Manchester United trailed Aston Villa by two goals after just three minutes and 40 seconds, the earliest they had ever been 2-0 down in the Premier League. Yet the match at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon still produced an eight-goal thriller and an instant Premier League classic, with both sides scoring four goals each.
While the result will not define either side’s season, it will be remembered for years to come. It was only the 29th time in Premier League history that both teams had scored four goals in the same match.
It was not the first time United have been involved in a high-scoring Premier League encounter. Last December, they had to settle for a share of the points against Bournemouth after another game in which eight goals were shared. In Sir Alex Ferguson’s final match in charge of United in May 2013, they drew 5-5 with West Brom at The Hawthorns.
But where does Sunday’s match rank among the other remarkable games witnessed down the years?
The classics
Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle (3 April 1996)
Newcastle lost a classic in stoppage time at Anfield despite having led twice. Having blown a 10-point lead at the top of the table, their title hopes suffered a major blow, and the result played a major part in the outcome of the title race, which Manchester United eventually won.
Manchester City 3-2 QPR (13 May 2012)
In an extraordinary conclusion to the 2011-12 campaign, Manchester City scored twice in stoppage time to beat Queens Park Rangers on the final day and win their first title in 44 years. Sergio Aguero’s late winner ensured City pipped rivals Manchester United, who had already won that day, to the trophy on goal difference.
Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal (21 April 2009)
On another remarkable evening at Anfield, Andrey Arshavin produced a stunning individual display, netting all four goals for the Gunners and delivering a serious blow to Liverpool’s title ambitions.
Manchester United 4-4 Aston Villa
United seemed dead and buried, not once but twice, as they trailed Europa League winners Aston Villa 2-0 and then 4-2 at Old Trafford. Late strikes from substitutes Joshua Zirkzee and then Patrick Dorgu, deep into stoppage time, may have rescued not only a point but also Michael Carrick’s job as United manager.
Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal (5 February 2011)
Arsenal were 4-0 up and cruising at half-time as they looked to chase down league leaders Manchester United. However, Abou Diaby was then sent off for the Gunners, and Newcastle produced a stunning comeback to earn an improbable draw, with Cheick Tiote’s thumping 87th-minute strike clinching the point.
Memorable routs and comebacks
Newcastle 5-0 Manchester United (20 October 1996)
Manchester United had beaten Newcastle to the title the previous season, so this felt like payback for Kevin Keegan and his players. They had also suffered a 4-0 reverse to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side at Wembley in the Charity Shield just weeks earlier. Philippe Albert rounded off the win with a superb chip.
Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United (29 September 2001)
Manchester United staged a magnificent comeback from 3-0 down at the break to overwhelm Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege scored for the hosts, but a transformed United hit back through Andy Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham.
Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (21 September 2009)
Michael Owen’s winner, deep into stoppage time, gave Manchester United a dramatic victory in a classic derby at Old Trafford. The moment prompted Ferguson to set off on an impromptu wild dance along the touchline. City boss Mark Hughes, whose side had come from behind three times, questioned why the game had gone on for six added minutes rather than the four allocated.
Leeds 4-3 Liverpool (4 November 2000)
Liverpool had gone 2-0 up early on through Sami Hyypia and Christian Ziege, but Mark Viduka scored either side of half-time to drag Leeds level. Vladimir Smicer restored Liverpool’s advantage, before two goals in three minutes from Viduka secured an incredible win for the hosts.
Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool (5 May 2014)
Title-chasing Liverpool had just lost to Chelsea at Anfield but took a commanding 3-0 lead at Selhurst Park. They squandered that advantage in a chaotic final 11 minutes, leaving Luis Suarez in tears at the final whistle. Manchester City went on to win the league by two points.
Title-deciding and rivalry thrillers
Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United (9 November 1997)
On a tight pitch and in a packed Highbury, Nicolas Anelka and Patrick Vieira put the Gunners two goals up, only for the champions to draw level through two Teddy Sheringham efforts. In a season when Arsene Wenger’s side were to wrestle the title away from Manchester, David Platt scored the winner.
Arsenal 2-4 Manchester United (1 February 2005)
Most people remember this game for the fiery exchange between captains Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane in the tunnel before kick-off, but the 90 minutes were just as thrilling. Vieira opened the scoring for Arsenal before an Ashley Cole own goal pegged them back. Dennis Bergkamp helped the hosts retake the lead, before two goals from a young Cristiano Ronaldo and a delightful John O’Shea chip stunned Arsene Wenger’s side.
Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham (2 May 2016)
This match meant most to a side not involved. Two first-half goals from Harry Kane and Heung-min Son gave Tottenham hope of catching Leicester City at the business end of the season. But Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard scored to start the celebrations for Jamie Vardy and his Leicester team-mates, as tempers flared in the second half of a match dubbed the ‘Battle of the Bridge’.
A recent classic
Manchester United 4-4 Bournemouth
Manchester United and Bournemouth produced another Premier League classic at Old Trafford. The hosts led three times and thought they had won the game when they scored twice in 129 seconds to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 advantage. But Eli Junior Kroupi’s strike in the 84th minute pegged Ruben Amorim’s side back once again, and both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils.