20th September, 2022
Nigerian football fans readily agree Man United is one of the most followed football clubs in West Africa. Why wouldn’t Nigerians love Man United?
Manchester United is arguably the biggest club in English football. The club has won 66 senior trophies, including 20 league titles, 12 FA Cups, 3 UEFA Champions League, and 1 Club World Cup.
Indeed, punters regularly tap into the finest odds on Man United matches on mobile betting platforms like the 22bet app.
But despite the club’s rich history, Nigerian Man United fans have been bemused at the downward spiral the club has suffered in recent seasons, even being thrashed infamously by supposedly minnows like Brighton.
In this somber state Man United finds itself, let us look back at some of the worst defeats Nigerian Red Devil fans would never forget.
1. Manchester United 0-7 Aston Villa 27, December 1930
Manchester United’s biggest league defeat came on December 27, 1930, at Villa Park in front of 32,505 fans. The club wasn’t a powerhouse in English football then, and they were relegated that season. Braces from George Brown, Erik Houghton, John Mandley, and a goal from Joe Beresford were enough to sink Manchester United.
It wasn’t the first time the club has suffered a 7-0 loss, but it’s their most recent in the first division. Manchester United lost by the same score line to Blackburn Rovers in 1926 and Wolves in 1931.
Their loss to Blackburn Rovers was a division 1 game, while the one to Wolves happened in the second division.
2. Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City, October 23 2011, EPL
While the previous defeat was a bit old, this one remains fresh on our minds.
It was a Sunday afternoon in Old Trafford, and the atmosphere was electric with the stage set for the Manchester derby.
Both fans were in high spirits at least until the later stages of the match when it became clear that Manchester City prepared themselves to destroy.
Mario Balotelli opened the scoring with a well-guided finish before adding a second with an easy tap-in. Edin Dzeko, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero all scored, completing the rout.
Jonny Evans’s red card in the 46th minute for a professional foul on Mario Balotelli compounded the Red Devils’ misery. Darren Fletcher scored, but his lone goal couldn’t do much to stop a riot at Old Trafford.
3. Manchester United 0-4 Barcelona UEFA Champions League Group Stages 1994-95 Season
The older Man United fans should remember this one. Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United faced Johan Cryuff’s Barcelona in a group stage clash in the 1994-95 season, during the team’s UEFA Champions league debut.
They lost 4-0, courtesy of goals from Stoichkov, Romario, and Albert Ferrer. It remains the club’s highest defeat in the competition to this day.
The goals galore allowed Barcelona to proceed to the knockout stages of the competition on goal difference as they later finished on equal points with Manchester United. Manchester United won the competition four years later, but it doesn’t make the 1994-95 loss any less embarrassing.
4. Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool 24th, October 2021
Let us face it. This is one of the most painful memories every Nigerian Man United fan has suffered.
Any team can lose at home but losing 5-0 at home to one of your biggest rivals is a wound that may never heal.
Manchester United endured their worst season in the EPL during the 2021/22 campaign, one with horrible memories that the club can’t easily forget.
Liverpool began dominantly and would do so for the rest of the game as the Red Devils were left wondering where they went wrong. Mohammed Salah became the first opposition player to score an EPL hat trick at Old Trafford, with Naby Keita and Diogo
Jota helping themselves to a goal each. Many pundits and fans agree that the result was one of the most humiliating ones in English football.
5. Manchester United 0-4 Brentford, August 13 2022, EPL
This is regrettably the freshest. Manchester United has suffered heavier defeats on multiple occasions, but the circumstances surrounding the match are why it’s on this list.
It came at a time when high expectations were in the team as the club had brought in a new manager to turn the 2021/22 season’s nightmare around.
However, things didn’t go as expected as they lost their first game at home to Brighton 2-1, who had beaten them 4-0 towards the end of last season, before being embarrassed by Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium. David De Gea gifted two goals in 8 minutes to the bees before Ben Mee and B.
Mbuemo scored a 35 minutes screamer to seal Manchester United’s worst start to the league in 30 years.
Rounding things up, in football, you either win or lose. But it hits different when a team loses by a huge goal margin.
While these are some of the worst defeats in Manchester United history, they aren’t necessarily the biggest. The club has suffered some less humiliating heavy losses in its history, but the ones listed above are the most impacting.