Retro game: Man United’s title tilt

Wednesday, 30/11/2011

by Ger McCarthy

Date: April 10, 1993
Venue: Old Trafford
Competition: Premier League
Final Score: Manchester United 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1

Manchester United entered their crucial Premier League clash with Sheffield Wednesday one point behind pace-setters Aston Villa. Alex Ferguson’s side knew they had blown their previous title challenge during Easter 1992 following three consecutive defeats.

The signs looked ominous (despite a morale-boosting victory at Norwich the previous Monday) as United managed a paltry six points from their five preceding games heading in to their April meeting with Wednesday. A crowd of approximately 40,000 squeezed into Old Trafford which was in the process of being redeveloped to increase capacity on sun-kissed Easter afternoon.

The two sides were involved in a six-goal thriller in their previous League encounter at Hillsborough on December 26 where United found themselves 3-0 down to a rampant Wednesday at half time. Some verbal hair-dryer treatment from an angry Alex Ferguson inspired the Old Trafford club to mount a stirring comeback with a Brian McClair brace and an Eric Cantona effort rescuing a point in a 3-3 draw.

Wednesday kicked off without the services of striker David Hirst and midfielder Paul Warhurst while United were missing Russian winger Andrei Kanchelskis who was away on international duty. The opening half contained plenty of industrious play from both sides but Sheffield badly missed the cutting edge of Hirst up front despite John Sheridan and Chris Waddle producing plenty of dazzling passes and mazy dribbles from midfield.

Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs were involved in all of United’s best moments with the Welsh winger setting up Lee Sharpe and Mark Hughes only to be denied by some excellent goalkeeping from Chris Woods. The England international had an inspired afternoon between the sticks pulling off a series of top-class saves that looked set to earn Wednesday a share of the spoils.

The turning point on a nervous, edgy afternoon occurred when referee Mike Peck pulled a muscle and had to retire from officiating the match. A total of seven minutes elapsed while Peck received medical attention before linesman John Hilditch was handed the notebook, cards and whistle to see out the remainder of the fixture. Hilditch assumed control and was quickly thrust into the limelight by having to award Sheffield Wednesday a penalty in the 65th minute.

A trademark Waddle dribble took the former Newcastle and England winger into the United penalty area before a rash Paul Ince challenge saw Hilditch instantly point to the penalty spot. Sheridan stepped forward and clinically dispatched the spot-kick past Peter Schmeichel for a shock 1-0 lead.

The nervousness around Old Trafford was palpable following the concession of that opening goal and despite the home fans loud attempts to inspire a comeback it would take the introduction of club talisman Bryan Robson to kick-start the red devils’ remarkable comeback. United forced a corner in the 86th minute and central defender Steve Bruce rose highest to plant a header beyond Woods from Denis Irwin’s delivery.

The ground erupted following that Bruce equaliser but both the home fans and players knew another goal was needed to keep the pressure on Aston Villa as two points dropped at home would hand the initiative back to Ron Atkinson’s side.

United bombarded the Wednesday goal deep into injury time with six additional minutes passing due to the time it took to treat injured referee Mike Peck. Woods continued to perform heroically but was powerless to prevent United from grabbing a spectacular winner.

Ferguson pushed centre-backs Bruce and Pallister forward for the final dramatic moments. Another Irwin corner was hacked away by Phil King but Pallister raced to the right wing and retrieved possession. The ex-Middlebrough defender’s cross took a slight deflection which allowed his fellow centre-back Steve Bruce thump an unstoppable header into the top corner of the net.

Cue ecstatic celebrations from the United bench with Ferguson raising both arms aloft and assistant manager Brian Kidd leaping onto the pitch before dropping to his knees and looking up to the heavens in gratitude for the winner. It ended 2-1 to United with Wednesday’s players surrounding replacement referee Hilditch at the final whistle protesting the amount of time that had been added on.

The last-gasp victory spurred United on to claim the coveted Premier League title, finishing ten points clear of runners-up Aston Villa and 12 points ahead of Norwich City in third. Ferguson’s side lost only six times during the 1992-93 campaign, scoring a whopping 67 goals before deservedly securing their first league championship since 1967.

Sheffield Wednesday endured a torrid end to the 1993 season beginning with a disappointing League Cup final loss to Arsenal seven days after the Old Trafford league defeat. Worse was to follow for the Owls with a second Wembley loss at the hands of the Gunners occurring in May as George Graham’s side claimed the FA Cup after a replay. Seventh place in the Premier League proved scant reward for a talented Wednesday outfit that experienced two cup final losses under manager Trevor Francis.

Manchester United: Peter Schmeichel, Paul Parker, Denis Irwin, Steve Bruce, Lee Sharpe, Gary Pallister, Eric Cantona, Paul Ince, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs. Substitutes: Les Sealey, Mike Phelan, Bryan Robson.

Sheffield Wednesday: Chris Woods, Roland Nilsson, Nigel Worthington, Phil King, Carlton Palmer, John Sheridan, Viv Anderson, Danny Wilson, Chris Waddle, Nigel Jemson, Gordon Watson. Substitutes: Kevin Pressman, Chris Bart-Williams, Mark Bright.

Referee: Mike Peck

Replacement Referee: John Hilditch

Follow Ger on Twitter: @offcentrecircle

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