The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

"Ferguson won the most crucial victory of the season. He led the Red Devils out of the hellish stadium of Anfield with their heads held high, with the smoke of gunpowder filling the stadium and the faint wailing and crying of Liverpool fans behind them."

--Inscription

In March 1993, the Red Devils faced a tough battle in the Premier League at Anfield.

The Red Devils, who were on the rise in the standings before the game, and the resurgence of the traditional powerhouse Liverpool made the Premier League's Reds-Manchester United clash a focus before it even started. Manchester United was first in the standings before this game, while Liverpool was fourth. Although Liverpool would not have a chance to grab the first place if they won, if they beat Manchester United, they would definitely drag Ferguson's team down and allow other teams to surpass them.

Before the game, Liverpool coach Souness accepted an exclusive interview and also gave his outlook on defeating Manchester United. "We will certainly go all out. We will have the absolute support of the fans at Anfield. We are also a competitive team and will definitely beat them at home."

Souness even said, "If we can beat Manchester United and win all the remaining games of the season, we still have hope of winning the championship!"

Souness is also from Scotland and is a former Liverpool star. He was appointed to replace Dalglish in 1991. When he first took office, Souness began to rebuild the team thoroughly. He signed Mark Wright and Dean Saunders for 510 million pounds, promoted Steve McManaman, Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler, and rebuilt a strong team. This season, Souness's management of the team was not smooth. This red team had many hidden dangers in the midfield and frontcourt, especially the midfield players were too young and far from experienced, and were targeted by various teams. Although Liverpool could not make a breakthrough in the season and only finished sixth in points, Souness won the FA Cup and saved some face.

In the summer of 1992, Souness continued to make great efforts in the transfer market. He once again cleaned up the team with an iron fist, letting players such as Glenn Huysen, Ray Hughton and Barry Vinison leave the team, while buying David James and Stewart at a high price.

There is nothing wrong with Souness rebuilding the team, but his coaching and management have not achieved the expected results. Souness is not good at communication, and his prestige forged by the club's achievements and the authority supported by the board of directors have also dropped sharply in the internal consumption last season. The players do not recognize the coach in the locker room, and Liverpool's so-called "boot room tradition" is on the verge of collapse. At the beginning of this season, Souness's coaching of Liverpool did not start smoothly. Although he played very dazzling games later, he lacked stable performance, and did not hold the defense firmly. The control of the midfield also dropped significantly. In the middle of the league, Liverpool has begun to fall behind in the standings, and they have been surpassed by new forces.

Among the opponents who surpassed Liverpool, there was one that they least wanted to see, the Red Devils coached by Ferguson! What particularly displeased all Liverpool fans was that the Red Devils came to Anfield to challenge as the top of the standings, looking "menacing".

Souness instilled hatred in the players and fans, and Ferguson certainly wasn't idle. Before the game, he specially edited the "misfortunes and humiliations" that the team had suffered at Anfield in the past few years and played them for the players, which immediately made all the Red Devils players scream with anger.

When asked before the game whether Manchester United would be unable to withstand the opponent without Cantona, Ferguson sharply asked, "I want you to pay attention to the fact that we are the team at the top of the rankings now. We are a team that fights as a whole. The lack of Cantona will certainly weaken our strength, but we will definitely inspire a hundred times more fighting spirit and passion against Liverpool. No matter what kind of starting lineup we send out, we will be the winner in the end!"

In this game, Ferguson started with Schmeichel as goalkeeper, and the four-man defense line was Parker, Irwin, Bruce and Pallister. Mark Hughes and McClair were the two forwards, and Kanchelskis, Giggs and Lee Sharpe were placed behind them. But only Ings played as a defensive midfielder, showing a posture of fighting the opponent. This starting lineup actually has another meaning. McClair will retreat to the midfield and Ings will be responsible for interception and confrontation, while Giggs will move forward to the attack line as a forward; not only that, in another mode, Manchester United's 442 can become 433, with Kanchelskis and Giggs both moving forward to form three forwards with Hughes in the middle, while Sharpe, McClair and Ings become three midfielders, which is a formation that emphasizes offense more.

Liverpool, who played at home, launched a fierce attack at the beginning. The Red Devils set up defenses in the midfield, but McClair and Ince could not resist the fierce attack of their rivals at the beginning because they did not have enough speed, which led to the whole team shrinking back and toward the center. In the 11th minute, Liverpool sent a throw-in in the frontcourt. McManaman received the ball at the bottom of Manchester United's left penalty area with his back to the ball. After attracting the defense, he passed it back to his teammates. Sanders made a direct cross near the bottom area. Manchester United's full-back Parker kicked the ball to clear the ball 6 yards in front of the goal. He almost scored an "own goal"! Fortunately, Schmeichel was lucky at this time. His body just blocked Parker's shot and resolved the danger. Then Liverpool sent a corner kick from the left side. In the chaos, Redknapp avoided the defense of Manchester United's defender in the penalty area, stretched his foot to hook the ball, and then turned half-way to shoot into the dead corner. Fortunately, Schmeichel was highly focused. He made an incredible save like a god, and fell to the ground in time to block the shot that was sure to score.

The Red Devils players were greatly encouraged and immediately stepped up their offensive. Giggs and Lee Sharpe caused great trouble to the opponent on the left. In the 23rd minute of the first half, they played a simple cooperation. Lee Sharpe took the ball from the backcourt and attacked. When he reached the opponent's half, he cooperated with Giggs. Giggs passed the ball to Sharpe near the sideline in the middle area. Sharpe took the ball and accelerated forward, but the opponent's defender Stuart interfered closely. The central defender intercepted Lee Sharpe's ball path when he entered the penalty area and quickly stole the ball. After Manchester United lost the ball, they immediately counterattacked on the spot. The opponent's central defender hesitated and made a mistake in clearing the ball. The clearance was not far away, and it was directly passed to Irwin who was pressing forward. Irwin headed the ball down and immediately launched an attack. Giggs quickly got the ball. At this time, he was in the corner of Liverpool's penalty area and immediately kicked the ball to the middle. Giggs' cross was quick and accurate, and the opponent's pair of central defenders were still confused. Mark Hughes rushed out from behind the goal like a flying general and headed the ball into the dead corner from 6 yards in front of the goal.

Manchester United leads 1-0!

Liverpool fought back vigorously after falling behind, but Manchester United still had some incoordination in defense, and there was also a loophole on their left side. In the 33rd minute, Liverpool made a cross from the right, and Fowler shot in front of the goal, but fortunately the ball missed. In the 37th minute, Liverpool took a corner kick, and McManaman passed the ball to Stewart, but in the end the Manchester United defender blocked his shot.

The atmosphere at Liverpool's home field became increasingly intense, but Manchester United still maintained the score of 1-0 until the end of the first half.

After the start of the second half, Liverpool's offensive became more fierce, and Manchester United's defense also showed some loopholes under pressure. In the 57th minute, Liverpool's midfielder stole the ball and immediately launched an attack. A long pass was sent to the left corner of Manchester United's penalty area. Veteran Rush and Bruce fought for the ball closely. After a fake move, Rush faced Bruce with his back. After rushing into the penalty area, Rush did not entangle with Bruce any more. He bent over and shot directly, making a super volley, and the ball hit the dead corner of Manchester United's goal.

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United, they equalized the score.

Are both sides back to the same starting line?

Ferguson's face turned red. He was originally thinking about how to get the players to strengthen their attack and expand the score, but he didn't expect that the team's defense would suddenly have such a big loophole. But even so, even if Liverpool launched a pursuit after equalizing, these could not stop Ferguson's determination to defeat his opponent.

The Red Devils began to intensify their offensive after 60 minutes, and the entire Liverpool team was quickly suppressed and returned to the half. However, the two sides continued to concentrate their forces in the midfield area to fight, constantly exchanging offense and defense. The game became more and more intense. In the 67th minute, Liverpool made a long pass, and Barnes accelerated and rushed past Giggs on the wing, but he finally stopped in front of Irwin; in the 71st minute, Manchester United accelerated on the left, and Giggs' technical advantage was once again demonstrated. He passed the interception of Lakende Knapp with a light change of direction, and then passed Stewart with a change of rhythm, and crossed the ball when he went down to the bottom corner of the penalty area. There was chaos in the Liverpool penalty area, but McClair's shot was still very regrettable.

Liverpool's offensive faded after 80 minutes. Their players had physical problems and their defense became stretched, but they still used their will to hold on. In the 87th minute, the Red Devils continued to attack and got consecutive shooting opportunities. In the 88th minute, Manchester United took a corner kick. Lee Sharpe made a strong cross from the left corner. All Liverpool players returned to the penalty area to defend, but they could not stop Bruce from jumping high in front of the goal. His header just hit the 6-yard area in front of the goal. At this time, a bunch of Liverpool players were looking for the ball in a panic. McClair, who was ambushing in front of the goal, had already seen the position and predicted the opportunity in advance. He didn't even need to jump or compete with the opponent. He just needed to stand firm and lightly send the ball into the goal. The Red Devils 2-1 Liverpool!

The game ended and the Red Devils returned triumphantly from Anfield.

For the Red Devils and Ferguson, conquering Anfield and defeating their strongest and most hated rival has infinite meaning beyond victory.

Reversed Sheffield United, reversed Southampton, defeated Middlesbrough, and defeated Liverpool. Except for failing to beat Leeds United, the Red Devils played a very exciting schedule!

From December 1992 to this game, the Red Devils had a crazy run of results in four months, losing only one game in 12 games!

The Red Devils continued to top the standings with their excellent performance. Denis Law, a legendary Red Devils player, also watched the game. After the game, he said excitedly: "Manchester United played so well, they controlled everything. This is the most incredible Red Devils I have seen in recent years. They have burst out with great energy for the goal of winning the championship, and have been advancing through thorns and fire. They have used all their strength to defeat their opponents. Even if they cannot win, even if they cannot reverse the situation, they fight to the last second."

The Daily Mail compared this game to the crucial defeat of Manchester United to Liverpool in the championship last season. "At about this time last year, Manchester United still had a greater points advantage than this season. They would have been the most promising contender for the championship. But after the defeat in Liverpool, the whole team seemed to have lost its spiritual support. The loss of one game eventually turned into a defeat for the entire season. Now it is different. Although Ferguson's team also encountered challenges and hard battles in this game, and faced the unfavorable situation of being tied by the opponent or even counterattacked by the opponent, they have absorbed the lessons of the defeat last season, sharpened the spirit of the whole team, and become stronger, more resilient and more confident."

Charlton, who was watching the game, said, "We won very hard and difficultly. But no matter what, the game ended with our victory. I think this is an affirmation of Ferguson and a reward for the Red Devils. This will be a crucial victory. The Red Devils derby will once again affect the final championship situation, and will make Ferguson and his team full of confidence and accelerate their progress."

Cantona once again experienced the excitement of the Red Devils derby. Although he could not play due to a yellow card suspension, he watched the entire game sitting on the bench, which made him excited.