BEVERLY HILLS, December 21, (THEWILL) – This season, the English Premier League side Manchester United’s form at Old Trafford has often been a cause for worry for their fan base. From the very first game against Crystal Palace which they lost 3-1 at home on Saturday, September 19 to the embarrassing 6-1 walloping at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur in October, home matches had let them down plenty.
Why it was happening to a Man U side was baffling but explainable. Since the time it was christened the “Theatre of Dreams” by Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton, Old Trafford grew to become a source of nightmares for visiting managers and players.
Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson had built United into one of the world’s most successful clubs, and the iconic ground became Britain’s biggest club stadium, with a capacity of almost 76,000.
It was the fortress of thirteen Premier League titles, the grounds of Eric Cantona’s swagger, the home of Roy Keane’s drive, the domicile of Cristiano Ronaldo’s flair. United were formidable under Ferguson and Old Trafford was near impregnable. It evoked dread in the minds of opposing teams which meant United was already ahead in the mind.
With the exit of Ferguson and after a raft of coaches bereft of the commanding presence of the Scotsman, the fear factor dissipated and the losses came, losses to teams who never will have dreamt of a victory against United at the Theatre of Dreams. The audacity had switched from the hosts to the visitors and they came knowing United was beatable.
Twice in the UEFA Champions League group stages, that sentiment bolstered group mates of United’s, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig to grab points off the Red Devils at Old Trafford. PSG beat them 3-1 and Leipzig took a 3-2 victory back home. These results embarrassingly ensured Man U dropped out of the UCL into the Europa League and left fans disconsolate.
The Red Devils appeared to have stemmed the slide at home when they denied their resurgent neighbours Manchester City in their Saturday, December 12 derby, keeping the marauding attackers at bay for the entire game. They were unfortunate to have not lost it in an extension of the poor home record.
But, on Sunday, against another side, Leeds, making a strong revival which they exemplified in the preceding game with a 5-2 whitewash of Newcastle, United turned on the style. In what will thrill their fans, the Red Devils scored more goals inside 37 minutes (four) than they had managed in the previous six matches (three) before adding two more in the second half.
The impressive 6-2 performance brought back to mind the magnificent 8-2 demolition of Arsenal on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at Old Trafford under Ferguson. The win gives them the points to slot into third place and climb to within five points of leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
It is too early to call but more performances like this at home and it will not be long before United fans will be dreaming of trophies coming once more to the Theatre of Dreams.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
