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It happened in the month of October, 2011. A well formidable Manchester City came to Old Trafford (OT) and thrashed the home side 1-6.
There was a lot of frenzy after that event. Nobody had ever predicted such a battering and mauling, it was Manchester United’s worst home defeat, and that too at the hands of Noisy Neighbors.
It felt like thousands of home fans who thronged the stadium for an epic encounter were attacked and killed by the celebrations of fans and a squad of the City.
When I saw that match on TV, thousands of kilometers away from the actual site, I couldn’t help myself comparing the situation with Pearl Harbor. Just like Japan invaded America with all their might and took them by surprise, City too did the same by garnering world-wide attention after the match.
I waited all this time to see United win against their neighbors but the second encounter was more appalling and then losing on goal-difference was absolutely heart-breaking. But things have overturned now and this is a piece of complete hypothesis.
On seeing his boys turned black and blue after 1-6 loss, Sir Alex Ferguson called for a press conference in which he stated, “Yesterday, October 23, 2011, a date which will live in infamy, Manchester United was attacked from the other side of our city. It is obvious that planning the attack began many seasons ago.
The attack yesterday on the Old Trafford has caused severe damage to our squad, I regret to tell you that United supporters worldwide have been affected. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this attack, the Red Mancunians in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. Because of this shameful defeat by Manchester City, I ask that we declare a state of War.”
This statement from the man in-charge at OT created a belief among all the supporters of the Red Devils that the attack can be avenged. From there started a build-up for planning the ballad of the City of Manchester Stadium. They tried in April but couldn’t do much as they were again defeated, this time 1-0. After this, what followed was a dramatic end to the season where Manchester United loses the title on goal-difference because of a last minute winner from Kun Aguero; sounds like a Jap name but he is an Argentine.
With failure at every step, Sir Alex Ferguson tried to build a new squad with the incoming Robin Van Persie. After his signing he said, “I like clinical finishers. They have no time for bulls***, and neither do I.” The guy was quick to make his presence felt, not just for his team, but also on the whole EPL. Once again the same fixture was back on the calendars of Football fanatics. Not many were thinking of a United win after looking at their defending woes. But Sir Alex was adamant about a victory, though his own staff were not thrilled over his thinking and said, “Boss, with all due respect, what you’re asking for can’t be done.” Ferguson shoots the ball into the goal from 50 yards and says in a serious tone, “Do not tell me it can’t be done.”
As the match begin, City were looking at their best and were again invading opposition’s defenders. Looking at such a scene was horrible for all the fans and Ferguson must have prayed, “God save our boys.” This hope saw things started turning into their favor but a fabulous comeback from the opposition was also in the to-do list of God.
Into injury-time, both teams stuck at 2-2 with Robin Van Persie ready to take a free-kick, he had a little chat with Rooney where he said, “Not anxious to score mate, just anxious to matter.” This belief made all the difference as he scored and Manchester United won an year-long battle. This defeat also ended Manchester City’s unbeaten record of 37-home games over the past 2 years. This was also their first loss in the current premier season.
After the match Ferguson said in an emphatic voice, “You know at OT they hit us with a sledgehammer. This raid, it’s just a pinprick… but it’s straight through their hearts.”
He was absolutely correct as the home fans after the match were frustrated and showed some indecent behavior.
