Man United’s humiliating cup defeats: Palace, Leeds, Southampton, Coventry, Bournemouth and more
Four-time League Cup winners Man United were shocked by Championship side Crystal Palace in the 2010/11 competition, losing 2-1 to the Eagles at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals. Alex Ferguson said afterwards that he "offered my apologies to the fans, because this was not a Manchester United performance". If that's the case, he may have forgotten about these matches…
MAN UNITED 0 Leeds United 1, FA CUP THIRD ROUND, JANUARY 2010
In 1992 Man United battled with Leeds on all three domestic fronts, knocking their Yorkshire rivals out of both cups en route to League Cup glory, but were pipped to the First Division title as Leeds were crowned champions. When the two teams met in the FA Cup third round 18 years later, things were very different, with the Red Devils by now defending champions and Leeds in the third tier. No one gave Simon Grayson's side a prayer, but Jermaine Beckford's goal gave Leeds an improbable win and sent their suffering fans wild with joy.
Southampton 1 MAN UNITED 0, FA CUP FINAL, MAY 1976
After the trauma of relegation in 1974, United had bounced back into the top flight at the first attempt in 1975 and 12 months later were poised to lift the FA Cup. At least, that was how the script was supposed to work out, as Tommy Docherty's United faced Second Division Southampton at Wembley. The Saints went marching on, however, and a goal from Bobby Stokes upset the odds.
YORK CITY WIN 4-3 ON AGGREGATE, LEAGUE CUP SECOND ROUND, OCTOBER 1995
Alex Ferguson's decision to give some of his fringe players a run-out - including Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Phil Neville, plus Ryan Giggs - could easily have been blamed for Manchester United conceding three goals at Old Trafford in the first leg of this League Cup second round tie with York City in 1995. However, when United travelled to York for the second leg with their strongest team and put three goals on the board, York still made it through to the next round after a 3-1 defeat for the Minstermen made it 4-3 on aggregate and gave them a famous scalp.
Bournemouth 2 MAN UNITED 0, FA CUP THIRD ROUND, JANUARY 1984
Harry Redknapp has a good record against Man United in the FA Cup, knocking the Red Devils out at Old Trafford with both West Ham and Portsmouth, but his finest victory came way back in 1984 when he guided Third Division Bournemouth past United. Ron Atkinson's United were FA Cup holders when they travelled to Dean Court and would go on to win the trophy again in 1985, but goals from Milton Graham and Ian Thompson meant humiliation for a team boasting the likes of Bryan Robson, Ray Wilkins and Norman Whiteside.
SOUTHEND 1 MAN UNITED 0, LEAGUE CUP FOURTH ROUND, NOVEMBER 2006
Southend were struggling at the bottom of the Championship in a season that would see them go down, but that didn't stop them spoiling Alex Ferguson's celebrations for his 20 years at Manchester United. A remarkable 30-yard free-kick from Southend's Freddy Eastwood put the Shrimpers in front in the first half and that's how it stayed. Despite the presence of 11 Man United internationals, including Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, two magnificent saves from Southend's goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan denied the League Cup holders and provided 11,000 fans at Roots Hall with a story to tell the grandkids.
MAN UNITED 0 COVENTRY 2, LEAGUE CUP THIRD ROUND, 2007
Following a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League, Fergie changed his entire team for the visit of Championship side Coventry City, who took full advantage. New £17m signing Nani couldn't make his mark on the game and a young squad that also included Gerard Pique and Anderson could not stop the Sky Blues' Michael Mifsud from scoring a brace, leaving the 11,000 travelling fans cheering.