Five of the best – Manchester United comebacks | OneFootball

Manchester United have a proud history when it comes to stirring fightbacks, with the Red Devils having never known when they are beaten for much of the Premier League era.

That reputation has not been quite as ferocious of late, but the current team produced another classic comeback against Brentford this past weekend.

United trailed Brentford with 92:46 on the clock before substitute Scott McTominay’s dramatic double in stoppage time, a brace which secured the club’s latest comeback in the Premier League era.

Following McTominay’s match-winning heroics, we’ve decided to revisit five of the best Manchester United comebacks.

Five of the best – Manchester United comebacks:

Manchester United 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday, 10 April 1993 (Premier League)

Manchester United were in pursuit of a first top-flight title in 26 years during the Premier League’s inaugural season, but the challengers were at risk of dropping precious points against Sheffield Wednesday in April 1993.

John Sheridan’s second-half goal had handed the Owls the lead at Old Trafford, with United trailing as the game entered the final five minutes.

Steve Bruce headed home an 86th minute leveller for the Red Devils to set up a grandstand finish, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side poured forward in search of a vital winner. It arrived, six minutes into stoppage time, as Bruce powered home his second of the game to become the unlikely hero.

Ferguson and assistant Brian Kidd celebrated wildly on the touchline, with the latter dropping to his knees on the pitch in now-iconic Premier League scenes. United – who had began the game one point behind the leaders Aston Villa with six matches left to play – went on to be crowned Premier League champions, kickstarting a dynasty of dominance in the rebranded top division.

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Juventus 2-3 Manchester United, 21 April 1999 (Champions League semi-final)

Manchester United’s 1998/99 campaign remains the most memorable in club history, as the Red Devils became the first English team to win a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.

United’s run to Champions League success was achieved the hard way, with Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus all faced on route to a first European crown since 1968.

The semi-final success over Juventus remains one of the club’s most celebrated wins, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side came back from the brink in Turin.

A 1-1 draw at Old Trafford – in which Ryan Giggs had scored a stoppage-time equaliser – left the tie evenly poised, but Filippo Inzaghi scored twice inside the first 11 minutes of the return to put Juventus in control.

Juventus were aiming to reach a fourth consecutive Champions League final, but surrendered to a spirited performance from Ferguson’s treble-chasing side.

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Roy Keane, outstanding on the night despite picking up a yellow card that would rule him out of the final, headed home the first, before Dwight Yorke met Andy Cole’s cross to level the game before half-time.

United were ahead on away goals, but were forced to dig deep defensively in the second half before sealing success. Andy Cole clinched a place in the final after finishing from an acute angle with six minutes remaining, sparking celebrations from the travelling contingent inside the The Stadio Delle Alpi.

United had never before won a match in Italy, but came back from two goals down to beat Juventus and reach a first European Cup final in 31 years.

Iconic Performances: Roy Keane’s superhuman display v Juventus

Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich, 26 May 1999 (Champions League final)

A sensational semi-final win was followed with another famous comeback in the Champions League final, as Manchester United were crowned kings of Europe in stunning style.

Injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw the Red Devils snatch Champions League success seconds from defeat, after Mario Basler’s goal had looked set to hand Bayern Munich the trophy.

Bayern had been the better side for much of the final and led through Basler’s free-kick, but late, late goals from substitutes Sheringham and Solskjaer turned the game around.

First, a David Beckham corner kick caused chaos inside the Bayern box and Sheringham turned in an equaliser after Ryan Giggs’ shot had fallen into his path, with the forward firing home as the final entered stoppage time.

Extra-time appeared inevitable, but United forced another corner kick just seconds after the restart. Beckham’s delivery found Sheringham arriving and the forward flicked the ball on into a dangerous area. Waiting was Solskjaer, who reacted quickest to stretch out a leg and divert the loose ball into the roof of the net.

Cue pandemonium. United were European champions and English football’s first treble winners.

Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United, 29 September 2001 (Premier League)

Manchester United staged a second-half fightback to beat Tottenham in a thriller at White Hart Lane during the 2001/02 season.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were the defending champions and seeking a fourth consecutive Premier League title, but found themselves thrashed and trailing across the opening 45 minutes in north London.

Dean Richards opened the scoring on his Spurs debut, before further goals from Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege handed the hosts a 3-0 lead at half-time.

The interval proved to be the turning point of the game, as United returned from half-time a team transformed. Andy Cole pulled one back within seconds of the restart, before Laurent Blanc headed home a second to spark Spurs nerves.

The equaliser arrived through Ruud van Nistelrooy and the comeback was completed moments later, as Juan Sebastien Veron fired in a low finish to make it 4-3 to the visitors. David Beckham’s fine effort sealed the win and one of the most memorable comebacks of the Premier League era.

The Premier League’s Greatest Games: Spurs 3-5 Manchester United

Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa, 5 April 2009 (Premier League)

Federico Macheda’s dream debut ensured Manchester United’s title dream remained alive as the teenage substitute came off the bench to score a special winner against Aston Villa.

United were heading towards a third consecutive Premier League defeat after Aston Villa took a 2-1 lead at Old Trafford, with goals from John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor cancelling out Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener for the home side.

Ronaldo’s second arrived with nine minutes to go to bring the teams level, before Macheda took centre stage after being thrust into the action. The 17-year-old turned sharply on the edge of the area and bent a beautiful finish into the far corner, his magic moment arriving in the 93rd minute to send the Red Devils back to the top of the Premier League table.

It was a goal that proved to be the turning point in the club’s faltering form, as United ended the campaign champions, four points clear of rivals Liverpool.

Read – Unforgettable last-minute winners in Premier League history

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