5 greatest Manchester United comebacks in the Premier League

Alexis Sanchez headed home the winner against Newcastle United
Alexis Sanchez headed home the winner against Newcastle United

Manchester United were always known for their comebacks and late goals in the game, especially in the Fergusson era. This Saturday, they once again justified that name when they produced another comeback against Newcastle after going 2-0 down at halftime and eventually winning the game 3-2.

1999 Champions League Final will always remain the greatest comeback in the history of the club but a few of their encounters in the Premier League have also been memorable. Here is a list of 5 greatest comebacks by Manchester United in the Premier League.


#5 Arsenal 2-4 Manchester United, 1st February 2005

John O'Shea celebrating after scoring against Arsenal at Highbury
John O'Shea celebrating after scoring against Arsenal at Highbury

This match is always remembered for the tunnel incident between Roy Keane and Patrick Viera which occurred before the players went out on the pitch at Highbury Stadium. Keane was fuming over Viera for having a go at young Gary Neville and referee had to settle down the heat before the kick-off.

Arsenal opened the scoring early in the game through Viera's header only to concede 10 mins later with Giggs' shot in the bottom left corner of the goal to make it 1-1. Bergkamp smacked the second goal past Roy Caroll on 35th min and the first half ended with Arsenal leading 2-1.

Manchester United had a bit of a shaky start in the second half. But a Ronaldo brace and a brilliant chip by John O'Shea at 88th min over Almunia sealed the win from Manchester United.

#4 Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspurs, 16th May 1999

Andrew Cole with the winning goal against Spurs, May 1999
Andrew Cole with the winning goal against Spurs, May 1999

Going into this match, Manchester United needed only a win to seal the Premier League title. Other than PL, Manchester United were also in contention for FA Cup and UEFA Champions League that season.

Les Ferdinand scored the opening goal in 24th by poking the ball over Peter Schmeichel who misjudged the aerial ball and moved forward to collect it. With 3 mins to go in the first half, Beckham made brought it back to level terms with a curling shot.

Manchester United having the momentum going in the second half. At 47th min, Gary Neville pinged an aerial ball inside the box to Andy Cole, who produced a piece of magic by controlling the ball well with his first touch and lofted it into the goal over Ian Walker. United secured the PL title at fulltime, first of the three trophies of their treble season.

#3 Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa, 25th April 2009

Federico Macheda celebrating the winner against Aston Villa.
Federico Macheda celebrating the winner against Aston Villa.

This match is remembered for the dream debut Federico Macheda had in his first outing for the club when Sir Alex Ferguson sent him in. That one goal he produced had got the entire Old Trafford crowd roaring.

Manchester United took the lead through an indirect freekick scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 14th min. Aston Villa later struck twice on 30th and 58th min respectively, thanks to the goals from John Carew and Agbonlahor, giving them the lead in the match.

Enter the 80th min, and Ronaldo put it in the right bottom corner of the goal making it 2-2. Macheda, who came on as a sub in the 61st min, curled in a brilliant shot around Brad Friedel in added time to seal the victory. The win took Manchester United above Liverpool by on the league table.

#2 Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United, 7th April 2018

Paul Pogba celebrating the equalizer against Manchester City
Paul Pogba celebrating the equalizer against Manchester City

Manchester City and fans had already started preparations to seal the title on the derby day. They looked forward to adding salt on the wounds of their city rivals Manchester United and they were well on course to do that.

At halftime, Mourinho's men were 2-0 down at Etihad stadium after Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan had both scored in the space of 5 mins. However, Manchester United had other things in mind in the second half. Pogba scored a brace in space of 2 mins to even things up.

Smalling later nodded in Sanchez's free-kick in the 69th min to overturn the scoreline in their favour. David DeGea also saved Aguero's header towards the end which turned out to be vital. This win meant that they had put the title celebrations on hold for their noisy neighbours.

#1 Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspurs, 25th April 2009

Rooney and Berbatov celebrate the final goal against Spurs
Rooney and Berbatov celebrate the final goal against Spurs

This game showed why Manchester United were termed as the comeback kings of the game. Sir Alex Ferguson's side trailed 2-0 at halftime as a result of goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric.

United went rampant in the second half. Ronaldo scored a penalty in the 57th min which sparked the famous comeback. United went on to score four more goals to win the game. Wayne Rooney scored the equalizer in the 67th min to make it 2-2.

Ronaldo then scored again in the very next minute through Wayne Rooney's cross and United lead the game 3-2. The United blitzkrieg didn't stop there. Rooney and Berbatov later scrapped in two more goals to finish the game 5-2 at full-time, as Old Trafford again witnessed one of the greatest comebacks in their history.

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Edited by Sagnik Mallick