Manchester United 74/75

Product Information

Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of both, splitting the Arsenal defence for Rashford's first, then sending Christian Eriksen clear as the Dane provided the striker with a tap-in. Still fielding most of the side that won the FA Cup in 1973, Sunderland were erratic in front of goal and eight 0-0 draws proved to be their undoing. They were in the promotion positions from the start of October until their last match, which they lost 2-0 at Aston Villa. John Bond’s Norwich – who had gone down with Man Utd – clinched third place with a 3-0 win at Portsmouth on the same day. Villa returned to Division One after an eight-year absence with a run of 12 wins in their last 14 games. They also won the League Cup, beating Norwich 1-0 in the final. It came with a man named Matt Busby, who would prove to be a hugely important figure in the history of Manchester United. A former Manchester City and Liverpool player, Busby served in the Ninth Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment, where his leadership qualities shone through. These qualities did not go unnoticed by United. Erik ten Hag talks to Sky Sports. “It is important … this club belongs in the Champions League … but it’s not easy in the Premier League, it’s a tough competition … seven or eight clubs compete so it’s a massive performance … you can see Chelsea had outstanding players and caused us problems but in counters we were really good … we scored four and we should have scored more, but to be honest they could score too … our organisation was better in the second half … they were open and you have to take advantage, to strike … Sunday is important because we can be third in the league … we keep focused and not get injuries … our team has a good spirit … we are in the right direction … we know we are still not where we want to be … but if you want to be successful you have to be in the Champions League … next week is going to be big and huge and we will do everything in our power … it’s not going to be easy … but we have a great opportunity to get that cup.” The Belgian had been on holiday in the United States, and linked up there with United's squad for their pre-season tour.

Add the creativity, and on this day the goals, from Foden plus the genius of De Bruyne and it is hard to see how they can be stopped, with Haaland also looking as if he could be the missing link that might finally bring the Champions League to the Etihad. In his first home league game in charge of Wolves, Lopetegui was a demonstrative presence on the edge of his technical area.Perhaps the most important signing Busby made, however, was on the coaching staff. Matt had met Jimmy Murphy during the war, and identified him as his perfect right-hand man. The pair formed a partnership that would see United become a power in world football. Rashford's indiscretion - missing a team meeting after oversleeping - was not on the same scale, but given Garnacho was stopped from playing during the club's pre-season tour because of persistent lateness, Ten Hag would view his actions as confirmation the same rules apply to all players, no matter what their status. With two goals against Hull City in March, Lukaku became the first Everton player since Gary Lineker in 1985-86 to score 20 league goals in a season.

After signing Harry Maguire, Daniel Jamesand Aaron Wan-Bissakain the summer, the Reds began Solskjaer's first full season at the helm in patchy form, winning fewer than half of the games in all competitions until the turn of the year. Early 2020 defeats to Arsenal, Liverpool and Burnley in the Premier League, and Manchester City in the League Cup semi-finals, compounded the woes until the signing of Bruno Fernandesin the January transfer window sparked a marked improvement. That ultimately led to a memorable March afternoon at Old Trafford when City were put to the sword in a league derby; however, this proved to be our last domestic game before the Covid-19 pandemic put the entire sporting calendar on hiatus. But, Erik ten Hag being able to execute [his plan] and get the players in as early as possible I think is what is most important. If, and it looks like the Glazers are looking to sell, then of course you want the right resolution for the future of the football club and not just a resolution which is a change of ownership. Diego Costa worked hard for little reward before the break and, until Jimenez was introduced once the Spaniard was replaced, there was no focal point for the Wolves midfield to play to. Not all the young talent was home-grown, however. The United manager was equally happy to plunge into the transfer market, as shownby the big money signings of proven internationals Tommy Taylorand goalkeeper Harry Gregg.Erik ten Hag was announced as the new permanent manager on 21 April 2022, but the Dutchman would see out the campaign at Ajax before starting work at Carrington. The new boss oversaw some major changes to the squad as the likes of Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Nemanja Maticand Paul Pogba departed during the summer, while Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Antony were acquired.