125th season in existence of Manchester United
Manchester United 2006?07 football season
The 2006?07 season was
Manchester United
's 15th season in the
Premier League
, and their 32nd consecutive season in the top division of
English football
.
[1]
United enjoyed a much more successful season than the previous three seasons, winning the
Premier League
by a six-point margin over
Chelsea
. They also reached the final of the
FA Cup
and the semi-finals of the
UEFA Champions League
, losing to Chelsea and
Milan
respectively. However, for all their success in the major competitions, the club was unable to defend the
League Cup
title they had won in 2005?06, losing to
Southend United
in the Fourth Round.
Manchester United were not only dominant on a team level in 2006?07, but also on an individual level, with eight United players earning spots in the
PFA Team of the Year
, as well as
Cristiano Ronaldo
picking up no less than eight individual awards for his performances over the season and
Sir Alex Ferguson
winning the Premier League's
Manager of the Season award
.
The 2006?07 season also marked the 50th anniversary of the
Busby Babes
' first foray into European competition. The event was marked by a
charity football match
, organised in collaboration with UEFA, who were commemorating 50 years since the signing of the
Treaty of Rome
, against a team of the best players from Europe's top clubs.
Pre-season and friendlies
[
edit
]
United began their pre-season in July 2006 with the
Vodacom Challenge
in South Africa, their first time in the country for
13 years
. The tournament involved matches against South Africa's top two teams,
Orlando Pirates
and
Kaizer Chiefs
, followed by a further match against the winner of a play-off between the two host sides. The Red Devils started well, beating Orlando Pirates 4?0 in their first game,
[2]
but almost came unstuck against Kaizer Chiefs, requiring an 83rd-minute goal from
Dong Fangzhuo
to secure the 1?0 win.
[3]
Kaizer Chiefs then beat Orlando Pirates in the play-off, and managed to hold a relatively sub-par United side to a 0?0 draw before beating them 4?3 on penalties.
[4]
The team then took their pre-season back to
Britain
, beating
Celtic
3?0 at
Parkhead
.
[5]
This was followed by a 2?1 defeat to
Preston North End
,
[6]
but the team bounced back to defeat
Macclesfield Town
2?1 two days later.
[7]
The start of August saw United take part in the
Amsterdam Tournament
, involving
Ajax
,
Inter Milan
and
Porto
. The Reds played two games in
Amsterdam
, beating both Porto and Ajax,
[8]
[9]
but the tournament will be remembered mostly for the sendings-off of both
Paul Scholes
? for a clumsy, mistimed challenge in the match against Porto ? and
Wayne Rooney
? who inadvertently caught Porto defender
Pepe
in the face with his hand as he jumped uncontested for a high ball. In accordance with
FIFA
disciplinary procedure, the red cards resulted in the pair missing the first three games of the season.
Back to Britain again, and a fixture against
Oxford United
was next up, which United won comfortably 4?1.
[10]
Finally, United returned home to
Old Trafford
on 12 August for their only home friendly of the 2006?07 pre-season. The visitors were
Sevilla
, who helped mark the official opening of Old Trafford's new North-West and North-East quadrants with a 3?0 win to United in front of a half-capacity crowd.
[11]
United played one more friendly during the 2006?07 season, the
UEFA Celebration Match
on 13 March. The match marked the 50th anniversary of the Busby Babes' first foray into European competition and 50 years since the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the treaty that laid the foundations for what became known as the
European Union
. The Red Devils took on a European XI, coached by the
2006 World Cup
-winning manager
Marcelo Lippi
. The original squad selected by Lippi was hit by last minute injuries and withdrawals by some big names like
Ronaldinho
and
David Beckham
, forcing replacements to be drawn from
Premier League
teams like
Bolton Wanderers
and
Portsmouth
at short notice.
Henrik Larsson
was named
captain
for the Europe XI, the day after his loan spell at Old Trafford came to an end. United started the game very brightly, finding themselves 4?1 up at half-time, thanks to goals from
Wayne Rooney
,
Cristiano Ronaldo
and
Wes Brown
. However, no further goals came for the home side as the visitors scored two consolation goals, leaving United as 4?3 winners.
[12]
Date
|
Opponents
|
H / A
|
Result
F?A
|
Scorers
|
Attendance
|
15 July 2006
|
Orlando Pirates
|
N
|
4?0
|
Solskjær
(2) 4', 43',
Richardson
57',
Seema
60' (
o.g.
)
|
|
18 July 2006
|
Kaizer Chiefs
|
N
|
1?0
|
Dong
83'
|
|
22 July 2006
|
Kaizer Chiefs
|
A
|
0?0
(3?4
p
)
|
|
|
26 July 2006
|
Celtic
|
A
|
3?0
|
Evans
8',
Scholes
(2) 61', 85'
|
|
29 July 2006
|
Preston North End
|
A
|
1?2
|
Solskjær
85' (
pen.
)
|
12,541
|
31 July 2006
|
Macclesfield Town
|
A
|
2?1
|
Rooney
46',
Campbell
71'
|
|
4 August 2006
|
Porto
|
N
|
3?1
|
Scholes
11',
Rooney
19',
Solskjær
73'
|
25,000
|
5 August 2006
|
Ajax
|
A
|
1?0
|
Giggs
76'
|
|
8 August 2006
|
Oxford United
|
A
|
4?1
|
Solskjær
6',
Ronaldo
(2) 13', 58',
Fletcher
15'
|
|
12 August 2006
|
Sevilla
|
H
|
3?0
|
Saha
63',
Ronaldo
88',
D. Jones
90'
|
40,134
|
13 March 2007
|
Europe XI
|
H
|
4?3
|
Rooney
(2) 6', 43',
Brown
9',
Ronaldo
35'
|
74,343
|
Premier League
[
edit
]
After an impressive pre-season, losing only two out of the ten games played, United began the Premier League season in earnest. Coming up against a
Fulham
side that had caused them so many problems in the past, United ran riot, scoring four goals inside the first twenty minutes at Old Trafford and eventually triumphing 5?1. Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals between them against Fulham, but the partnership was broken up for the next game against
Charlton
by Rooney's suspension, picked up in the friendly against Porto.
Nevertheless, United ran out 3?0 winners over the team that would end the season in 19th place, with goals coming from
Darren Fletcher
,
Louis Saha
and
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
, who scored his first Premiership goal since April 2003. August was rounded off with a 2?1 win away to
Watford
, the winner scored by
Ryan Giggs
, who was celebrating his 600th start for United.
The team carried this rich vein of form into September, narrowly beating
Tottenham
1?0 to make it four wins out of four. United's best start to a Premiership campaign came to an end, however, with the visit of
Arsenal
to Old Trafford. The Red Devils survived an early scare when new goalkeeper
Tomasz Kuszczak
saved a penalty he had given away when he brought down
Emmanuel Adebayor
, but Adebayor made amends for
Gilberto
's missed spot-kick by scoring the winning goal four minutes from time, and knocking United from the Premiership top spot for the first time in the season.
This minor slump in form continued against
Reading
the following weekend, United requiring a 73rd-minute equaliser from Cristiano Ronaldo to salvage a 1?1 draw. However, the Reds were not to be deterred and went on to win all four of their matches in October, starting with a 2?0 victory at home to
Newcastle
, both goals coming from Ole Solskjær. Wins against
Wigan
and arch-rivals
Liverpool
followed, and the month culminated with a 4?0 drubbing of
Bolton Wanderers
, Wayne Rooney scoring a hat-trick.
The winning streak went on for another three matches, against
Portsmouth
,
Blackburn
and
Sheffield United
, taking the total to seven wins in a row before the visit of reigning champions
Chelsea
to the Theatre of Dreams. United got off to a flying start with two goalscoring chances coming early on, before Saha scored the opening goal in the 29th minute. The French striker picked up a defence-splitting pass from Wayne Rooney, before taking the ball onto his left foot and passing it around Ricardo Carvalho and beyond
Carlo Cudicini
's reach into the bottom-left corner of the net. The only other goal of the game fell to Ricardo Carvalho, securing a point for Chelsea and maintaining the Blues' three-point deficit behind United at the top of the table.
Following the Chelsea draw, United won another three games on the bounce, including a 3?1 victory in the Manchester derby, extending the Reds' unbeaten run to 12 games and their lead at the top of the table to 8 points. However, a 75th-minute
Nigel Reo-Coker
goal for
West Ham United
brought about only United's second defeat of the season, and allowed Chelsea to close the gap at the top to two points. Nevertheless, the Red Devils recovered, bouncing back from that defeat and beating
Aston Villa
3?0 away from home. The match had many highlights, not least of which were Cristiano Ronaldo's dazzling form and a 25-yard volleyed goal from
Paul Scholes
, which was voted as the BBC's goal of the month for December 2006.
Ronaldo's contribution did not stop with his two goals against Villa, as he scored two more braces in his next two league games against Wigan and Reading. In fact, the Portuguese youngster won five out of the six Man of the Match awards for December, and he was named the Player of the Month for December.
The club's form was not immediately transferred into the new year as the Reds failed to beat Newcastle on New Year's Day, and then lost to Arsenal three weeks later. Fortunately, these two results were punctuated by emphatic wins over Aston Villa (3?1) and Watford (4?0). January 2007 also saw the arrival of
Celtic
and
Sweden
legend
Henrik Larsson
at Old Trafford. The striker was brought in to bolster United's thin strike force, of which the only fit members at the time were Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, whose increasing age and long-term knee injury caused him to be restricted to substitute appearances at the most.
February began with a trip to
White Hart Lane
to take on Tottenham. The match began slowly, with United having to wait until just before half-time for their first goal, a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty. Nemanja Vidi? scored the second just after the break, before Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs rounded off United's second four-goal haul in the space of a week. Unfortunately, the match ended badly for
Edwin van der Sar
, as he broke his nose bravely going into a challenge with
Robbie Keane
. United had already used all three of their substitutions, and were forced to put
John O'Shea
in goal. The Irish defender committed himself well to the task, and managed to keep a clean sheet, including one desperate save in a one-on-one with Robbie Keane.
After a 2?0 victory over Charlton, an away match at Fulham followed at the end of the month.
Brian McBride
put the Cottagers 1?0 up after 17 minutes, but Ryan Giggs managed to keep the Reds in the game with an equaliser just before the half-hour mark. Going into the last five minutes, the match looked like it was going to finish as a draw, and with Chelsea not playing that weekend, United couldn't afford to allow them any ground. Then, with two minutes to go, Cristiano Ronaldo received the ball near the halfway line and burst past the challenges of
Moritz Volz
and
Clint Dempsey
, before cutting into the area and smashing the ball along the ground into the bottom right hand corner of the net. The result put United nine points clear of Chelsea with ten games left in the season.
United then travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool in their next game. Despite losing Wayne Rooney through injury and having Paul Scholes sent off for a late clash with
Xabi Alonso
, John O'Shea gave United a winner in injury time after
Pepe Reina
had fumbled Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick. Edwin van der Sar had previously saved brilliantly from
Peter Crouch
. Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated the winner in his own unique fashion on the touchline, and it was easy to see why after his side had somehow fashioned a crucial three points.
Following the win at Anfield, United hosted Bolton Wanderers in their next game. United lost injured Gary Neville early on, but
Park Ji-sung
slid home from close-range after 14 minutes. The brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo ran through before setting up Rooney to chip in the second and then Park bundled home a third before the break. Rooney struck home again through a crashing volley.
Gary Speed
pulled a goal back with an 87th-minute penalty, but it was nothing more than a consolation goal for Bolton.
United ended March with another 4?1 home win, this time against Blackburn Rovers. Nemanja Vidi? was forced off with a broken collarbone, and the visitors found themselves a goal up a minute later, when
Matt Derbyshire
slotted home. Paul Scholes equalised when he fired in after 61 minutes, and a side-footed goal from Michael Carrick gave United the lead. Park pounced to add a third and an Ole Gunnar Solskjær drive completed United's comeback.
United opened April with a 2?1 loss to Portsmouth at
Fratton Park
.
Matt Taylor
gave Pompey the lead after Edwin van der Sar could only parry
Benjani
's shot. United pushed forward but
David James
denied Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs before Rio Ferdinand put Taylor's pass into his own net to put Pompey 2-0 up. John O'Shea replied with a goal from close range, but James denied United a last-gasp equaliser after saving from Alan Smith.
United opened a six-point advantage over rivals Chelsea with a comfortable home win against Sheffield United. Michael Carrick gave United the lead after four minutes, lifting Cristiano Ronaldo's pass over the advancing
Paddy Kenny
. Wayne Rooney doubled United's lead with an emphatic finish after 50 minutes.
Michael Tonge
came closest for the Blades, hitting the bar with a curling 20-yard drive two minutes from time.
United dropped two points in the title race with Chelsea with 1?1 draw at home with Middlesbrough. United took an early lead when Kieran Richardson slotted home after Wayne Rooney had collected Paul Scholes' pass and rounded Boro keeper
Mark Schwarzer
. However, in stoppage time in the first half, Boro got a deserved equaliser, as
Mark Viduka
's diving header beat Edwin van der Sar. United struggled to break Boro down after the break and were indebted to Van der Sar's save to thwart Viduka.
United finished April with a 4?2 win over Everton at
Goodison Park
, moving five points clear in the title race. Everton took the lead on 12 minutes when
Alan Stubbs
' free-kick was deflected in off Michael Carrick. On 50 minutes,
Manuel Fernandes
smashed into the top corner to double their lead but John O'Shea halved it when he swept in after
Iain Turner
's error. An own goal from United old boy
Phil Neville
levelled the scores before Wayne Rooney put United ahead and
Chris Eagles
sealed the win. The result meant United moved two points further away from Chelsea, who were held by Bolton 2-2, with three games to play.
Manchester United moved to within touching distance of the Premiership title after Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty gave them victory at Manchester City in United's first match in May. Ronaldo scored in the 34th minute after he was fouled by
Michael Ball
, who had earlier stamped viciously on him. City wasted their best chance when goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar saved
Darius Vassell
's penalty 11 minutes from time after Wes Brown fouled Ball. The following day, Chelsea's failure to beat Arsenal handed the title to United for the first time since 2003. It was also United's 9th Premiership title, and their 16th overall.
United played out a 0?0 draw against Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge
on 9 May. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Chelsea counterpart
Jose Mourinho
both fielded weakened sides, resting their senior players for the
FA Cup Final
(which Chelsea eventually won 1?0). Chelsea looked more likely winners
[
citation needed
]
in what was mostly a low-key encounter. United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak was erratic, but made several saves and
Kieran Lee
also cleared off the line from
Ben Sahar
in the closing minutes.
United finished their FA Premier League campaign with a 1?0 loss to West Ham United, who retained their Premier League status with a close range goal at half time from
Carlos Tevez
. Manchester United wasted a string of chances as West Ham fought fiercely for their top-flight status at the expense of Sheffield United, who lost to Wigan. West Ham stood firm to pull-off an amazing relegation escape and spoil Sir Alex Ferguson's title party.
Date
|
Opponents
|
H / A
|
Result
F?A
|
Scorers
|
Attendance
|
League
position
|
20 August 2006
|
Fulham
|
H
|
5?1
|
Saha
8',
Pearce
14' (
o.g.
),
Rooney
(2) 16', 64',
Ronaldo
19'
|
75,115
|
1st
|
23 August 2006
|
Charlton Athletic
|
A
|
3?0
|
Fletcher
49',
Saha
80',
Solskjær
90'
|
25,422
|
1st
|
26 August 2006
|
Watford
|
A
|
2?1
|
Silvestre
12',
Giggs
52'
|
19,453
|
1st
|
9 September 2006
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
H
|
1?0
|
Giggs
9'
|
75,453
|
1st
|
17 September 2006
|
Arsenal
|
H
|
0?1
|
|
75,595
|
2nd
|
23 September 2006
|
Reading
|
A
|
1?1
|
Ronaldo
73'
|
24,098
|
2nd
|
1 October 2006
|
Newcastle United
|
H
|
2?0
|
Solskjær
(2) 41', 49'
|
75,664
|
1st
|
14 October 2006
|
Wigan Athletic
|
A
|
3?1
|
Vidi?
62',
Saha
66',
Solskjær
90'
|
20,631
|
1st
|
22 October 2006
|
Liverpool
|
H
|
2?0
|
Scholes
39',
Ferdinand
66'
|
75,828
|
1st
|
28 October 2006
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
A
|
4?0
|
Rooney
(3) 10', 16', 89',
Ronaldo
82'
|
27,229
|
1st
|
4 November 2006
|
Portsmouth
|
H
|
3?0
|
Saha
3' (
pen.
),
Ronaldo
10',
Vidi?
66'
|
76,004
|
1st
|
11 November 2006
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
A
|
1?0
|
Saha
64'
|
26,162
|
1st
|
18 November 2006
|
Sheffield United
|
A
|
2?1
|
Rooney
(2) 30', 75'
|
32,584
|
1st
|
26 November 2006
|
Chelsea
|
H
|
1?1
|
Saha
29'
|
75,948
|
1st
|
29 November 2006
|
Everton
|
H
|
3?0
|
Ronaldo
39',
Evra
63',
O'Shea
88'
|
75,723
|
1st
|
2 December 2006
|
Middlesbrough
|
A
|
2?1
|
Saha
19' (
pen.
),
Fletcher
68'
|
31,238
|
1st
|
9 December 2006
|
Manchester City
|
H
|
3?1
|
Rooney
6',
Saha
45',
Ronaldo
84'
|
75,858
|
1st
|
17 December 2006
|
West Ham United
|
A
|
0?1
|
|
34,966
|
1st
|
23 December 2006
|
Aston Villa
|
A
|
3?0
|
Ronaldo
(2) 58', 85',
Scholes
64'
|
42,551
|
1st
|
26 December 2006
|
Wigan Athletic
|
H
|
3?1
|
Ronaldo
(2) 47', 51',
Solskjær
59'
|
76,018
|
1st
|
30 December 2006
|
Reading
|
H
|
3?2
|
Solskjær
33',
Ronaldo
(2) 59', 77'
|
75,910
|
1st
|
1 January 2007
|
Newcastle United
|
A
|
2?2
|
Scholes
(2) 40', 46'
|
52,302
|
1st
|
13 January 2007
|
Aston Villa
|
H
|
3?1
|
Park
11',
Carrick
13',
Ronaldo
35'
|
76,078
|
1st
|
21 January 2007
|
Arsenal
|
A
|
1?2
|
Rooney
53'
|
60,128
|
1st
|
31 January 2007
|
Watford
|
H
|
4?0
|
Ronaldo
20' (
pen.
),
Doyley
60' (
o.g.
),
Larsson
70',
Rooney
71'
|
76,032
|
1st
|
4 February 2007
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
A
|
4?0
|
Ronaldo
45' (
pen.
),
Vidi?
48',
Scholes
52',
Giggs
77'
|
36,146
|
1st
|
10 February 2007
|
Charlton Athletic
|
H
|
2?0
|
Park
24',
Fletcher
82'
|
75,883
|
1st
|
24 February 2007
|
Fulham
|
A
|
2?1
|
Giggs
29',
Ronaldo
88'
|
24,459
|
1st
|
3 March 2007
|
Liverpool
|
A
|
1?0
|
O'Shea
90+1'
|
44,403
|
1st
|
17 March 2007
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
H
|
4?1
|
Park
(2) 14', 25',
Rooney
(2) 17', 74'
|
76,058
|
1st
|
31 March 2007
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
H
|
4?1
|
Scholes
61',
Carrick
72',
Park
83',
Solskjær
90'
|
76,098
|
1st
|
7 April 2007
|
Portsmouth
|
A
|
1?2
|
O'Shea
90'
|
20,223
|
1st
|
17 April 2007
|
Sheffield United
|
H
|
2?0
|
Carrick
4',
Rooney
50'
|
75,540
|
1st
|
21 April 2007
|
Middlesbrough
|
H
|
1?1
|
Richardson
3'
|
75,967
|
1st
|
28 April 2007
|
Everton
|
A
|
4?2
|
O'Shea
61',
P. Neville
68' (
o.g.
),
Rooney
79',
Eagles
90'
|
38,610
|
1st
|
5 May 2007
|
Manchester City
|
A
|
1?0
|
Ronaldo
34' (
pen.
)
|
47,244
|
1st
|
9 May 2007
|
Chelsea
|
A
|
0?0
|
|
41,794
|
1st
|
13 May 2007
|
West Ham United
|
H
|
0?1
|
|
75,927
|
1st
|
Source:
Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C)
Champions
Notes:
- ^
Since both
finalists
of the
FA Cup
(Manchester United and Chelsea) and the
League Cup
winners
(Chelsea) were qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup spots were given to the 6th- and 7th-placed Premier League teams.
FA Cup
[
edit
]
Manchester United opened their FA Cup campaign against
Aston Villa
.
Henrik Larsson
opened the scoring ten minutes into the second half with a fine volley, his first goal in a Manchester United shirt.
Ryan Giggs
almost doubled United's lead when his free-kick hit the crossbar, before Villa substitute
Milan Baro?
equalised, when he slid a low shot in the corner. However,
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
gave United a last-minute winner, when an error from
Gabor Kiraly
allowed Solskjær to score with a tame shot.
United booked a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2?1 victory over
Portsmouth
. United were denied a goal when a header from
Nemanja Vidi?
crossed the line before being cleared by
Pedro Mendes
. Portsmouth were under the cosh for most of the game but hung on until
Wayne Rooney
came off the bench on the hour mark. Rooney tapped in a cross from Ryan Giggs to break the 0?0 deadlock, before doubling United's lead with an audacious chip over the head of
David James
.
Nwankwo Kanu
grabbed a consolation in the 87th minute when a shot from Mendes deflected off the Nigerian and
Tomasz Kuszczak
.
In the fifth round, United met
Reading
, who were managed by former Red
Steve Coppell
. The match was played on 17 February.
Michael Carrick
unleashed a shot from outside the edge of the box that rocketed past
Adam Federici
into the net to give United a first-half lead.
Cristiano Ronaldo
had three shots on goal in the opening minutes of the second half, but all of them went wide.
Brynjar Gunnarsson
scored against the run of play in the 67th minute to equalise for Reading, when he powered a header past Tomasz Kuszczak. Coppell's side managed to hold United to a draw and salvage a replay.
The replay against Reading was played on 27 February. Three goals in the first six minutes gave United a 3?2 victory.
Gabriel Heinze
opened the scoring after two minutes, when his 25-yard shot squeezed under Adam Federici's body.
Louis Saha
rifled in an angled volley to make it 2?0, before Ole Gunnar Solskjær slotted home a third. Reading pulled one back through
Dave Kitson
's header before
Leroy Lita
's late strike ensured a thrilling finish.
United met
Middlesbrough
in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The game was played on 10 March. Wayne Rooney put United ahead after 23 minutes with a low drive, but
Lee Cattermole
volleyed Boro level on the half-time point.
George Boateng
headed in Middlesbrough's second a minute after half-time, but then handled
Rio Ferdinand
's header in the 66th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo converted the subsequent penalty to hand United a replay.
The replay against Middlesbrough was played on 19 March. The game was at a 0?0 stalemate until the 76th minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo once again converted from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded when the winger was chopped down by behind from
Jonathan Woodgate
. The impressive
Mark Schwarzer
had twice thwarted Wayne Rooney when the striker had been put clean through with Boro on the back foot throughout. Boro substitute
James Morrison
was sent-off in injury time for a reckless lunge on Ronaldo. United won the game 1?0 to send them through to the last four.
United booked a ticket in the FA Cup Final with a 4?1 win over
Watford
. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring when he fired home an excellent 20-yard drive after just six minutes, but Watford equalised through
Hamer Bouazza
's overhead kick in the 26th minute. United restored their lead two minutes later when Cristiano Ronaldo bundled in Rooney's cross, and Rooney wrapped up the win with a close finish after 66 minutes. Substitute
Kieran Richardson
chipped in a fourth to secure United's place in the final.
United lost the
FA Cup Final
, the first FA Cup Final to be played at the new
Wembley Stadium
, 1?0 to
Chelsea
. The game was goal-less after 90 minutes, and looked set to be going towards penalties until
Didier Drogba
poked home a late winner in the 116th minute. Receiving
Mikel John Obi
's pass, Drogba clipped the ball to
Frank Lampard
before spinning into the box. The England midfielder delivered the perfect volleyed return to Drogba who nipped ahead of
Edwin van der Sar
before poking home. Chelsea tried to halt a United comeback, which was virtually impossible, for which Chelsea received three yellow cards. United could not find a goal to pull back, thus meaning that Chelsea were the first FA Cup winners at the new Wembley.
Date
|
Round
|
Opponents
|
H / A
|
Result
F?A
|
Scorers
|
Attendance
|
7 January 2007
|
Round 3
|
Aston Villa
|
H
|
2?1
|
Larsson
55',
Solskjær
90+1'
|
74,924
|
27 January 2007
|
Round 4
|
Portsmouth
|
H
|
2?1
|
Rooney
(2) 77', 83'
|
71,137
|
17 February 2007
|
Round 5
|
Reading
|
H
|
1?1
|
Carrick
45'
|
70,608
|
27 February 2007
|
Round 5 Replay
|
Reading
|
A
|
3?2
|
Heinze
2',
Saha
4',
Solskjær
6'
|
23,821
|
10 March 2007
|
Round 6
|
Middlesbrough
|
A
|
2?2
|
Rooney
23',
Ronaldo
68' (
pen.
)
|
33,308
|
19 March 2007
|
Round 6 Replay
|
Middlesbrough
|
H
|
1?0
|
Ronaldo
76' (
pen.
)
|
61,325
|
14 April 2007
|
Semi-final
|
Watford
|
N
|
4?1
|
Rooney
(2) 7', 66',
Ronaldo
28',
Richardson
82'
|
37,425
|
19 May 2007
|
Final
|
Chelsea
|
N
|
0?1
(
a.e.t.
)
|
|
89,826
|
League Cup
[
edit
]
As one of the eight FA Premier League teams involved in European competition in the 2006?07 season, Manchester United entered the League Cup in the third round. United were also the defending champions of the League Cup. The draw took place on 23 September, and United were given an away tie with
Football League One
side
Crewe Alexandra
. The match was played on 25 October, and United won 2?1 after extra time. United went ahead through
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
's 26th-minute strike, but the hosts grabbed an equaliser, when
Luke Varney
beat
Tomasz Kuszczak
in the 73rd minute to send the game to extra time. Substitute
Kieran Lee
struck a winner two minutes before the end, when he slid home
Alan Smith
's through ball.
The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 25 October, and United were given an away tie with
Football League Championship
side
Southend United
. The match was played on 7 November. However, Southend pulled off an upset win by winning 1?0 and dumping the holders out of the League Cup. The struggling Championship side booked their place in the Fifth Round thanks to a 30-yard free-kick from
Freddy Eastwood
in the 27th minute. United tried to respond, but
Cristiano Ronaldo
was denied by two saves from
Darryl Flahavan
.
David Jones
' drive then crashed against the post before
John O'Shea
saw Flahavan tip over his cross-shot. Southend clung on for a shock win.
UEFA Champions League
[
edit
]
Group stage
[
edit
]
The draw for the group stage of the Champions League took place on 24 August 2006. As one of the eight top ranked teams in Europe, Manchester United would avoid being drawn against defending champions
Barcelona
. They would also avoid facing
Inter Milan
,
Real Madrid
,
Milan
, the other English teams (
Arsenal
,
Liverpool
, and
Chelsea
(who were in Pot 2, but would still avoid facing United due to the 'country protection rule')), and others. However, they could still be drawn against
FC Bayern Munich
,
PSV
,
Celtic
and others. Eventually, United were drawn against Celtic,
Benfica
and
Copenhagen
.
United opened their 2006?07 UEFA Champions League campaign with an entertaining 3?2 victory over Celtic on 13 September.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
gave Celtic the lead with a low shot after 21 minutes. However, United equalised with a
Louis Saha
penalty, awarded when Celtic keeper
Artur Boruc
fouled
Ryan Giggs
, and United took the lead when Saha swept home both his and United's second goal. A free-kick from
Shunsuke Nakamura
pulled Celtic level, but an awful mistake from
Thomas Gravesen
just seconds into the second half allowed
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
to score a third goal for United.
United then travelled to face Benfica at the
Estadio da Luz
on 26 September. Despite being outplayed during the first half, while
Nuno Gomes
just off target, United ? who were wearing their white change kit ? took the lead through Louis Saha, who struck with a rising angled drive on the hour mark, giving United their first away win in the UEFA Champions League for almost three years. United took control after the goal, and forced Benfica keeper
Quim
into several fine saves in the dying stages.
For the first of their two matches with Copenhagen, United hosted the Danish champions at
Old Trafford
on 17 October. United won 3?0.
Paul Scholes
fire United ahead from 25 yards six minutes before the break, and
John O'Shea
doubled United's lead seconds after the break, when he bundled home
Cristiano Ronaldo
's corner. Poor goalkeeping from
Jesper Christiansen
allowed a tame shot from substitute
Kieran Richardson
to slide in eight minutes from time.
The return leg against FC Copenhagen was played on 1 November. A weakened United side lost 1?0. Former Aston Villa striker
Marcus Allback
poked home the winner after 73 minutes to leave United with more work needed to reach the knockout phase. And Sir Alex Ferguson's side had only themselves to blame for a lacklustre approach and a host of missed chances. John O'Shea and
Wayne Rooney
both wasted easy opportunities to score.
A second successive 1?0 loss, this time to Celtic, pushed United down to second place in Group F and qualified the Scottish champions for the UEFA Champions League knockout phase. Shunsuke Nakamura scored the only goal with nine minutes to go, when he curled a sweet 30-yard strike into the top corner of the net. United striker Louis Saha was guilty of a terrible miss when he appeared to assume he was offside. Things got worse for Saha when Celtic keeper Artur Boruc saved the Frenchman's last-minute penalty.
United qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout phase as winners of Group F with a 3?1 victory over Benfica. Benfica took the lead midway through the first half when
Nelson
drilled in a 25-yard stunner.
Nemanja Vidi?
drew United level with a fine header in stoppage time at the end of the first half, and Ryan Giggs put United ahead with another header, before Louis Saha finished off the scoring from 12 yards.
Date
|
Opponents
|
H / A
|
Result
F?A
|
Scorers
|
Attendance
|
Group
position
|
13 September 2006
|
Celtic
|
H
|
3?2
|
Saha
30' (
pen.
), 40',
Solskjær
47'
|
74,031
|
1st
|
26 September 2006
|
Benfica
|
A
|
1?0
|
Saha
60'
|
61,000
|
1st
|
17 October 2006
|
Copenhagen
|
H
|
3?0
|
Scholes
39',
O'Shea
46',
Richardson
83'
|
72,020
|
1st
|
1 November 2006
|
Copenhagen
|
A
|
0?1
|
|
40,000
|
1st
|
21 November 2006
|
Celtic
|
A
|
0?1
|
|
60,632
|
2nd
|
6 December 2006
|
Benfica
|
H
|
3?1
|
Vidi?
45+1',
Giggs
61',
Saha
75'
|
74,955
|
1st
|
Knockout phase
[
edit
]
The draw for the first knockout round of the Champions League was made on 15 December 2006 in
Nyon
,
Switzerland
. Manchester United, as group winners, could have faced teams such as
Barcelona
and
Internazionale
, but were eventually paired with
Lille
, whom they met in the group stage of last season's UEFA Champions League.
The first leg was played on 20 February 2007. United won 1?0, thanks to a controversial
Ryan Giggs
goal in the 83rd minute. Giggs curled in a quick free kick in the 83rd minute while the Lille players were still assembling their defensive wall. Lille players, furious that an earlier header by
Peter Odemwingie
had been ruled out, walked off the pitch as the last 16 first leg clash boiled over. They eventually returned, and United clung on for a crucial victory.
United propelled into the last eight of the UEFA Champions League thanks to a
Henrik Larsson
goal in the return game against Lille, played on 7 March. The Swedish forward was playing his final game at Old Trafford in a Manchester United shirt. In the first half, United had two good chances, but
Wayne Rooney
's shot was blocked and
John O'Shea
hit the bar. Lille grew in confidence but failed to capitalise as
Jean Makoun
wasted a header from six yards and Peter Odemwingie's header rattled the post. Larsson sealed victory in the 72nd minute when he headed home
Cristiano Ronaldo
's cross from the left.
The draw for the final stages, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, was held on Friday, 9 March 2007 in
Athens
,
Greece
. United were paired with
Roma
. The first leg took place on 4 April, and the second leg took place on 10 April. United and Roma were put on the same side of the draw with
Milan
and
Bayern Munich
, meaning that United will play either of the teams if they beat Roma.
In the first leg of the quarter-final with Roma,
Paul Scholes
was sent off in the 33rd minute, after fouls on
Christian Wilhelmsson
and
Francesco Totti
.
Rodrigo Taddei
gave Roma the lead with a deflected shot in the 44th minute. Wayne Rooney equalised coolly with his first UEFA Champions League goal since 2004, but
Mirko Vu?ini?
slid in Roma's second after 66 minutes for a slender lead.
However, the 2?1 loss to Roma was made redundant with a 7?1 thrashing of Roma in the second leg of the quarter-final.
Michael Carrick
curled in United's opener and
Alan Smith
fired home before Wayne Rooney added their third of the night, finishing off a superb move. Cristiano Ronaldo smashed home the fourth goal into the bottom corner and slid home a
Ryan Giggs
cross before Carrick fired home the sixth. Roma grabbed a consolation goal through
Daniele De Rossi
before
Patrice Evra
's low shot finished the scoring.
Meanwhile, a 2?2 draw at the
San Siro
and a 2?0 win at the
Allianz Arena
confirmed Milan's status as United's semi-final opponents. Manchester United's semi-final first leg, played on 24 April, was at home to Milan, and the game ended 3?2 to United. Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead with a fifth-minute header, but
Kaka
drew Milan level with an angled drive after 21 minutes, and gave Milan the lead from close range before the break. Wayne Rooney then turned in Paul Schole's cool pass on the hour to equalise, and won the game for United in the last minute, when he lashed a glorious 20-yard finish past
Dida
.
The return leg against Milan was played on 2 May at the San Siro. Despite winning the first leg, United lost 3?0. Milan were ahead on away goals in the 11th minute, when
Clarence Seedorf
headed down for Kaka to drill into the corner. Seedorf capitalised on confusion in the United defence to fire in a second after half an hour. And substitute
Alberto Gilardino
broke away to wrap up an easy win as United were eliminated from the Champions League.
Date
|
Round
|
Opponents
|
H / A
|
Result
F?A
|
Scorers
|
Attendance
|
20 February 2007
|
First knockout round
First leg
|
Lille
|
A
|
1?0
|
Giggs
83'
|
41,000
|
7 March 2007
|
First knockout round
Second leg
|
Lille
|
H
|
1?0
|
Larsson
72'
|
75,182
|
4 April 2007
|
Quarter-final
First leg
|
Roma
|
A
|
1?2
|
Rooney
60'
|
77,000
|
10 April 2007
|
Quarter-final
Second leg
|
Roma
|
H
|
7?1
|
Carrick
(2) 11', 60',
Smith
17',
Rooney
19'
Ronaldo
(2) 44', 49',
Evra
81'
|
74,476
|
24 April 2007
|
Semi-final
First leg
|
Milan
|
H
|
3?2
|
Ronaldo
5',
Rooney
(2) 59', 90+1'
|
73,820
|
2 May 2007
|
Semi-final
Second leg
|
Milan
|
A
|
0?3
|
|
78,500
|
Squad statistics
[
edit
]
Transfers
[
edit
]
United's first departure of the 2006?07 season was French forward
David Bellion
, who departed for
Nice
for an undisclosed fee on 1 July. A fortnight later,
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
signed for
Plymouth Argyle
for £200,000. A fortnight after the departure of Ebanks-Blake, striker
Ruud van Nistelrooy
left for
Real Madrid
. On 10 August, defender
Paul McShane
and goalkeeper
Luke Steele
both departed for
West Bromwich Albion
. At the end of August,
Liam Miller
signed for
Sunderland
.
United's only permanent arrival in the whole of the 2006?07 season was
Michael Carrick
, who signed from
Tottenham Hotspur
on 31 July for £13 million, although Polish goalkeeper
Tomasz Kuszczak
joined from
West Bromwich Albion
on an initial season-long loan, while Swedish striker
Henrik Larsson
came in on a 10-week loan from
Helsingborg
in January 2007.
During the winter transfer window,
David Jones
and
Tim Howard
left United after both had served four years at the club.
Loan in
[
edit
]
Loan out
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Manchester United Season 2006/07"
. StretfordEnd.co.uk
. Retrieved
8 October
2007
.
- ^
Davies, Paul (15 July 2006).
"Orlando Pirates 0 United 4"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Davies, Paul (18 July 2006).
"Kaizer Chiefs 0 United 1"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Bostock, Adam (22 July 2006).
"Kaizer Chiefs 0 United 0"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Bostock, Adam (26 July 2006).
"Match Report: Celtic 0 United 3"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Butler, Cliff (29 July 2006).
"Match Report: PNE 2 United 1"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Bartram, Steve (31 July 2006).
"Match Report: Macclesfield 1 United 2"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Hibbs, Ben (4 August 2006).
"Report: United 3 FC Porto 1"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Butler, Cliff (5 August 2006).
"Report: Ajax 0 United 1"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Butler, Cliff (8 August 2006).
"Report: Oxford 1 United 4"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Bostock, Adam (12 August 2006).
"Report: United 3 Sevilla 0"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Bostock, Adam (13 March 2007).
"Report: United 4 Europe XI 3"
.
ManUtd.com
. Archived from
the original
on 12 July 2012
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Carrick completes move to Man Utd"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 31 July 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Bellion seals permanent Nice deal"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 18 April 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Plymouth net striker Ebanks-Blake"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 14 July 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Van Nistelrooy seals Madrid move"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 28 July 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Man Utd clear up Kuszczak details"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 11 August 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Irish trio make Sunderland switch"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 31 August 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Rams bag Man Utd midfielder Jones"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 4 January 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Everton complete Howard transfer"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 14 February 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Man Utd capture Larsson on loan"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 1 December 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
McNulty, Phil (9 May 2006).
"Everton agree Howard loan signing"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Pique joins Zaragoza"
.
The Star (Malaysia)
. 5 August 2006. Archived from
the original
on 29 June 2011
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Coventry seal Steele loan switch"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 23 December 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Brøndby agree United loan deal"
.
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
. 8 November 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Keeper Foster makes Watford move"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 1 August 2005
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Man Utd's Martin moves to Rangers"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 11 August 2006.
Archived
from the original on 27 January 2011
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Rangers sign up Bardsley on loan"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 16 August 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Bartram, Steve (18 August 2006).
"Youngsters join Antwerp"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
Bostock, Adam (31 August 2006).
"Eagles off to Holland"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Newcastle swoop for Rossi on loan"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 30 August 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Colchester sign Man Utd youngster"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 27 October 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Sunderland clinch Evans loan deal"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 29 December 2006
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Oxford bring in Man Utd teenager"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 4 February 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
a
b
Bartram, Steve (30 August 2007).
"Youngster heads to Antwerp"
.
ManUtd.com
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Villa complete Bardsley loan deal"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 8 January 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Barnsley snap up Man Utd defender"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 8 January 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Man Utd confirm Rossi Parma loan"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 18 January 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Stoke sign Man Utd winger on loan"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 25 January 2007.
Archived
from the original on 27 January 2011
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Sunderland sign Simpson on loan"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 25 January 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
- ^
"Barnsley capture Man Utd prospect"
.
BBC Sport
. BBC. 12 February 2007
. Retrieved
30 January
2011
.
|
---|
|
National teams
| |
---|
League
competitions
| Level 1
| |
---|
Levels 2?4
| |
---|
Levels 5?6
| |
---|
Levels 7?8
| |
---|
Levels 9?10
|
- Combined Counties League
(
Premier
,
One
)
- Eastern Counties League
(
Premier
,
One
)
- Essex Senior League
(
level 9 only
)
- Hellenic League
(
Premier
,
One East
,
One West
)
- Kent League
(
level 9 only
)
- Midland Alliance
(
level 9 only
)
- Midland Football Combination
(
level 10 only
)
- North West Counties League
(
One
,
Two
)
- Northern Counties East League
(
Premier
,
One
)
- Northern League
(
One
,
Two
)
- Spartan South Midlands League
(
Premier
,
One
)
- Sussex County League
(
One
,
Two
)
- United Counties League
(
Premier
,
One
)
- Wessex League
(
Premier
,
One
)
- West Midlands (Regional) League
(
level 10 only
)
- Western League
(
Premier
,
One
)
|
---|
|
---|
Cup
competitions
| FA cups
| |
---|
Football League cups
| |
---|
|
---|
Other events
| |
---|
|
|