Michael Carrick’s expression gave everything away. “Yes,” he said, with a subtle head motion and a tight smile. “I do recall it. I haven’t forgotten.” The Manchester United head coach was responding to a question about 13 May 2012, a date forever etched into English football history. That was the day Sergio Agüero scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner against QPR to hand Manchester City the Premier League title.
Over 140 miles away, Carrick stood on the pitch at the Stadium of Light as the news filtered in. United had started their match at Sunderland knowing a win was necessary. If they triumphed and City failed to win, the title would be theirs. No one truly expected it to happen, but miraculously, when the final whistle blew at Sunderland, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side sat top. Wayne Rooney’s solitary goal had secured victory, and Edin Džeko had only just equalized for City against a team that began the day in relegation danger.
United’s players and coaching staff could only wait and hope. For them, Agüero’s goal was the cruelest blow. Faces turned dark. As the players moved to applaud the traveling supporters, Sunderland fans’ cheers echoed around the ground. Despite their own team’s loss, they reveled in United’s collapse as joyfully as if Sunderland had won the league themselves.
“We stayed on the pitch because we had our result, but we knew it wasn’t over at City,” recounted a member of the United contingent from that day. “It was their last home game of the season, and many people were still in the stadium. I remember the noise—there was sarcasm in their singing. It wasn’t over, but we thought we had done the job. Then Sunderland fans got clever and started taunting, which erupted into laughter because we had lost the league. Sir Alex was down. He was angry about the added time and the sarcasm. You knew he wouldn’t forget. He could use that as motivation for the next time: ‘Remember this day. Remember Sunderland enjoyed the moment.’”
That is exactly what Ferguson did. As Sunderland supporters performed the ‘Poznan’ celebration—the trademark dance adopted by City after a visit from the Polish side, where fans turn their backs to the game and link arms—a fierce desire for revenge burned within the Scot. It reminded him of the aftermath of losing at Liverpool in 1992, a result that confirmed Leeds as champions at United’s expense, when young players in his squad were taunted. The message he delivered was similar.
“When we lost the league to Leeds United in 1992, I said to [Ryan] Giggs and the boys, ‘Remember this day,’” Ferguson revealed at an awards dinner the day after the Sunderland trip. “That’s exactly what I said to the players yesterday. Those Sunderland fans who were cheering for City—remember the day. We won’t forget that, I’m telling you.”
The experience was crushing. Premier League chairman Dave Richards was unaware of how drastically the situation had changed. Having left his seat at full-time expecting a trophy presentation, Richards congratulated a senior United official as he walked through the stadium toward the tunnel, only to be told his services would not be needed. Another senior United official turned off his phone on the lonely drive home and kept it off after arriving—he was not in the mood to talk. United’s players watched the City game on their way back to Manchester.
