Mark Metcalf’s ten top games at Old Trafford since 1910

posted: 29/01/2010

29 April 1911
Manchester United 5 Sunderland 1
Having lost their penultimate game at Aston Villa Manchester United thrashed third placed Sunderland and with Villa losing at Anfield it meant the capturing of the league title for only the second time in United's history marked a first full season at Old Trafford.

26 April 1952
Manchester United 6 Arsenal 1
Second placed Arsenal arrived knowing they had to win the final league game of the season 6-0 to take the title from the leaders, but were taken apart by a rampant Matt Busby side who thus captured a first league title for the club in over 50 years. Jack Rowley's hat-trick in the match took him to 30 league goals in a season, the first United player to achieve such a feat.

9 February 1957
Manchester United 6 Arsenal 2
Slap bang in the middle of two consecutive championship winning seasons this was Matt Busby's Babes at their outstanding best with Munich victims Billy Whelan, the incomparable Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor all amongst the scorers. Arsenal were ripped apart.

19 February 1958
Manchester United 3 Sheffield Wednesday 0
This FA Cup tie was the first game after the Munich air disaster, in which eight players and three staff were among the 23 who died. A heroic performance by a makeshift side that somehow even made it all the way to Wembley that season, losing 2-0 to Bolton in the final.

2 October 1971
Manchester United 2 Sheffield United 0
Maybe not one of the greatest games but arguably the greatest goal ever scored at Old Trafford when George Best left player after player trailing in his wake before driving an unstoppable shot past the keeper.

10 April 1993
Manchester United 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1
Having hauled themselves into second place Alex Ferguson's side were in danger of leaving the way open for Aston Villa to move forward and clinch the Premier League before two late Stretford End goals from Steve Bruce rescued the points, sent Ferguson dancing deliriously across the pitch, and laid the ground for a first championship success in 26 years.

13 April 1997
Middlesbrough 3 Chesterfield 3
None of the other 20-plus FA Cup semi-finals hosted by Old Trafford has come anywhere near equalling the atmosphere generated for a thrilling match in which only a poor refereeing decision denied Chesterfield the opportunity of becoming the only Third Division side to have reached the FA Cup final.

19 April 2000
Manchester United 2 Real Madrid 3
Arguably the finest performance ever by an away side at Old Trafford saw the Spanish giants win a titanic Champions League quarter-final second leg and thus knock out the reigning Champions League holders after the first leg had ended 0-0.

6 October 2001
England 2 Greece 2
With England looking down the barrel at having to face a play-off to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals David Beckham stepped forward in this qualifier to drive one of his trademark free kicks over the wall and past Themis Nikolaidis to send an Old Trafford crowd and the nation ecstatic.

10 April 2007
Manchester United 7 AS Roma 1
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in this Champions League quarter-final Manchester United produced a performance later described by Sir Alex Ferguson as the club's best ever in Europe, slamming home three in the first 20 minutes and crushing the Italians with a scintillating performance.