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Manchester United started the last decade on a high under Sir Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils were the reigning Premier League champions and had played in successive Champions League finals as well.
As the decade rolled on, Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement coupled with some atrocious recruitment strategies have seen Manchester United go from a guaranteed Top-2 side to struggling for a Top-6 finish.
Managers came and went (Moyes, Van Gaal, Giggs, Mourinho) before Ed Woodward finally decided to nail down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the man to take the club forward no matter how bad the results get
The last decade may not have been the best for Manchester United in terms of trophies and success but there were certainly loads of goals. The Red Devils scored 733 Premier League goals in the last decade and over 150 goals in other competitions. Among these were some stunners.
In this piece, we will go back down memory lane to revisit 10 of Manchester United's best goals from the last decade (2010-2019).
#10 Anthony Martial vs Liverpool (2015-16)
Apart from the FA Cup success, signing Anthony Martial could be Louis Van Gaal’s biggest contribution to Manchester United and the manner in which Martial announced himself to the Old Trafford faithful was nothing short of sensational.
Making his debut at Old Trafford against arch rivals Liverpool and going on to score an amazing solo goal in front of the Stretford End – Rarely does it get any better for a United player.
Martial’s goal helped Manchester United avoid any last-minute jitters as they sealed a comfortable 3-1 win vs Liverpool. Since then, Martial has gone on to score 58 times for The Red Devils and having got the striker’s responsibility now, we can expect more goals from the Frenchman.
#9 Angel Di Maria vs Leicester City (2014-15)
Angel Di Maria will go down as one of the biggest disappointments in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United. Di Maria was signed from Real Madrid for a hefty fee of £59.7million and was given the iconic #7 jersey.
However, Louis Van Gaal's mismanagement and Di Maria's inability to adapt to Premier League saw him become a rather hated figure among Man United faithful.
Despite going down as a failed signing, his goal against Leicester City must be Di Maria’s brightest moment in a Man United jersey. This goal was the first real hint of the Argentine's ability to become a potential Man United superstar.
The move started with Di Maria picking up the ball near halfway line, dribbling past 3 Leicester City players and exchanging a lovely one-two from Wayne Rooney. When Di Maria got the ball back, he chipped Kasper Schmeichel leaving the Danish keeper rather embarrassed.
However, soon after scoring this stunning goal, Di Maria was substituted and to everyone's disbelief Van Gaal’s team capitulated and conceded 4 times to lose the game 5-3 from a comfortable 3-1 winning position.
#8 Antonio Valencia vs Everton (2017-18)
Football fans have special love for goals scored from long distances where the player hammers the ball past the goal-keeper and leaves everyone gasping for air. Antonio Valencia's goal against Everton in the 2017-18 season will go down as one of the most ferocious hits in Premier League history.
The goal came very early (4th minute) in the game with Nemanja Matic setting up the strike just outside the 18-yard box. And when the ball arrived, the Ecuadorian winger gave Jordan Pickford no chance of making a save as the ball had already gone past the keeper before he made his move.
It was hailed as one of the best Premier League goals of the 2017-18 season and truly worthy of being among the Top 10 Manchester United goals of the decade.
Valencia's early goal gave Jose Mourinho's team a sense of control in the game as Everton failed to create decent chances. Man United went on to win the game 4-0 with late goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, and the substitute Anthony Martial.
#7 Dimitar Berbatov vs Blackburn (2010-11)
After featuring 3 individual efforts, we have now picked a vintage counter-attacking team goal from Manchester United which involved Patrice Evra, Dimitar Berbatov, Nani, and the eventual finish from the Bulgarian striker.
The highlight about this goal was the fact that Berbatov was defending a Blackburn attack in his own box and only seconds later, he played a sumptuous cross-field ball to Nani and then arrived in the opposing box to put the finishing touches.
This was Berbatov’s third goal in the game and he did not stop there. Berba went on to become the only fourth player in Premier League history after Andy Cole, Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe to score 5 goals in a game. Berbatov's brilliance saw Man United win the game 7-1.
#6 Henrikh Mkhitaryan vs Sunderland (2016-17)
A moment of individual brilliance from Henrikh Mkhitaryan ruined David Moyes’ return to Old Trafford as the Sunderland manager. However, such was Mkhitaryan's goal that even Moyes would have stood up and applauded the Armenian's ‘Scorpion Kick’ goal.
Mkhitaryan's goal came in the 87th minute with United already in a commanding 2-0 lead courtesy goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Daley Blind. For the third goal, Zlatan received the ball on right wing and sent a beautiful cross deep in the penalty box.
By the time the ball reached Mkhitaryan, he had already overrun it and the Armenian had little time to think about his next move. He flicked his right foot in hope and the ball went in as he scored one of the best goals Old Trafford has ever witnessed.
Although Fabio Borini scored a late consolation goal for the visitors, Man United comfortably won the game 3-1 in the end.
FUN FACT – Had that goal been scored this season, VAR would have ruled it out for offside.
#5 Dimitar Berbatov vs Liverpool (2009-10)
The Bulgarian magician finds another mention in this list with a memorable hat-trick against United’s arch nemesis, Liverpool.
The goal we have picked is Dimitar Berbatov's second from his famous hat-trick where he received Nani’s cross from the right wing, controlled nonchalantly on his right knee, and pulled off a phenomenal bicycle kick to finish.
Berbatov’s technical abilities were second to none and when he was in the mood, he scored and assisted spectacular goals for fun. This goal against Liverpool made him an instant cult hero among the United faithful.
After this incredible goal on the hour mark, Steven Gerrard leveled the game at 2-2 in the 70th minute. Berbatov then went on to score the winning goal and helped United to win the game 3-2.
The reason why this hat-trick was special because Berbatov became the first Manchester United player in 64 years to score a hat-trick against Liverpool. We have not seen any hat-trick scored in a United vs Liverpool fixture since that day (10 years and counting).
At the time, Man United went 3rd in the table, only 4 points behind the league leaders while Liverpool were languishing at the 16th position. The Red Devils eventually went on to win the League title with 80 points whereas Liverpool finished 6th with 58 points to their name.
#4 Wayne Rooney vs West Ham (2013-14)
Manchester United’s greatest goal-scorer of all time, Wayne Rooney finally gets a mention in our list of Top 10 Manchester United goals of the decade gone by and what a truly sublime goal this was from Wazza, almost 60 yards away from the goal.
It was the first season since Sir Alex Ferguson had retired and David Moyes was struggling to find his feet as the Man United manager. This game at Upton Park was expected to be a real test for the Red Devils but Rooney scored twice to register an easy 2-0 win.
For this goal, Rooney received the ball from Ashley Young near the halfway line which took an awkward bounce and had a West Ham defender competing for the header. Rooney first rode the challenge, allowed the ball to bounce and then spotted the goalkeeper Adrian off his line.
Rooney on the half turn, decided to hit the volley from almost 60 yards out and go for the jugular. Such was his technique and execution, the ball ended up in back of the net and Rooney scored one of the greatest Premier League goals of all time.
Ironically, David Beckham was seeing the game live at Upton Park and if you recall, Beckham scored a similar goal from 50-yards out against Wimbledon back in the 1996-97 season.
#3 Robin Van Persie vs Aston Villa (2012-13)
Robin Van Persie was Manchester United’s talisman in the 2012-13 season and it was quite fitting that he scored a hat-trick on the day Man United sealed their 20th League title. However, the goal we are featuring today was so good that rarely people talk about Van Persie's hat-trick from that day but they only choose to marvel the Dutchman's insane volley strike.
It was the 13th minute in the game with Van Persie already getting on the scoresheet. Wayne Rooney received the ball from Shinji Kagawa and played a hopeful cross-field ball to find his striking partner.
Van Persie had already made one of his trademark runs and waited for the ball to come down while keeping his eyes firmly on the ball. And when the ball arrived, he unleashed one of his best volley ever to find the top-right corner.
It went down as Man United’s ‘Goal of the Season’ that year and indeed was one of the best Manchester United goals of the decade gone by. Van Persie went on to complete his hat-trick and clinched the last League title for Sir Alex Ferguson.
That night was the last time, Manchester United felt as the Premier League Champions as since then, the road to rebuilding has been a very painful one for both fans and players alike.
#2 Marcus Rashford vs Chelsea (2019-20)
If the 2010-19 decade was dominated by the videos of Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick goal against Portsmouth, the next generation of Manchester United fans will grow up watching Marcus Rashford’s sensational free kick goal against Chelsea.
Not only Rashford's goal was special but the timing of it was very crucial too. It was the 73rd minute in quarter final of this season’s Carabao Cup and the game was tied 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. Man United won the foul and the ball was easily 50-60 meters away from the goal.
However, Rashford had no intention of crossing the ball and he was just aiming for the goal.
In recent years, Rashford has tried to emulate Cristiano’s technique of striking Football’s valve while taking a free kick. If not anything, this goal was a fitting tribute to Cristiano’s time as a Manchester United player and the influence he had on Rashford while growing up.
I would even go one step ahead and even claim that, Rashford’s free kick was perhaps better than Cristiano’s effort vs Portsmouth all those years ago. The distance, power, accuracy, and indeed the significance of Rashford’s goal makes it a better one in our eyes.
Man United won the game 2-1 and will now face Manchester City in the semi-final of this season’s Carabao Cup.
#1 Wayne Rooney vs Manchester City (2010-11)
We finally have a winner, and its Wayne Rooney’s unreal overhead kick to score the winning goal in a Manchester Derby to bring down the roof at Old Trafford.
This was the time Manchester City were beginning to make things difficult for Manchester United and The Red Devils needed a firm response. The game until Rooney's goal was a very closely fought battle.
Nani had given United the lead but the lead cancelled by David Silva's deflected goal in the 65th minute. As the game rolled on both Manchester clubs strived for a win as it would give them an edge in the title race.
It was 78th minute when Rooney saw a cross coming from Nani which took a slight deflection and he positioned himself to go for the volley. The ball was so high that Rooney had to change his decision to go for the spectacular and he pulled off a stunner.
Rooney's goal meant Man United won the game 2-1 and also went on to clinch the Premier League title ahead of their noisy neighbors.
Rooney, 25 at the time admitted that it was the best goal of his career and he maintains that stance till date. Sir Alex Ferguson was asked to describe Rooney’s goal after that win and the legendary manager said:
"It was stunning. Nani's goal was also an unbelievable goal, but nobody in their right sense will even talk about it. All the talk will be about that winning (Rooney’s) goal—unbelievable.
"We've had some fantastic goals here but in terms of execution, you'll never see that."
This was our Top 10 Manchester United goals from the decade just went by. If you have any goals in mind which deserved a mention, do share them in our comments section below.
