Manchester United isn’t doing very well these days. It is lagging behind in the Premier League, and it suffered a couple of defeats in the UEFA Champions League, sitting at the bottom of Group A with zero points at the time of writing. Things look pretty bleak, which makes this the best time to remember the high points in the club’s history: the biggest wins United ever achieved. And there are quite a few to remember.
8-1 Against QPR in March 1969
Playing at home is an advantage for a team – they are well rested, without the need to travel, they play on their own turf (literally), and in front of their own fans cheering. Playing at home was certainly an advantage for United on March 19, 1969, when they were visited by Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford.
United opened the scoreboard, then proceeded to score seven more – three of them by Willie Morgan, and two by George Best. QPR only managed to score once, making this one of the most resounding victories in Division I.
1-8 Against Nottingham Forest in February 1999
United started the month in the top spot of the Premier League table, overtaking Chelsea by one point. Then it visited Nottingham Forest at City Ground on the 6th for a match that would end in one of their most resounding victories.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjær came on in the 74th minute, head coach Jimmy Ryan told him not to do anything stupid – just hold on to the ball. He didn’t listen: he proceeded to score four more goals.
9-0 Against Ipswich Town in March 1995
Only a handful of Premier League matches ended with a score of 9-0, and two of them were played by Manchester United. The first one was the one played at home against Ipswich Town on March 4th, 1995.
United was expected to win – no sane online sports betting enthusiast would’ve bet against them, given that they were second on the table at the time, and Ipswich was second to last. But nobody expected United to hand out such a beating to The Tractor Boys.
Andy Cole joined United just a couple of months before in a record-breaking transfer deal. He more than showed his worth in this match, scoring five of the nine goals.
9-0 Against Southampton in February 2021
United’s lineup for 2021’s match against Southampton on February 2nd was stunning, with Rashford, Cavani, Martial, and Pogba on the turf. United was second in the Premier League at the time, after an incredible run of just one loss in 16 matches.
The game was stunning, with seven different players scoring (plus Southampton’s Jan Bednarek scoring an own goal).
10-0 Against Anderlecht in September 1956
For the most resounding win in United’s history, we have to go back almost seven decades. It was the 1956/1957 season of the European Cup, the predecessor of the UEFA Champions League. United was in a group with clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Spora Luxembourg, and Anderlecht in the preliminary round.
United visited Anderlecht on September 12, 1956, winning 0-2 in the first leg. In the second leg, in turn, Anderlecht travelled to Maine Road and left with one of the most humiliating losses in its history: United beat them 10-0. Dennis Viollet scored four goals in the match – he was the top goalscorer of the season, with a total of nine.
United then advanced to the semifinals where they ultimately lost to Real Madrid.
