WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

How Manchester United Have Responded To Home Losses In The League

365 Special By Sarah Winterburn

LIVERPOOL'S victory at Old Trafford on Sunday was famously the first home defeat Manchester United have suffered in the Premiership in two years. Not only that - but it was only the seventh of its kind over the last six years.

The bad news for their Premiership title rivals is that these defeats did not spark a collapse in United's fortunes or lead to a crisis of confidence. Unfortunately for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds, United usually react by simply getting better and making sure it does not happen again for a long, loooooong time.

Gunners fans should look away now because United's record after their home league defeats does not make good reading for their would-be challengers:

December 17, 1994 - Manchester United 1 Nottingham Forest 2 As absurd as it sounds now, Forest once had a free-scoring Stan Collymore in their team and were capable of beating Manchester United at Old Trafford. This defeat ended a run of eight wins in nine games for a side inspired by Eric Cantona.

What Happened Next? Unbeaten in their next ten league games. Although they would be pipped to the title by Blackburn, United would not lose another Premiership game at Old Trafford for almost two years.

November 2, 1996 - Manchester United 1 Chelsea 2 Almost two years after their last home defeat (sound familiar?) a Gianluca Vialli-inspired Chelsea came calling and made it three consecutive defeats for United - leaving them in a lowly sixth and without any sign that they could retain their title.

What Happened Next? Just the 16 league games without defeat. That sequence saw United climb to the top of the table, a position they did not relinquish. A title which had looked highly unlikely came almost too easily in the end.

April 5, 1997 - Manchester United 2 Derby County 3 United had suffered one defeat in 19 league games before Derby's frankly staggering win at Old Trafford. Nobody gave County a chance - 'Rams to the slaughter' lines were everywhere - but Ashley Ward and Paulo Wanchope had other ideas, opening a two-goal half-time lead from which United could never quite recover.

What Happened Next? They scored 11 goals in their next four league games, remaining unbeaten until the end of the season to win the title by a comfortable seven points from Newcastle.

January 31, 1998 - Manchester United 0 Leicester City 1 A Tony Cottee goal gave United their first home league defeat of the season following their customary blip at Southampton's Dell in the previous game. This rare run of two consecutive defeats gave their title rivals some hope that the race was not yet over.

What Happened Next? A close shave at home to Bolton when an Andy Cole goal in the last five minutes saved them from another loss but then three victories without conceding a goal as United moved up a gear.

March 7, 1998 - Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1 Billed as the title decider, it did just that as a 70th minute goal from Marc Overmars made it three games without a victory for United. Although still top of the table after the massive defeat, Arsenal had three games in hand on the Red Devils and used them to great effect.

What Happened Next? Although they eventually lost the title to Arsenal, United did not lose another league game for the rest of the season - conceding only three goals in their last seven outings.

December 19, 1998 - Manchester United 2 Middlesbrough 3 Former Middlesbrough hero Bernie Slaven said he would bare his bum in a department store window if Boro won at Old Trafford. They did, he did (sort of, he kept his Y-fronts on) and the doom merchants predicted collapse for United as that defeat made it four league games without a win.

What Happened Next? United scored 23 goals in their next seven league matches, remained unbeaten in 20 games until the end of the season and won the championship by a point from Arsenal.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Answers

LR, that was exactly what went through my head when the final whistle went: I wish we weren't playing you in the next few weeks. I'm only glad Andy Cole will be out.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Will U be there on the 30th?

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Bernie Slaven's @rse Dougal. We will beat ManUre at SJP in a couple of weeks' time. They aren't the team they were. It showed yesterday when Taggart had to bring on those bairns. Where is their strength in depth? Having failed to get a decent CF (Shearer and more recently Van Nistelroy), a couple of setbacks and they can't score. And with Marcelino back in such great form after being so cruely injured by the Scum at OT, we will fear nowt.

PS. It's LR's roond. We'll tell yi wot that is when ye buy the drinks, LR ;-))

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Screach......our s"trength in depth" thing is mythical....but it's myth that scare teams so much that they crumble before you. Liverpool didn't need to crumble or play well....we were that crap without a target to hit. I can not believe just how crap we were without a recognisewd striker to hit.

Paul Scholes can not do it alone, OGs can not do it alone and Ryan looked feckin' cluless as a centre forward.

Now....not only do we have a gob-shite captain, but we have the "best passer of the ball in the world" (MYTH...but it works) wearing GLOVES.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Still, LR, we have to risk crippling our best foward so he can play - that's how much strength in depth we have... Yep, will be there on the 30th. I'm catching up with the "true faith" lads at some stage but I'll be in the Strawberry at some point.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000