The 6 teams we can’t believe have a 100% record against Manchester United
Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in world football because of their history of success, but even the best teams have a kryptonite.
Even with their massive decline since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, which has seen the Red Devils record their two lowest finishes in Premier League history, getting a win over United is still an immensely difficult task for most teams and is always the story of the day when somebody does manage it.
There are currently just six teams in world football who can boast an extremely rare 100% record over United. Read on to find out who’s in the exclusive club.
Fleetwood Rangers
Starting as far back as 1886, United – who were still known as ‘Newton Heath’ at this point – played their first competitive match since forming 10 years earlier in the first round of the FA Cup against the now-defunct Fleetwood Rangers.
The game ended 2-2, resulting in a need for extra time to determine a winner. Newton Heath refused to play extra time, however, thus Fleetwood Rangers were awarded the win.
The two sides never played again and so the 100% record remains forever etched into United’s history.
Bootle Reserves
Four years after a messy FA Cup defeat on a technicality, Newton Heath were beaten clean in the second qualifying round by Merseyside-based Bootle Reserves in 1890.
Bootle won the game 1-0 and it remains the only fixture ever played between the two sides, with the modern-day Bootle FC playing their football in the Northern Premier League Division One West.
Vasco da Gama
After the defeat to Bootle, it took a name change and another 110 years for a third team to make a 100% record against United stick.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side played Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama in the FIFA Club World Cup in the season following their historic treble, but were stunned as they fell to a 3-1 defeat in Japan.
A catalogue of defensive errors saw Romario bag a first-half brace before Edmundo made it 3-0 before half-time, meaning Nicky Butt’s second-half goal was little more than consolation.
You guessed it – they’ve not played Vasco since.
Southend United
One of two English sides to hold a 100% record against United, Southend joined the club in 2006 when Freddy Eastwood’s free-kick was the difference in the Carling Cup fourth round.
To make matters even more spicy, United were the defending champions of the cup at the time, but failed to even make it to the quarter-final thanks to the then-Championship side who were winless in 12 league games heading into the clash at Roots Hall.
Southend took Tottenham to extra time at White Hart Lane before being knocked out by a strike from Jermain Defoe, but can still boast their unique stat over United.
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Zenit St. Petersburg
Goals from Danny and Pavel Pogrebnyak secured a 2-1 win for Zenit St. Petersburg in the 2008 Super Cup, just months after United had won the Champions League for a third time. What a pair of names. Proper pub quiz fodder.
Nemanja Vidic made things interesting with a goal after 73 minutes, but United were unable to fight back and ended the game with 10 men as Paul Scholes punched the ball into the net in the dying embers of the game, resulting in his dismissal.
The Red Devils were second best on the day in Monaco and Scholes’ lack of care reflected the team’s performance. The two sides haven’t played since, meaning a poor showing remains a piece of history.
MK Dons
Surprisingly, just one side has managed to join the 100% record club in the post-Ferguson era at United, even if a few have threatened it.
United fans still shudder at the mere mention of MK Dons, not because they’re all staunch Wimbledon sympathisers, but because ‘The Dons’ sent Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils packing in a 4-0 thrashing in the League Cup in August 2014.
Will Grigg was at the double, as was Arsenal loanee Benik Afobe to dump United out of the cup in embarrassing fashion at the Stadium MK.
Van Gaal had rotated his XI, but still started the likes of David de Gea, Jonny Evans, Shinji Kagawa, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez.