Manchester United 2 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur
1998/99
Don’t look at the score to understand how important this victory was. Context is king here.
This was the final English Premier League game of that season. Manchester United were sitting top of the three and only needed to match Arsenal’s score (they were playing Aston Villa at the time) and they’d be champions. Anything else and the title was going to Highbury.
George Graham being the Spurs manager at the time added an element of intrigue as Graham was best known for being a former Arsenal manager who won the league title while at the club.
And the game took a dramatic twist in the 24th minute when Les Ferdinand put the ball past Peter Schmeichel to give Spurs the lead – with silence falling on Old Trafford. With Arsenal drawing 0-0 at the time, it meant that Arsenal would be crowned champions.
United went on the attack and equalised just before half-time when London born David Beckham equalised for the home side.
Two minutes after the restart, Andy Cole lobbed Ian Walker to cue madness within Old Trafford.
United held onto victory to secure the title. This was the first leg completed of an epic treble that followed shortly thereafter thanks to victories over Newcastle United in the FA Cup and Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
