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One night in Paris
Having won the Champions League twice, qualified for another two finals and reached the final four on a further three occasions, Manchester United have significant pedigree on the European stage since 1990.
We’ve picked out the Red Devils’ most impressive continental displays over the last 31 years.
10. Bayer Leverkusen 0-5 Manchester United, 2013 CL groups
There hasn’t been a huge amount to shout about on the continental front since Alex Ferguson’s departure, aside from the Red Devils’ Europa League triumph in 2016/17. However, so as not to completely ignore the last six years, we’ve thrown David Moyes a bone and included this group-stage demolition of Bayer Leverkusen.
This kind of European thrashing used to be much more common (sorry Brondby), but this was still United’s biggest away win in the Champions League. Wayne Rooney played his part in four goals, with Antonio Valencia, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Nani netting to send Moyes’s men into the knockouts with a game to spare.
9. Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich, 1999 CL final
Has to be on the list because of the way it finished, but United really didn’t play well at all. Fergie was hampered by suspensions for Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, and his side were drained after a gruelling fight for the Premier League title.
A midfield of Jesper Blomqvist, Nicky Butt, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs wasn’t Ferguson’s ideal choice - and United struggled to break down Bayern Munich after falling behind to Mario Basler’s early free-kick.
8. Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona, 2008 CL semi-final
Paul Scholes had missed United’s 1999 Champions League Final through suspension, but it was his stunning goal that ensured they reached their next one. This was a very different United side, built on the counter-attacking terror of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, and it was set up to stop a Barça team that eventually became one of the most successful club sides in history.
United had secured a 0-0 first-leg draw at the Camp Nou – although it could have been better, as Ronaldo missed a third-minute penalty. In the 14th minute of the return fixture, Scholes collected a loose pass and smashed a swerving, unstoppable shot into the top corner.
7. Manchester United 4-3 Real Madrid, 2003 CL quarter-final
As a standalone game, this would be higher up the list – a stunning home win against one of the most star-studded sides in history. This was a dramatic, magical evening of attacking football – two giants trading blows.
It was this game which persuaded Alex Ferguson to reshape his team into a more solid defensive unit, and laid the foundations for United's 2008 Champions League victory.
6. Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona, 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup final
The post-Heysel ban on English clubs competing in European competitions had taken its toll, with many of Britain’s best players opting to ply their trade elsewhere. That included Mark Hughes, who’d spent time with Terry Venables at Barcelona, and faced his former side in the Cup Winners’ Cup Final – in his first season back at Manchester United.
The striker opened the scoring at Rotterdam’s De Kuip stadium after 67 minutes, before Hughes rounded goalkeeper Carles Busquets and fired in from a tight angle for the second.
Ronald Koeman pulled one back for Barça with a long-range free-kick, and the Catalan side had a goal disallowed and a shot cleared off the line late on. But United held on to claim their first European trophy since humankind had walked on the moon.
5. Manchester United 4-0 Porto, 1997 CL quarter-final
Porto had taken 16 points from a possible 18 in the group stage, and were among the favourites to win the competition, but the Portuguese outfit were vanquished by an Eric Cantona-inspired United in their quarter-final first leg.
David Beckham and Ryan Giggs played wide, with Cantona, Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all in the starting line-up. Obviously, given the frontline on show, it was David May who opened the scoring by bundling in from close range, before Cantona seized on a defensive mistake to fire past keeper Hilario – later of Chelsea's bench.
In the second half, Cantona started a counter-attack with a delicious pass down the line for Cole, who fed Giggs to fire in; then the Frenchman released Cole with a beautifully weighted pass for No.4. Job done, but it was United's last continental goal that season: after a 0-0 in Portugal, they lost each semi-final leg 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund.
4. Manchester United 4-0 Milan, 2010 CL last 16
David Beckham returned to Old Trafford as an opposition player, but was powerless to stop his Milan side - starring Andrea Pirlo and Ronaldinho - from being swept away by an imperious United in this last-16 clash.
Ferguson’s men had won the first leg 3-2 at San Siro, and took control here thanks to another masterclass from Wayne Rooney, who’d scored twice in the first leg. He headed in a trademark cross from deep by Gary Neville, then poked home after great work down the left by Nani. Park Ji-sung added a third, and Darren Fletcher a fourth to take United into the quarters – where they fell on away goals to old foes Bayern Munich.
3. Manchester United 7-1 Roma, 2007 CL quarter-final
Alex Ferguson has said that this was United’s best performance in Europe under him, and it’s easy to see why. Roma had won the first leg 2-1, but were demolished in the second game.
The hosts were 4-0 up by half-time. Michael Carrick had opened the scoring after 11 minutes with a no-backlift curler of which Ronaldinho would have been proud, before Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo joined the fun.
The Portuguese grabbed a second second shortly after half-time, before a cracker from Carrick made it 6-0. Daniele De Rossi pulled one back with a fine volley, before Patrice Evra’s deflected strike made it seven. United advanced to face Milan in the semis – but after squeezing out a 3-2 home win, collapsed 3-0 in Italy.
2. PSG 1-3 Manchester United, 2019 CL last 16
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got himself off to a flying start as Manchester United manager after taking charge in December 2018, but a 2-0 home loss to PSG was a rare blot on the Norwegian's copybook. In fairness to Ole, the Ligue 1 giants' comfortable triumph at Old Trafford evidenced a gulf in class which had been steadily widening over the last few years.
Or so everybody thought, anyway. Few gave a Paul Pogba-less United a chance in the return meeting – no side in European competition had ever overturned a 2-0 home defeat from the first leg – but Romelu Lukaku's brace and Marcus Rashford's controversial VAR-assisted injury-time penalty completed one of the most impressive turnarounds in club history. "We can go all the way now," Solskjaer beamed after the game.
They lost 4-0 on aggregate to Barcelona in the next round. Never mind then.
1. Juventus 2-3 Manchester United, 1999 CL semi-final
United had escaped from Old Trafford with a 1-1 draw in the first leg of this 1999 semi-final, but found themselves 2-0 down inside 11 minutes of the second.
After 34 minutes, Cole crossed for Yorke to head home an equaliser which put United in the final on away goals. They then hit both posts on the counter-attack, before Cole finally sealed the tie, tapping in from a tight angle after Yorke had rounded the keeper and been brought down. United were through to the final – and history awaited.
