Man Utd Greatest Games

[REdBloodED woMan]

League Division One 1958
1st Feburary 1958 Highbury Stadium

MAN UTD 5 ARSENAL 4.

"The Busby Babes last ever game on British soil"

It takes two sides to make a great match and the Arsenal team of 1958 raised their game for the visit of Matt Busby's "Busby Babes". His side composed of mainly young players had swept all before them in recent years with brilliant, exciting, attacking football, that gained them many followers. Champions the last two seasons United were on course to take the title again that year having recently went back to the top of table, Arsenal lay in mid-table but could still be a good side when they wanted too.

A capacity 64,000 crowd saw United swing into a 3-0 lead in the first half. The giant Duncan Edwards and mercurial Eddie Colman dominated the middle of the field and the then traditional wingers Morgans and Scanlon turned Arsenal inside-out on the flanks. The goals were magically conceived and executed. Edwards began the show as he powered majestically into the edge of the penalty area and hit the ball low and unstoppably into the bottom corner of the Arsenal's goal. Bobby Charlton and Tommy Taylor banged in two more and the home spectators resigned to the result looked forward to a second half feast.

It came, but not quite in the way they anticipated. Shortly after the interval Arsenal scored, three times in less than three minutes! Amongst the scorers was a young David Herd, who would later play for United as a striker alongside Denis Law. Suddenly it was a new game. Inspired by the quality of the opposition and urged on by their captain Dave Bowen Arsenal looked like taking charge, but not for long as United moved up a gear. Like the great side they were, Manchester United brushed aside this challenge almost contemptuously with the devastating Denis Viollet and Tommy Taylor soon making the score 5-3. However Arsenal were still not finished and their Welsh international Derek Tapscott pulling one back. Vic Groves almost equalised but United held out and reasserted their superiority.

It was an unforgettable game, full of the skills, excitement and drama that the "Busby Babes" had brought to English football in the last 5 years summed up in one great game. And most poignantly of all, it was the last occasion that the "Busby Babes" played on British soil, the last time they were seen playing in English football. Five days later they lay shattered on a snow-covered airfield in Munich and the great team was gone forever.



ARSENAL: Kelsey, Charlton, Evans, Ward, Fotheringham, Bowen, Groves, Tapscott, Herd, Bloomfield2, Nutt

MANCHESTER UNITED: Gregg, Foulkes, Byrne, Colman, Jones, Edwards, Morgans, Charlton, Scanlon,
Viollet, Taylor2

[REdBloodED woMan]

The 1968 European Cup Final
29th May 1968 Wembley Stadium

Manchester United 4 Benfica 1






"Busby ends his quest for the Holy Grail"


It took 12 years from 1956-1968 for Matt Busby to finally capture the "Holy Grail" of the European Champions Cup. Had the Busby Babes not been destroyed at Munich the wait would surely have been a lot shorter. However the great team of 1968 featuring the mighty talents of Charlton, Law and Best would end that wait on a glorious summer night at Wembley.

The game had an added significance as United had not won the championship that year and the team was getting on in years. This was seen by many as Busby's last chance to fulfil his ambition. Sadly, United's star striker Denis Law was unable to play because of a knee injury and his absence left many a Red worried how their team would cope. For back then, the great Benfica of Lisbon were a team as feared as Barcelona, AC Milan or Real Madrid are today and possessed a forward who is now one of the all-time footballing legends: Eusebio.

Throughout the British Isles there was great support for United from neutral and even rival fans. It was a time when jealousy and bitterness were not evident in football, compared to today. An estimated 250 million TV viewers watched worldwide while it was the biggest television audience since the 1966 World Cup final two years before.

100,000 fans packed Wembley on a searingly hot and humid May Night. As both United and Benfica wore red as a first choice kit, on the night United played in an all blue away kit. Busby played United in a 4-3-3 formation: Best, Kidd and Aston up front, Charlton, Sadler and Crerand in midfield and Foulkes, Brennan, Dunne and Stiles at the back.

Benfica's main plan was to close down George Best, who had destroyed them with a hat-trick two years earlier in Lisbon. However by concentrating on him they left Bobby Charlton with a free reign. Nobby Stiles' role was to man-mark Eusebio, a role he did with great effectiveness.

After an uninspiring, scrappy, goal-less 1st half, United took the lead eight minutes after the restart with a goal produced with the combined efforts of Sadler, Dunne and Charlton. After receiving a cross from Sadler and unmarked in the box, Charlton rose majestically to deftly send a looping header goalward. Keeper Henrique was stranded as the ball entered the bottom left corner of the net.

United then took the initiative with Aston and Best putting Benfica on the backfoot. With just 10 minutes left however, Busby's team was tired and ragged. Benfica applied late pressure and it paid off as Torres headed into the box to find the feet of Graca who lashed the ball into the United net. In a dramatic ending United nearly lost the game when the great Eusebio broke away free from Stiles, with only the keeper Alex Stepney to beat.

Stepney speculated that Eusebio would want to blast his shot gloriously into the net and refused to go to ground. Eusebio did just as expected and Stepney saved as the ball went straight into his chest. Eusebio turned and patted the much relieved keeper on the shoulder as an acknowledgement of the great save. It was a decisive turning point in the game, one which ultimately cost Benfica dearly.

The full time whistle went and Busby tried to rally his tired United troops. Two minutes into extra time saw United gain the lead again with a fantastic goal by George Best. A goal kick from Stepney bounced deep in Benfica territory. Best collected the ball, nutmegged and defender then and beat round Benfica keeper Henrique before slotting in it, as the defenders raced back. He later said he wanted to take the ball up to the line, stop, lie down and nod it over the line with his head but the defenders got back to quickly so he couldn't risk it!

Another minute and another goal. A United corner brought about a mini game of head tennis in the box with the ball moving pinball-like until Brian Kidd's looping header eluded Henrique and hit the back of the net. This goal, on his 19th Birthday was the best present he could ever have hoped for.

Then five minutes later United broke away with Kidd skipping past a Benfica defender on the wing and driving the ball low across the box. It fell to the master Bobby Charlton for the final flourish and he connected sublimely from a difficult angle to flick the ball home and hammer home the fact Manchester United had triumphed with an emphatic 4-1 victory.

The game was one of the most emotional nights of British Football and no doubt the survivors of the Munich disaster were thinking of those who were denied the chance to revel in such a glorious victory. On the night Busby said "They've done us proud. They came back with all their hearts to show everyone what Manchester United are made of. This is the most wonderful thing that has happened in my life and I am the proudest man in England tonight."

Captain Bobby Charlton lifted the cup and the whole of Britain celebrated as United became the first English club to win the European Cup. Matt Busby had finally achieved his lifetime's ambition and would become "Sir Matt" a few months later. Manchester United were the kings of Europe at last.

MANCHESTER UNITED: Stepney, Dunne, Foulkes, Stiles, Brennan, Sadler, Crerand, Charlton, Best,
Kidd, Aston

BENFICA: Henrique, Adolfo, Cruz, Graca, Humberto, Jacinto, Augusto, Eusebio, Torres, Coluna, Simones

Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello

[REdBloodED woMan]

European Cup: Quarter Final 2nd Leg
9th March 1966, Estadio de Luz

Benfica 1 Manchester United 5



"The night of El Beatle"



Despite winning the 1st leg 3-2 at Old Trafford Sir Matt Busby's Manchester United team hardly arrived in Lisbon full of confidence. At that point in time Benfica were a mighty team only bettered arguably by the great Real Madrid of the 1950's era. The Portuguese side had never lost at home in seven seasons of European action.

During that period, they had reached the European Cup Final four times in five seasons, losing 1-0 in 1965 to Inter Milan in the final. Not only that but on the Reds last visit to the Stadium of Light two years previous, United had been thrashed 5-0 by Sporting Lisbon in the Cup Winners' Cup.

Benfica's star was undoubtedly the legendary striker Eusebio, had been presented with the title of European footballer of the year before kick-off. After 15 minutes that mantle appeared certain to pass to another. At 19 years old George Best was even slightly younger than when a young Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick on his European debut in 2004.

Which makes it all the more incredible the way he stripped bare this great Benfica side and their greatest player. The teenager ran again and again at the Benfica defence and dethroned Eusebio as the most feared forward on the continent with two brilliant opening goals.

His first was a fine looping header from a Tony Dunne free-kick but the second was even better. A goal kick by Harry Gregg was headed down by David Herd into the path of Best who accelerated into a devastating high speed run past two defenders before slotting home past the keeper. Soon the stunned stadium was silenced even more as Denis Law fed the ball to Herd who played it to John Connelly to made it an unbelievable 3-0, which the score remained until half-time.

The second half gave the home fans something to cheer as they pulled a goal back through an own goal. Paddy Crerand quickly extinguished those cheers when he was put clean through by Denis Law to make it 4-1. With Benfica looking ragged late in the game, Bobby Charlton ran through the middle of their defence and dribbled past the goalkeeper to make it 5-1 and complete a scoreline that resonated across Europe.

The newspapers the following day bore a photograph of Best sporting a giant-sized sombrero as the Portuguese press named him "El Beatle". It was the moment that the young lad from Belfast was catapulted to the superstar status he would have for the rest of his life.

With this spectacular 8-3 aggregate win, United were hot favourites to proceed to the final later that season, but were unable to force their way past a gritty Partizan Belgrade defence in the semi-final. The Busby Babes went out 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 win in the second leg at Old Trafford failed to overturn a 2-0 deficit.

However this night in Lisbon was and remains United's finest performance on foreign soil and was truly was the night that the 'fifth Beatle' George Best became the most talked about football in Europe.




MANCHESTER UNITED: Gregg, Brennan, A Dunne, Foulkes, Crerand, Stiles, Best2, Charlton, Connelly, Law, Herd


BENFICA: Da Costa Pereira, Cavém, Cruz ,Germano, Machado, Neto, Coluna, Augusto, Eusébio,
Augusto Torres, Simões

Att: 75,000

[REdBloodED woMan]

The 1977 FA Cup Final
21st May 1977 Wembley Stadium

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1







"United wreck Liverpool's treble dream"


When United met League Champions Liverpool in the 1977 Final, it was deemed a formality that Liverpool would win - by most pundits. However, favourites and predictability went out the window as United went on to stop Liverpool from completing a League, European Cup and FA Cup "Treble", as United themselves did successfully in 1999. We must be eternally grateful to the men of 1977 for stopping Liverpool and allowing us to forever say to Liverpool fans "We did the treble and you didn't, ha,ha ha ha". United had been beaten 1-0 the previous year in the final by lowly Southampton. Such was the disappointment that manager Tommy Docherty promised they would be back the next year to win it, and he was true to his word.
Docherty's United team had a reputation for being cavalier, sometimes suicidal, but the game was tight as both teams shut each other out. The cruical moments all came within a chaotic ten minute spell in the second Half. The 50th minute saw Stuart Pearson demonstrate why he was considered to be one of the game's great opportunists when he took a pass from Jimmy Greenhoff and smashed the ball past Liverpool keeper Clemence from 20 yards to make it 1-0. Two minutes later Liverpool fans were cheering when the equaliser was scored by Jimmy Case after turning on the edge of the penalty area and hitting a cross from Joey Jones into the left hand corner of the net.

Three minutes later the goal which won United the game was scored by Lou Macari. After Jimmy Greenhoff acted upon a mistake made by Tommy Smith, Macari's deflected shot somehow found its way past Clemence to make it 2-1. Throughout the match United captain Martin Buchan did a superb job in keeping danger-man Kevin Keegan out of the game. Liverpool fought hard to equalise but lacked a real cutting edge to their passing and movement.

The victory seemed destined for the Old Trafford players and it was fitting that 'man of the match' Buchan went up the famous steps and lifted the cup. A Daily Mail journalist wrote "Other sides have lost a game, a chance, a bonus, Liverpool have lost their place in history. One day some side may do this impossible treble, maybe even a side from Liverpool. But not these men".






MANCHESTER UNITED: Stepney, Nicholl, Albiston, B Greenhoff, Buchan, McILroy, J Greenhoff, Coppell,
Pearson, Hill (McCreery), Macari

LIVERPOOL: Clemence, McDermott, Fairclough, Smith, Keegan, Callaghan, Neal, Jones, Kennedy, Hughes, Case

[REdBloodED woMan]

The 1983 FA Cup Final
21st & 26th May 1983 Wembley Stadium

Manchester United 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 2
Stapleton 55, Wilkins 72 Smith 14, Stevens 87

Replay

Manchester United 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Robson 25, 44, Whiteside 30, Muhren 62





"United crush brave Seagulls"


The 26th of May will always be remembered by Manchester United fans as that night in Barcelona, but 16 years earlier it provided the club with a rare moment of glory in a decade of under achievement. Brighton and Hove Albion had been relegated from Division One just prior to the 1983 Cup Final and were hoping to provide a similar upset to 1976 when Second Division Southampton defeated United 1-0. They very nearly did as they took United to a replay.

Although finishing 3rd in the League, United had a strong side that had gone all season without a home defeat and reached the League Cup Final. However in the first game United found themselves shocked by an early Gordon Smith goal for Brighton on 14 minutes. The Seagull's where difficult to break down and well organised as well as threatening from set-pieces.
It wasn't until the 55th minute that Frank Stapleton equalised for the Red's when he forced Mike Duxbury's cross in at the far post. Then on 72 minutes United went into the driving seat, taking the lead 2-1 with a superb Ray Wilkins curling shot from the edge of the box. Unfortunately, Brighton refused to give up and managed to scramble level through Gary Stevens with only 3 minutes to go and force extra- time.

The next half hour was tight and largely uneventful until right at the death when Brighton could have won the game in the very last minute. Gordon Smith found himself clean through with only United keeper Gary Bailey to beat but Bailey pulled off a great save to smother Smith's shot. That save got United off the hook meaning the match would have to be decided in a replay the following Thursday night.

Brighton's influential skipper Steve Foster returned to his side's defence after being suspended for the first match. However, Brighton seemed to lack the determination and self-confidence that they had in the first match and were always on the back-foot.

After dominating the opening play United struck with two goals in four minutes during a first half in which it was obvious that United were much the better side. The opening goal on 25 minutes was scored by Bryan Robson, set up by Arthur Albiston and Alan Davies, Robbo hit a low driving shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards that left keeper Mossley no chance.

Five minutes later Alan Davies (a stand-in for injured Steve Coppell) was also involved in the second goal after he touched on a corner taken by Muhren setting up Whiteside to place the ball past Mossley with a fine headrer. This goal at 18 years old made Whiteside the youngest player to score in an FA Cup Final as well as the first to score in both the FA Cup and League Cup Finals in the same season.

Minutes before half time it was over as a contest. A second goal from Robson came as he tapped in from close range a looping Frank Stapleton header that may have been going in anyway. In the second half United secured the biggest lead in an FA Cup Final since 1900 when Bury beat Southampton 4-0. United equalled this record with the fourth goal as disheartened Brighton gave away a penalty, cooly netted by Dutch midfielder Arnold Muhren from the spot.

It was the perfect birthday present for Sir Matt Busby, 74 on the day and it was the biggest winning margin in a Wembley FA Cup Final until United themselves equalled it with a 4-0 win over Chelsea in 1994.



MANCHESTER UNITED: Bailey, Albiston, McQueen, Moran, Duxbury, Wilkins, Murhen, Davies, Robson, Whiteside, Stapleton


BRIGHTON: Mossley, Ramsey, Pearce, Grealish, Foster, Gatting, Stevens, Howlett, Robinson, Smith, Smillie

[REdBloodED woMan]

European Cup Winners Cup
Quarter Final Second Leg
21st March 1984 Old Trafford

Manchester United 3 FC Barcelona 0
Robson 22, 50, Stapleton 55



"A brilliant fightback"


The magnificent Nou Camp stadium, one of the greatest footballers of all time and the manager of Argentina's 1978 World Cup win faced Manchester United in the first leg of the Cup Winners Cup Quarter Final. Ninety minutes later and any fears were justified as United trailed 2-0 through a Graeme Hogg own goal and long range cracker from Rojo. Whilst disappointed United were not disconsolate for the return leg as Barcelona had not overwhelmed United by any means and Norman Whiteside returned from injury.

While not as vast as the Nou Camp, Old Trafford on European nights was and still is a unique and intimidating atmosphere for opposing teams. A roar from the capacity crowd of 58,350 greeted both teams as they entered the pitch and dispelled any thoughts Barcelona had that this was a foregone conclusion. For the opening 20 minutes the Spanish succeeded in stemming the Red onslaught on the field and the euphoria off it, but the inevitable was there for all to see as United pushed forward creating numerous half-chances.

When Ray Wilkins went up to take a corner at the scoreboard end there was the sense that United's moment had come to open the scoring. The corner flew across the goalmouth, helped on by Hogg to the far post where captain Bryan Robson, his body horizontal as he dived, headed the ball in from close range. Old Trafford erupted sensing more would quickly follow but somehow Barcelona managed to thwart the Reds relentless attacking until half-time.

The second half began as United laid siege to the Barca goal and the pressure began to tell. Only five minutes into the half, a dangerous low cross from Wilkins was fumbled by Barca keeper Urruti and there again was captain courageous Bryan Robson to pounce on the chance and slam the ball home to make it 2-2. It was one of those nights when Robson was everywhere at once, as together with Wilkins, Remi Moses and Arnold Muhren he drove the midfield inexorably onwards.

With the scores level the crowd went into euphoria and were still celebrating when two minutes later Norman Whiteside somehow got his head to the ball from looping cross to nod it down for Frank Stapleton who rifled the ball into the Stretford End net from an acute angle. 3-0 and you'd have thought United had won the European Cup such was the roar from the terraces, but now Barcelona who had been in disarray realised they had to score to stay in the competition and if pulled one back United would be in trouble. Barcelona's attack who were kept quiet by the defensive four of Moran, Duxbury, Albiston and Hogg suddenly came alive.

One or two anxious moments followed as Maradona and Rojo pushed forward and came close to spoiling the party with a Barcelona penalty claim turned down but United also had chances on the counter to wrap things up, Whiteside and Hughes shooting wide. In the end though the score remained intact and Byran Robson was carried off the pitch shoulder high by a sea of fans that invaded the pitch. United would go on to meet mighty Juventus led by Michel Platini in the Semi-final where unfortunately they lost narrowly 3-2 on aggregat. However, the Cup Winners Cup run of 1984 will always be remembered for this glorious night when United's fans went home knowing they had witnessed a night of true European magic.




MANCHESTER UNITED: Bailey, Albiston, Moran, Hogg, Duxbury, Muhren, Robson, Wilkins, Moses, Stapleton, Whiteside (Hughes 72)
Subs Not Used: Pears, Graham, Gidman, McGrath


BARCELONA: Urruti, Gerardo, Moratella, Julio, Alberto, Victor,Alesanco, Alonso (Clos 57), Schuster, Rojo, Maradona, Marcos
Subs Not Used: Olmo, Artoia, Manola, Esteban

[REdBloodED woMan]

The 1985 FA Cup Final
18th May 1985 Wembley Stadium

Manchester United 1 Everton 0
Whiteside 110



"Ten men Triumph"

United wrecked Liverpool's hopes of a League, FA Cup and European treble with their win at Wembley in 1977. They repeated this victory when they met Merseyside's other famous team - the blues of Everton. It may seem strange to anyone under 20 years of age but Everton were the dominant team in England during the mid Eighties.

In 1985 the trophy Room at Goodison Park was already home to the Canon League Trophy and the European Cup-winners Cup and Everton looked set to achieve something that no other club had done before - win the League and Cup Double and a European prize in the same season. United meanwhile were unfancied by many having lost to Everton 5-0 in the league earlier that season at Goodison.
After 78 minutes of less than spectacular football, the referee (a retired police inspector Peter Willis) sent off Kevin Moran after a tackle on Peter Reid making Moran the first player to be shown the red card in an FA Cup Final. By modern standards it was a clear sending off as Moran was the last man but in the mid 80's it would have been usual to award a yellow card. It could also be said Reid's momentum had made it appear worse than it was. The Irishman could not believe he was going to be sent off and was so angry he had to be restrained from confronting Willis by Frank Stapleton.

Losing Moran had the effect of spurring United on and they were still fighting hard to score in extra time, with Jesper Olsen and Gordon Strachan in particular menacing Everton's defence. Paul McGrath held things together at the back with Frank Stapleton who was converted to an emergency central defender. It was a demonstration of pure resilience and spirit by United, who were not going to let the injustice deny them the cup.

As so often happens, when a team goes down to 10 men they play much better and their opponents find them more difficult to break down. United became quicker to the ball and more determined in their tackling, the missing player meant each player had to concentrate more and put greater effort into his game. United were not content to sit back and still created chances to trouble the Merseysiders. Everton nearly scored themselves as Bryan Robson's back header from a corner was almost an own-goal were it not for Bailey's fine save.

Norman Whiteside scuffed a great chance from only 8 yards out in the 108th minute but a short time later he would achieve the vital breakthrough. After 110 minutes of play, a fine pass from Mark Hughes saw Whiteside break with the ball on his own down the left wing. Everton had got defenders back and it looked like he had nowhere left to go as he entered the box.

Nonetheless the Ulsterman produced a bit of magic and hit a magnificent curling shot from 20 yards which beat Everton keeper Southall to his right post. Whiteside recalls "Mark Hughes found me with a great pass and I made my way to the penalty area and could see Neville Southall hanging by this near post. I used the defender as a screen so Neville didn't have enough time to reach the ball".

From then on, 10 man United had to withstand a nerve-shattering seige as Everton desperately tried for a goal - Derek Mountfield had a great chance but his header went safely into Gary Bailey's arms. Thankfully the equaliser never came and the red half of Wembley erupted in jubilation on the final whistle.

Kevin Moran was not allowed to collect his medal in the Royal Box along with his team-mates but was presented with a medal a few days later. Ron Atkinson was quoted as saying it was "arguably the best Cup win any side will have at Wembley". It was undoubtedly the high point in his five years as manager at Old Trafford and secured Norman Whiteside's place in the United hall of Legends for all time.






MANCHESTER UNITED: Bailey, Gidman, Albiston (Duxbury), McGrath, Whiteside,Moran, Robson, Olsen, Strachen, Hughes, Stapleton

EVERTON: Southall,Stevens,Ratcliffe, Van Den Hauwe, Mountfield, Sheedy, Bracewell, Reid,Steven, Sharp,Gray

[CR7™]

Howcome, everyones posts keeps getting deleted who comments here other than sItI? lol

[Jazz 16]

Yeah but its good to read about the greatest games. A lot of fans wouldnt have a clue about these games so its here for information purposes.
If you dont like it then dont read it.
I deleted the pointless posts......like Ill be deleting the last few once you guys have read this ;-)

[REdBloodED woMan]

LOL jazz, dont delete it. Its their views anyway, leave it.


Anyway, here are my views. I think Manchester United are truly blessed with having great history, great players, great games that we all should be proud of. Sorry for posting it, i didnt know that many already knew about all these great games our great players once used to play in. Maybe im the only one who is naive & didnt know about it thats why i thought there are other who doesnt know about it too thus posting it here to share with other man utd fans.Again, sorry if its a sore to the eye.


Well like somebody mentioned the other day, why not talk about Roma. Right, lets talk about something we watched rather than something we didnt. No dount Roma game was one of the best European game aside from the 99 ones. I will never forget that day.7-1 and that too after what happened to our fans at Rome with us losing in the first leg. Couldnt ask for more really.


Shame in the future i cant tell my children or grandchildren about it cause like us now, they just wouldnt want to know.