Manchester United's top 3 knockout matches on Boxing Day

#2 Manchester United 4-3 Newcastle, 2012

Fairytale Finish!

Evans (25), Evra (58), - Perch (4), Evans (28 og), Cisse (68)

Van Persie (71), Hernández (90)

The final year of the Fergie era was festooned with comebacks (total of 29 points recovered after going behind) and the Boxing day brought its own gift to be unboxed.

Old Trafford was lit up with the theatrics, almost as phantasmagoric as the famed moniker of the stadium suggests. A breathless, helter-skelter and totally unpredictable (save the final result of course!) saw the Magpies open the scoring with the unlikeliest of scores, defender James Perch (this will be his only goal for the Magpies).

The lead was knocked off its perch (hint: Merseyside) as Evans replied with an equalizer. Feeling the Christmas spirit, Evans gifted the lead to Newcastle with an OGM (Own goal moment). Evra restored parity in the second half before Papis Cisse crashed in his the visitor’s third with the ex-United man Obertan notching an assist.

With Fergie's thundering from the dugout and the Stretford end baying for referee’s head (overlooked penalty claims), Michael Carrick floated a sumptuous cross in the dying embers of the match. It was gobbled up by diving Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and the stadium disintegrated into a pandemonium. A blockbuster finish to an explosive night.

Manchester City lost to Sunderland and that Christmas miracle saw Sir Alex’s side open up a seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.