Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated 25 years of managing Manchester United last week. In that time he has overseen scores of players and sat through more than a thousand matches. There has also been the not insignificant collection of 37 trophies. Sports reporter (and Manchester United fan) Steve Hepburn looks at five matches which have defined the big Scot's career at the club.
• V Nottingham Forest, third round of FA Cup, January, 1990, won 1-0
It may seem hard to believe but this win over a plucky Nottingham Forest side saved Ferguson from being fired.
He had been given the dreaded vote of confidence by the board but his side was drifting along and after spending more than 12 (NZ$24.5 million) in players - just pocket change these days - winning the league was pie-in-the-sky stuff.
Going out in the FA Cup would have spelt the end, surely. But plucky Mark Robins - a poor man's Paul Scholes - managed to nip in to score the goal to win the game. The team went on to win the trophy to relieve the pressure on Ferguson.
• V Sheffield Wednesday, premier league, April, 1993, won 2-1
How the mighty have fallen. Sheffield Wednesday is now somewhere down in the old division three, with no money and no names. But back in the early 1990s it was a force and often had the measure of United.
It came to Old Trafford with plenty of confidence and took the lead. United's main rival for the title was Aston Villa - times have obviously changed - but if United could win this game it would be in the box seat.
And it was the old warhorse defender Steve Bruce who was the man of the hour. He had not scored for six months but with United trailing threw himself forward and scored an equaliser. Then a few minutes later he nabbed the winner and United was in the driver's seat. It then beat Blackburn to win its first league title for 26 years.
• V Juventus, European Cup, April, 1999, won 3-2
The European Cup was always the trophy Ferguson dearly wanted. After 20 minutes in Turin in the semifinal those plans looked as dead as a dodo. After drawing the first leg 1-1 at Old Trafford, United went behind 2-0 to the Italian giant. But it was not time to throw in the towel.
Roy Keane nipped in with a great header and then Dwight Yorke scored a classy equaliser. With United ahead on away goals, Juventus pushed forward but could not score. Andy Cole put the icing on the cake with a goal in the dying minutes to seal a famous victory.
United went on to clinch the trophy with its infamous two goals in the final three minutes against Bayern Munich.
• V Chelsea, Champions League final, May, 2008, won 6-5 on penalties
It seemed somewhat illogical for two English teams to travel over numerous time zones to Moscow to play a final but such are the politics of the game.
There was plenty of drama before handover whether the Russians had the ability to stage the final and some planes from the United Kingdom never got off the ground. The pitch was newly laid and cut up rough but it was the same for both teams.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was coming to the end of a top, top season, score a classy headed goal to put his side ahead. But after confusion at the back, Frank Lampard equalised for Chelsea late in the first half and neither side could find the net again.
It went to penalties and Ronaldo missed. John Terry had the chance to win it for Chelsea but slipped and his shot hit the outside of the post. Nicholas Anelka then fluffed his shot and United won the trophy.
• V Manchester City, premier league, October, 2011, lost 6-1
In five years' time this could be regarded as the day Ferguson slid off his peak, or as just a mere blip. Loaded with cash, which led to a quality side, Manchester City came to Old Trafford and just simply took apart United which looked out of shape and out of ideas.
The scoreline blew out at the end but it was Ferguson's biggest defeat at any level. The question now is how will he respond or has the initiative gone to the blue half of the city. In today's game where money is everything and then more, City appears to be in the prime position to go on and win big. But match United? Just get 30 more trophies and maybe then.
