Two Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goals condemned Town to a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford. A dominating first half performance saw the Champions to victory, although Town came back much stronger in the second half.
Town lined up 4-4-2 with Gary Croft at right-back and Hermann Hreidarsson on the bench. Jermaine Wright returned to midfield after missing out at Maine Road in the week. Marcus Stewart recovered from his thigh injury and took his place up front with James Scowcroft.
United got their passing game together very quickly and the Blues were swiftly pegged back. Town had little in the way of attacking, but were holding United in defence. Until Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ryan Giggs carved an opening on fifteen minutes that is. John McGreal headed a long ball over the top out, but could only succeed in giving the ball to Solskjaer. He exchanged passes with Giggs before shimmying past Richard Wright and slipping the ball home.
Town continued to spend the majority of the time under pressure but were by no means overwhelmed in the way they had been on 1995, with McGreal and Venus probably our best players. Town were not getting their natural game together and rare attacks were coming to little.
United went two ahead on the half hour when David Beckham put a lovely ball over the top for Solskjaer. The Norwegian took the ball down well and stroked it past Richard Wright with Fabian Wilnis in his wake.
Wilnis was booked for a foul on Scholes, a decision which seemed harsh particularly as there were plenty of other worse tackles in a game which was never really nasty.
Half-time came with many Town fans suggesting a number of changes to the side, defensively we hadn’t looked too hot at times, while we had had little in attack. George Burley chose to make the change that worked so well against Southampton last week. Off went Jermaine Wright and on came Alun Armstrong.
Armstrong nearly had an immediate effect as he had at Portman Road. The former Middlesbrough player ran in on Fabian Barthez and hammered a shot which the keeper saved well. Town were looking much better with James Scowcroft adding more in the way of a link between the midfield and the forwards.
United gradually got more involved in the half and brought off Giggs for Healy. The Northern Irishmen went closest for United when he hit the post with a sharp header.
The Town fans began to taunt their United counterparts. All afternoon the lack of noise in the self-styled ‘Theatre of Dreams’ was very conspicuous, the ‘Theatre of Silence’ would perhaps be more apt. The Tractor Army offered to sing a song for the ‘cockney’ fans and went into a loud and not entirely well-received rendition of the Liverpool anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Hermann Hreidarsson replaced Wilnis, presumably a cautionary measure as the Dutchman was on a yellow card. Mark Venus had also received a yellow card after he had won the ball from Scholes. Referee Bennett seemed far more keen to award United freekicks all afternoon with a first half foul on Marcus Stewart going unpunished a particularly memorable moment.
Town continued to push for a goal as the time ran out. Crosses flew into the box for Armstrong, Scowcroft and Stewart, but I think all Town fans knew that by then it was too late. Referee Bennett blew his whistle and Town were down to fifth. We trooped out of the ground contemplating that we a) are fifth and b) did a lot better here than we had the previous time we played here.