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‘Attack, attack, attack’ is a common refrain emanating from the Stretford End, and over the years Manchester United have been pretty good at heeding that cry.
Although the Red Devils have had problems in front of goal in recent seasons, the club has a rich history of resounding victories, more often than not at Old Trafford for the United faithful.
Here we look at the biggest wins in United history:
Man United’s biggest ever win
| Date | Season | Competition | Home/Away | They will resist | Scoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26/09/1956 | 1956-57 | European Cup | H | RSC Anderlecht | 10-0 |
| 15/10/1892 | 1892-1893 | First Division | H | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10-1 |
| 02/02/2021 | 2020-21 | Premier League | H | Southampton F.C | 9-0 |
| 04/03/1995 | 1994-95 | Premier League | H | Ipswich town | 9-0 |
| 12/02/1949 | 1948-49 | FA Cup | H | Yeovil town | 8-0 |
| 06/02/1999 | 1998-99 | Premier League | A | Nottingham forest | 1-8 |
| 19/03/1969 | 1968-69 | First Division | H | Queens Park Rangers | 8-1 |
| 17/09/2024 | 2024-25 | EFL Cup | H | Barnsley FC | 7-0 |
| 25/10/1997 | 1997-98 | Premier League | H | Barnsley FC | 7-0 |
| 08/04/1970 | 1969-70 | First Division | H | West Bromwich Albion | 7-0 |
| 24/10/1964 | 1964-65 | First Division | H | Aston Villa | 7-0 |
| 08/03/1950 | 1949-50 | First Division | H | Aston Villa | 7-0 |
| 28/08/2011 | 2011-12 | Premier League | H | Arsenal F.C | 8-2 |
| 07/02/1970 | 1969-70 | FA Cup | A | Northampton town | 2-8 |
| 27/11/2010 | 2010-11 | Premier League | H | Blackburn Rovers | 7-1 |
| 10/04/2007 | 2006-07 | Champions League | H | AS Rome | 7-1 |
| 01/04/2000 | 1999-00 | Premier League | H | Westham United | 7-1 |
| 02/10/1968 | 1968-69 | European Cup | H | Waterford United | 7-1 |
| 31/12/1892 | 1892-1893 | First Division | H | Derby County | 7-1 |
| 26/01/2020 | 2019-20 | FA Cup | A | Tranmere Rovers | 0-6 |
| 12/01/2008 | 2007-08 | Premier League | H | Newcastle United | 6-0 |
| 26/01/2003 | 2002-03 | FA Cup | H | Westham United | 6-0 |
| 05/09/2000 | 2000-01 | Premier League | H | Bradford city | 6-0 |
| 25/02/1996 | 1995-96 | Premier League | A | Bolton Wanderers | 0-6 |
| 04/05/1968 | 1967-68 | First Division | H | Newcastle United | 6-0 |
| 06/10/1965 | 1965-66 | European Cup | H | HJK Helsinki | 6-0 |
| 12/04/1961 | 1960-61 | First Division | H | Burnley F.C | 6-0 |
| 26/12/1960 | 1960/-61 | First Division | H | Chelsea F.C | 6-0 |
| 27/02/1960 | 1959-60 | First Division | A | Blackpool FC | 0-6 |
| 09/09/1959 | 1959-60 | First Division | H | Leeds United | 6-0 |
| 25/09/1957 | 1957-58 | European Cup | A | Shamrock Rovers | 0-6 |
| 04/28/1951 | 1950-51 | First Division | H | Huddersfield town | 6-0 |
| 05/11/1949 | 1949-50 | First Division | H | Huddersfield town | 6-0 |
| 01-08-1949 | 1948-49 | FA Cup | H | Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic | 6-0 |
| 30/10/1897 | 1897-1898 | Second Division | H | Walsall FC | 6-0 |
Manchester United 10-0 RSC Anderlecht
The only time United hit double figures and kept a clean sheet in the same match was against Anderlecht in the first round of the European Cup in 1956. The Red Devils followed up a 2-0 first leg win in Belgium with a 10-0 thumping at Old Trafford.
Dennis Viollet and Tommy Taylor wrestled for the match ball, scoring four and three goals respectively, Liam Whelan scoring with a brace and Johnny Berry grabbing one as Sir Matt Busby watched from the dugout.
United defeated Borussia Dortmund and then Athletic Bilbao, but lost to eventual winners Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Newton Heath 10-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Newton Heath became Manchester United over a hundred years ago and in all that time the modern incarnation of the club has failed to match the league’s highest goal tally of their green and gold predecessor.
Newton Heath defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 10–1, the only time the club managed to reach double figures in the league, taking the lead within a minute through James Hendry.
William S. Stewart and Bob Donaldson each scored a hat-trick, with Alf Farman, William Hood and Adam Carson also hitting a very busy scoresheet.
Manchester United 9-0 Southampton
United’s joint biggest win of the Premier League era, and their most recent crushing victory, came during the Covid lockdown, when things were really spinning under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Southampton made the long journey to an empty Old Trafford and were humiliated 9-0 as the Red Devils showed a glimpse of what they were capable of under the Norwegian.
After the Saints were reduced to ten men within two minutes, United went for the neckline with goals flying in from all over the pitch. The opener came from an unlikely source in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but apart from Jan Bednarek’s own goal, the scoresheet at the time was a who’s-who of the Red Devils’ attack.
Anthony Martial bagged a brace and Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay and Dan James scored one each.
Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town
The 9-0 defeat of Ipswich Town at Old Trafford in 1995 is on paper as a defeat against Man United, but in reality was a one-man bat by Andy Cole.
In his first full season with the Red Devil, the former Newcastle United forward took the Tractor Boys apart with a goal-scoring masterclass, becoming the first player to hit five in a Premier League match. He was helped by striker Mark Hughes, who scored twice, while Roy Keane and Paul Ince each contributed a goal.
United were pipped to the title by Blackburn Rovers, but managed to win again the following season – and the season after that.
Manchester United 8-0 Yeovil Town
United’s biggest FA Cup win to date came in 1949 and included a further five goals for a dominant centre-forward. Jack Rowley’s hat-trick under 20 minutes put the Red Devils well on course to knock Yeovil Town out of the round of 16, and the United legend grabbed two more for good measure after the break.
Ronnie Burke turned up with a rapid-fire brace and there was one for Charlie Mitten as the Glovers were sent back to Somerset with their tails between their legs. United advanced past Hull City in the quarter-finals and forced a replay against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi-finals, ultimately losing to the eventual winners.
Nottingham Forest 1-8 Manchester United
The baby-faced hitman masterminded United’s 9-0 thrashing of Southampton from the dugout but was the definition of a super sub for the Red Devils’ biggest ever away win. Solskjaer replaced Dwight Yorke with 20 minutes remaining at the City Ground and doubled United’s tally with a late scoring spree, with the Norwegian seeing four shots on target in just over 10 minutes.
Before his introduction, the iconic Cole/Yorke striking duo each had a brace in the bag; the pair each scored in the opening ten minutes, either side of a Forest equalizer that gave the hosts a few seconds of hope. In almost any other season, this beating would have been a crowning achievement, but this was no ordinary season. United went on to win an historic treble, thanks in no small part to a certain Norwegian who came off the bench in Barcelona to beat Bayern Munich in the dying seconds of the Champions League final.
Manchester United 7-0 Various
United have recorded five 7-0 wins over the years, but only against three different opponents. Aston Villa had seven over in 1950 – Mitten scored four, including a hat-trick of penalties – and again in 1965. This time it was Denis Law who scored four, with a brace for David Herd and one for John Connelly, as the Red Devils cruised to a title won on goal average at the expense of Leeds United.
A few years later, Villa’s Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion fell to the same level thanks to doubles from John Fitzpatrick, Bobby Charlton and Alan Gowling, with George Best completing the resounding victory.
Only one team has felt the pain of a 7-0 defeat at Old Trafford in the Premier League era, with Barnsley suffering the same fate twice. In 1997, Cole was again the hat-trick hero, assisted by Ryan Giggs who scored twice and strikes from Paul Scholes and Karel Poborsky.
Barnsley’s second time on the sharp end of the scoreline came in the FA Cup in 2024. Erik ten Hag’s United side went wild with goals from all over the frontline that ultimately fell apart just a year later – Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen scored two each and Antony slotted home a penalty awarded in an attempt to reverse his poor form.
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