Rewind to the 2003/04 Manchester United season, one that hinged around an infamous penalty miss.
2003/04 was a season that Manchester United kicked off with a trophy and ended with another trophy, yet it was ultimately unfulfilling.
After reclaiming the Premier League title in 2002/03, United reverted back to the match then worst ever league placing under Sir Alex Ferguson, finishing third, just like 2001/02.
- Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
The season belonged to Arsenal after they managed to go through the Premier League campaign unbeaten, a scenario Manchester United should never have allowed to happen.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s uncharacteristic penalty miss in September 2003 allowed Arsenal to escape with a 0-0 draw from Old Trafford, with unsavoury scenes afterwards.
United got revenge in the FA Cup, knocking Arsenal out in the semi-final, before beating Championship side Millwall in the final. This was United’s first FA Cup win since 1999.
The big disappointment was in the Champions League. United were eliminated at home to Porto in the last 16.
Porto went on to win the competition, beating Lyon, Deportivo and Monaco. While talented teams, that was a kind path, and a major missed opportunity for Manchester United.
Season outcome and top scorer
- Premier League position: 3rd
- Points total: 75
- FA Cup: Winners
- Carabao Cup: Fourth Round
- Champions League: Last 16
- Community Shield: Winners
- Trophies: 2
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored at a prolific rate, ending up with a total of 30 goals, 20 in the Premier League.
- Top scorer: Ruud van Nistelrooy – 30
Signings
This Manchester United team was a good, not great side, one that was still in transition. It took Sir Alex Ferguson until 2006/07 to build his next great team.
The summer transfer window was a collection of gambles, most of which did not work, but the move for Cristiano Ronaldo certainly did.
- Tim Howard
- David Bellion
- Eric Djemba-Djemba
- Kleberson
- Gabriel Heinze
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Louis Saha
Memorable matches
There were a number of memorable matches in United’s 2003/04 season, here’s our pick…
Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal: Community Shield (win on penalties)
United kicked off the season by beating title rivals Arsenal at Wembley, with new goalkeeper Tim Howard announcing himself as a hero.
Mikael Silvestre scored for United. Ruud van Nistelrooy unexpectedly missed his penalty in the shootout, an ominous sign of what was to come.
Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Diego Forlan all scored, with Howard saving penalties from Giovani van Bronckhorst and Robert Pires.
Man Utd 4-0 Bolton Wanderers
A routine home victory to begin the season, memorable for being Cristiano Ronaldo’s first Manchester United debut.
Ronaldo came off the bench and lit up Old Trafford, prompting club legend George Best to laud it as, ‘undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen’.
Ryan Giggs (2), Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the goals, but the afternoon belonged to a teenage Ronaldo.
Man Utd 0-0 Arsenal
A tight contest between two teams eager to lay down a statement, Manchester United appeared to make a breakthrough late in the game after Diego Forlan was fouled inside the box.
Ruud van Nistelrooy stepped up and crashed his penalty against the bar. Opponent Martin Keown ran up to taunt him, leading to a brawl between the two teams.
Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo were both fined by the FA, while Roy Keane infamously stated that he regretted behaving himself.
The match became notable too for the aftermath inside the tunnel, where a slice of pizza was disgracefully thrown by an Arsenal player and hit Sir Alex Ferguson.
Man Utd 1-1 Porto
The match that changed the course of football history. Trailing 2-1 from the away leg, United took a first half lead through Paul Scholes.
Scholes added a second that was wrongly ruled out for a blatant offside. United were still heading through on away goals, before Tim Howard parried a late free-kick for Costinha to score the rebound.
Jose Mourinho famously ran down the touchline to celebrate, and went on to win the Champions League, and was lured to Chelsea as manager months later. He would later be appointed at Manchester United in 2016.
Man Utd 1-0 Arsenal
In what would have been the dream FA Cup Final, Manchester United and Arsenal were drawn against each other in the semi-final.
United triumphed with a 1-0 win at Villa Park, inflicting a defeat on the team that stayed unbeaten in league competition.
Paul Scholes struck the winner after a cutback from Ryan Giggs. United started with Roy Carroll in goal, and were without injured Van Nistelrooy.
Man Utd 3-0 Millwall
Millwall won their semi-final against Sunderland to set up a showdown with Manchester United in Cardiff.
United were heavy favourites and made light work of the Championship challengers. Cristiano Ronaldo was on the scoresheet, winning his first trophy in English football.
Ronaldo became United’s youngest scorer in a FA Cup Final, a record that lasted until 2024. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored two more goals to seal the win.
While this was Ronaldo’s first trophy, it would prove to be Roy Keane’s final piece of silverware in a Manchester United shirt.
What else happened in 2003/04
United signed Louis Saha to strengthen the attack in January, and he scored just 18 minutes into his debut against Southampton. He netted two more goals in his next game.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Manchester United goal, a free-kick from a tight angle in a 3-0 win over Portsmouth in November 2003.
Gary Neville was sent off for headbutting Steve McManaman in a 4-2 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup. Scholes, Van Nistelrooy (2) and Ronaldo steered 10-man United to a win over Kevin Keegan’s side.
Eric Djemba-Djemba scored a 117th minute goal in a League Cup win over Leeds, giving the Red Devils a 3-2 victory.
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