can we finally put the case of the flying pizza to bed once and for all? Were you the culprit who threw the pizza?’

The 30-year-old immediately replies, ‘Yes!’, before going into the story: ‘Martin Keown is a liar because I saw him in front of me just, like, punching people so he didn’t see anything.

Fabregas said that he had thrown the pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson, confirming a legendary tale

Host Corden seemed to enjoy the story, which ended long-running speculation over Fabregas

‘All of a sudden, I heard noises and I thought what’s happening? So I go out with my slice of pizza and I saw Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, Martin Keown... everyone pushing each other.

‘I was like, I want to get in, but I don’t know how to and I threw... peeew... just threw it. Once I saw it was hitting, like, who it was hitting, which I didn’t mean...’

Fabregas then turns to the camera on the show and adds: ‘I apologise Sir Alex, really didn’t mean to do that.’ When asked by Jamie Redknapp where the pizza hit Ferguson, Fabregas tapped the side of his face.

Fabregas laughed as he suggested the pizza had hit Ferguson square on his cheek

Arsenal went on to lose the game at Old Trafford, ending their undefeated run at 49 matches

Fabregas went on to apologise to Ferguson for his role in the incident at Old Trafford

ALEX FERGUSON ON INCIDENT FERGUSON: 'Ruud van Nistelrooy came in to the dressing room and complained that Wenger had been giving him stick as he left the pitch. Right away I rushed out to say to Arsene: 'You leave my players alone.' He was incensed at losing the game. That was the reason for his combative behaviour. 'You should attend to your own players', I told him. He was livid. His fists were clenched. I was in control, I knew it. 'The next thing I knew I had pizza all over me. We put food into the away dressing room after every game. Pizza, chicken. Most clubs do it. Arsenal's food was the best. They say it was Cesc Fabregas who threw the pizza at me but to this day, I have no idea who the culprit was.' Advertisement

MATCH FACTS Man Utd: Carroll, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze, Ronaldo (Smith 85), Phil Neville, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney, Van Nistelrooy (Saha 90) Subs Not Used: Howard, Brown, Miller Booked: Gary Neville, Phil Neville Goals: Van Nistelrooy 73 (pen), Rooney 90 Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole, Ljungberg, Vieira, Edu, Reyes (Pires 70), Bergkamp, Henry. Subs Not Used: Van Persie, Taylor, Fabregas, Cygan Booked: Cole, Vieira, Edu Attendance: 67,862 Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire) Advertisement

The game itself came a year after the famed Battle of Old Trafford, which ended in a 0-0 draw after Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a late penalty for United before being aggressively surrounded by Arsenal players.

During the 2004 match two United players could have been sent off. Van Nistelrooy raked his studs on Cole’s ankle before Rio Ferdinand escaped punishment despite denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

The tension intensified after Wayne Rooney theatrically fell over Sol Campbell’s leg in the Arsenal box.

Van Nistelrooy dispatched the penalty before a 19-year-old Rooney sealed the points with a close range strike late on. The two managers confronted each other after Wenger angrily spoke to Van Nistelrooy at the final whistle.

Soon the players became involved. Cole says some shouted, ‘you cheats’ at the United squad. Phil Neville remembers ‘handbags’ between the two sides.

Suddenly, Ferguson had pizza thrown at him. United had provided the away dressing room with food. Cole recalls escaping to the dressing room and everyone on the Arsenal side laughing at the incident.

A League Of Their Own, Sky One, 9pm tonight

The midfielder was at the start of his first team career and playing for then-unbeaten Arsenal