ImagesGetty Images“ THERE WAS TALK ABOUT [WINNING ALL
THREE TROPHIES] BUT IT WAS STRICTLY
BANTER. I DON’T THINK ANY OF US REALLY
BELIEVED IT UNTIL WE GOT TO BARCELONA”
WINNING
THE TREBLEa point behind Bayern Munich having drawn at home and lost 2-1
away; fortunately, however, they went through as one of the two
best-placed runners-up.
December brought elimination from the League Cup at the hands
of Spurs, but after the turn of the year United embarked on an
unbeaten run that took in 13 wins and five draws in the league and
an FA Cup campaign in which they beat Middlesbrough, Liverpool,
Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal. In the middle came the 8-1 thrashing
of Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer,
on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Yorke, scored four times in 18
minutes. The baby-faced assassin, as he was known, had earned the
soubriquet ‘super sub’ in the 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over
Liverpool. Trailing for much of the match to an early Michael Owen
goal, United had battered their old foes, twice hitting a post, but
couldn’t find the breakthrough. In a mirror image of an even more
important game later in the season, two minutes from time Yorke got
the equaliser, and seconds later Solskjaer picked the ball out of GIGGS’ GLORY
It took one of the best solo goals of
all time to keep the dream aliveThe FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal had finished 0-0, so in the
days of replays that meant reconvening at Villa Park a few days
later. It was a replay that United largely dominated, with David
Beckham scoring a fabulous goal after 17 minutes, but they
couldn’t put the game to bed and a fluke deflection from a
Dennis Bergkamp shot brought the Gunners level. Suddenly, the
tide seemed to be turning. Roy Keane was sent off for a second
yellow, then a last-minute penalty was rightly awarded to
Arsenal. Peter Schmeichel, however, spread his huge frame to
keep out Bergkamp’s effort (Arsenal’s regular penalty taker,
Bergkamp never took another spot kick for Arsenal). The game
then went into extra time. With 109 minutes on the clock, Ryan
Giggs intercepted a weary-looking crossfield pass from Patrick
Vieira inside his own half. Weaving this way and that, turning the
Arsenal defence inside out, Giggs beat four men before smashing
an unstoppable shot past England goalkeeper David Seaman.
It’s probably the best FA Cup goal in history, and it kept United
believing. “There were so many big games that spring,” Beckham
would later reflect, “but one stands out above the rest, the one
that made everything possible.”Scholes’ feet, switched feet himself and slotted it home. He had been
on the pitch for nine minutes and those were his only two touches of
the ball. The league win over Forest showcased Solskjaer’s ability to
read the play from the bench, come on late in a game,and
immediately pick up the pace.
The league campaign remained a battle throughout though, with
defending champions Arsenal refusing to give up or be shaken off.
From mid-December onwards, Arsenal played 27 games and the only
one they lost was the FA Cup semi-final replay (see above).
On the final day of the league season, United were home to Spurs
while Arsenal hosted Aston Villa, both teams in the top half of the
table but with little to play for themselves except pride. Despite
battering Spurs throughout, United went behind to a Les Ferdinand
goal, but superb strikes from Beckham and Cole put them 2-1 up and
Spurs had no answer. It was then a case of seeing out the rest of the
game with the minimum of fuss. It was the first time that United had
won the Premier League in front of their own fans, and they did it in
what would proved to be Schmeichel’s last game at Old Trafford. Yet
the celebrations were joyous but restrained in light of the two cup
finals still to come.
The FA Cup had already provided some heart-stopping moments,
including the late, late turnaround against Liverpool, a six-round
replay victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the dramatic
semi-final replay win over Arsenal. The final itself was, in truth, an
anti-climax. Newcastle United just weren’t able to really threaten
the United goal at all; they had plenty of possession but few chances,
while United were clinical in their execution. “It was so easy for us,”
Schmeichel said dismissively. “Even at 1-0 we started conserving
energy for the next game.”FourFourTwo.com The Story of Man Utd 83