2011–12 Manchester United F.C. season
The 2011–12 season was Manchester United's 20th season in the Premier League, and their 37th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. United were defending Premier League champions, and aimed for an unprecedented 20th league title this season. Furthermore, they were competing in the Champions League for a 16th successive season. In addition, they were competing in the domestic tournaments, the FA Cup and the League Cup.
Manchester United began the season with a 3–2 win over local rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley on 7 August 2011.
They were, however, knocked out of the League Cup at the Fifth Round stage for the second successive season after losing 2–1 to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on 30 November 2011.
On 7 December 2011, United lost 2–1 away to Basel, a result which saw them finish third in their Champions League group. This meant that they competed in the UEFA Europa League for the first time since the 1995–96 season. However, they only made it as far as the Round of 16, falling to Athletic Bilbao 5–3 on aggregate.
On 4 January 2012 against Newcastle United, Ryan Giggs broke Sir Bobby Charlton's record for the most starts, the match being Giggs' 757th start.
On 28 January 2012, United were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Fourth Round after losing 2–1 against Liverpool at Anfield.
Going into the last match of the season, on 13 May 2012, United and Manchester City were locked together on 86 points at the top the table, but City led with an eight-goal advantage in goal difference. United therefore needed to better City's result to win the title. They were on course to do this, winning 1–0 at Sunderland, whilst City trailed 2–1 at home to Queens Park Rangers. However, two stoppage time goals from Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero gave City a 3–2 win and edged United out on goal difference. It was the first time in 23 years that the champions and the runners-up had finished level on points.
Pre-season and friendlies
Manchester United preceded their 2011–12 campaign with a tour of the United States for the second year in a row. As in 2010, they played in the MLS All-Star Game, in which they took on a team of the best players in Major League Soccer. In the lead-up to this game, which was played on 27 July 2011, United took on the New England Revolution, the Seattle Sounders and the Chicago Fire, before finishing the tour with a game against Barcelona at FedExField in Washington, D.C. on 30 July.The club granted a testimonial to Paul Scholes, who retired on 31 May 2011, to honour his 17 years of service to United. The match was played at Old Trafford against New York Cosmos on 5 August 2011. United won the game 6–0 – with Scholes himself opening the scoring the opening goal – to complete an unbeaten pre-season.
The club also granted a testimonial to Harry Gregg, a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, who rescued a 20-month-old girl, her pregnant mother and attempted to revive United manager Sir Matt Busby. The match was played at Windsor Park against Irish League XI on 15 May 2012. The Irish XI was managed by Martin O'Neill and David Jeffrey. United won the game 4–1.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 13 July 2011 | New England Revolution | A | Owen 51', Macheda 54', 60', Park 80' | 51,523 | |
| 20 July 2011 | Seattle Sounders | A | Owen 15', Diouf 49', Rooney 51', 69', 72', Park 71', Obertan 88' | 67,052 | |
| 23 July 2011 | Chicago Fire | N | Rooney 66', Rafael 76', Nani 82' | 61,308 | |
| 27 July 2011 | MLS All-Stars | N | Anderson 20', Park 45', Berbatov 52', Welbeck 68' | 26,760 | |
| 30 July 2011 | Barcelona | N | Nani 22', Owen 76' | 81,807 | |
| 5 August 2011 | New York Cosmos | H | Scholes 9', Rooney 28', Anderson 50', Welbeck 59', Diouf 69', 74' | 74,731 | |
| 15 May 2012 | Irish League XI | N | Evra 20', Young 58', 87', Rooney 64' | 14,098 |
FA Community Shield
As Premier League champions, United began the season against the holders of the FA Cup, local rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield. The match was played at Wembley on 7 August. This was the first time the Shield had been contested by the two clubs in 55 years. United had most of the possession and more shots on goal in the first half, but it was City who took the lead in the 38th minute when Joleon Lescott nodded in a David Silva free-kick. Edin Džeko then doubled City's lead on the stroke of half-time with a low strike from long-distance. However, seven minutes into the second half, Chris Smalling volleyed home an Ashley Young free-kick to reduce the deficit, and then Nani finished off an intricate passing move involving Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley in the 58th minute to bring the score back to 2–2. With a penalty shoot-out looming as the game moved into injury time, Nani forced a mistake from City captain Vincent Kompany, outpaced the defence and rounded goalkeeper Joe Hart before sliding the ball into the empty net to seal United's comeback and their 19th FA Community Shield.| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 7 August 2011 | Manchester City | N | Smalling 52', Nani 58', 90+4' | 77,169 |
Premier League
The fixtures for the 2011–12 league season were announced on 17 June, with United beginning the defence of their title away from home for the first time since 2005–06.| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 14 August 2011 | West Bromwich Albion | A | Rooney 13', Reid 81' | 25,360 | 3rd | |
| 22 August 2011 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | Welbeck 61', Anderson 76', Rooney 87' | 75,498 | 2nd | |
| 28 August 2011 | Arsenal | H | Welbeck 22', Young 28', 90+1', Rooney 41', 64', 82', Nani 67', Park 70' | 75,448 | 1st | |
| 10 September 2011 | Bolton Wanderers | A | Hernández 5', 58', Rooney 20', 25', 68' | 25,944 | 1st | |
| 18 September 2011 | Chelsea | H | Smalling 8', Nani 37', Rooney 45' | 75,455 | 1st | |
| 24 September 2011 | Stoke City | A | Nani 27' | 27,582 | 1st | |
| 1 October 2011 | Norwich City | H | Anderson 68', Welbeck 87' | 75,514 | 1st | |
| 15 October 2011 | Liverpool | A | Hernández 81' | 45,065 | 2nd | |
| 23 October 2011 | Manchester City | H | Fletcher 81' | 75,487 | 2nd | |
| 29 October 2011 | Everton | A | Hernández 19' | 35,494 | 2nd | |
| 5 November 2011 | Sunderland | H | Brown 45+1' | 75,570 | 2nd | |
| 19 November 2011 | Swansea City | A | Hernández 11' | 20,295 | 2nd | |
| 26 November 2011 | Newcastle United | H | Hernández 49' | 75,594 | 2nd | |
| 3 December 2011 | Aston Villa | A | Jones 20' | 40,053 | 2nd | |
| 10 December 2011 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | Nani 17', 56', Rooney 27', 62' | 75,627 | 2nd | |
| 18 December 2011 | Queens Park Rangers | A | Rooney 1', Carrick 56' | 18,033 | 2nd | |
| 21 December 2011 | Fulham | A | Welbeck 5', Nani 28', Giggs 43', Rooney 88', Berbatov 90' | 25,700 | 2nd | |
| 26 December 2011 | Wigan Athletic | H | Park 8', Berbatov 41', 58', 78', Valencia 75' | 75,183 | 2nd | |
| 31 December 2011 | Blackburn Rovers | H | Berbatov 52', 62' | 75,146 | 2nd | |
| 4 January 2012 | Newcastle United | A | 52,299 | 2nd | ||
| 14 January 2012 | Bolton Wanderers | H | Scholes 45+1', Welbeck 74', Carrick 83' | 75,444 | 2nd | |
| 22 January 2012 | Arsenal | A | Valencia 45+1', Welbeck 81' | 60,093 | 2nd | |
| 31 January 2012 | Stoke City | H | Hernández 38', Berbatov 53' | 74,719 | 2nd | |
| 5 February 2012 | Chelsea | A | Rooney 58', 69', Hernández 84' | 41,668 | 2nd | |
| 11 February 2012 | Liverpool | H | Rooney 47', 50' | 74,844 | 1st | |
| 26 February 2012 | Norwich City | A | Scholes 7', Giggs 90+2' | 26,811 | 2nd | |
| 4 March 2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | Rooney 45', Young 60', 69' | 36,034 | 2nd | |
| 11 March 2012 | West Bromwich Albion | H | Rooney 35', 71' | 75,598 | 1st | |
| 18 March 2012 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | Evans 21', Valencia 43', Welbeck 45+1', Hernández 56', 61' | 27,494 | 1st | |
| 26 March 2012 | Fulham | H | Rooney 42' | 75,570 | 1st | |
| 2 April 2012 | Blackburn Rovers | A | Valencia 81', Young 86' | 26,532 | 1st | |
| 8 April 2012 | Queens Park Rangers | H | Rooney 15', Scholes 68' | 75,505 | 1st | |
| 11 April 2012 | Wigan Athletic | A | 18,115 | 1st | ||
| 15 April 2012 | Aston Villa | H | Rooney 7', 73', Welbeck 43', Nani 90+3' | 75,138 | 1st | |
| 22 April 2012 | Everton | H | Rooney 41', 69', Welbeck 57', Nani 60' | 75,522 | 1st | |
| 30 April 2012 | Manchester City | A | 47,259 | 2nd | ||
| 6 May 2012 | Swansea City | H | Scholes 28′, Young 41′ | 75,496 | 2nd | |
| 13 May 2012 | Sunderland | A | Rooney 20' | 46,452 | 2nd |
FA Cup
United entered the FA Cup at the Third Round stage with the other Premier League clubs, as well as those from the Championship. The Third Round draw was made on 4 December 2011, and gave United an away match against holders Manchester City. The tie was played on 8 January 2012, and was the 162nd Manchester derby ending in a 3–2 win for United. The match saw the dramatic return of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes from his retirement after last season's Champions League Final against Barcelona. Two goals from Wayne Rooney and one from Danny Welbeck saw United go 3–0 into the second half after Vincent Kompany was sent off after 12 minutes of first half play. However ten men Manchester City bounced back immediately after the break with a free kick from Aleksandar Kolarov followed by a close range goal from Sergio Agüero.The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 8 January 2012, and gave United a tie against their other strong rivals Liverpool for the second successive season in the FA Cup. The match was played at Anfield on 28 January 2012. United lost 2–1. Daniel Agger's header put Liverpool in front, and Park Ji-sung equalised seven minutes before the break, but Dirk Kuyt's late winner ended United's hopes of winning the famous trophy. United had hit the post through Antonio Valencia in the first half. This loss meant that United still had not won the FA Cup since 2004, or even appeared in a final since 2007.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 8 January 2012 | Round 3 | Manchester City | A | Rooney 10', 40', Welbeck 30' | 46,808 | |
| 28 January 2012 | Round 4 | Liverpool | A | Park 39' | 43,952 |
League Cup
As one of eight English clubs who qualified for European competition in the 2010–11 season, United received a bye to the Third Round of the League Cup. The draw took place on 27 August 2011, giving United a trip to Elland Road to take on fierce rivals Leeds United. The match took place on 20 September 2011, where United won 3–0. Sir Alex Ferguson handed a start to debutant Zeki Fryers, 18 years old, and twice early on, Dimitar Berbatov had to clear off the line. But that was the closest the hosts came to causing an upset, as Michael Owen opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a scuffed shot and lashed home a second on 32. Ryan Giggs all but sealed the victory when he played a short corner to Park Ji-sung, got the return ball, nutmegged Robert Snodgrass, and shot past Andrew Lonergan via a deflection off Luciano Becchio. Late on, Ramón Núñez, a Leeds substitute, fluffed the chance to score a consolation for Leeds, firing wide.The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 24 September 2011, and gave United a trip to the EBB Stadium to take on League Two side Aldershot Town. The match was played on 25 October 2011, with United once again winning 3–0, through goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, and Antonio Valencia.
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 29 October 2011, and gave United a home match against Championship side Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace took the lead in the 65th minute, with a 40-yard strike from Darren Ambrose. However their lead lasted less than 4 minutes, with Macheda equalising from the penalty spot, after he was fouled himself, in the 69th minute. Despite increasing Manchester United pressure, the match went to extra-time, where Crystal Palace scored a second, with a Glenn Murray header, to put them 2–1 ahead in the 98th minute. The game eventually ended 2–1, with Palace facing Cardiff City in the semi-finals, a game which secured a Championship side in the final.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 20 September 2011 | Round 3 | Leeds United | A | Owen 15', 32', Giggs 45+1' | 31,031 | |
| 25 October 2011 | Round 4 | Aldershot Town | A | Berbatov 15', Owen 41', Valencia 48' | 7,044 | |
| 30 November 2011 | Round 5 | Crystal Palace | H | Macheda 69' | 52,624 |
UEFA Champions League
Group stage
Manchester United began their Champions League campaign in the group stage after finishing in first place in the 2010–11 Premier League. The draw for the group stage was made on 25 August 2011. As one of the top eight-ranked teams in Europe, the club was seeded in Pot 1, meaning that they would avoid being drawn with defending champions Barcelona, as well as Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Porto, Real Madrid and the other three English clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. The draw eventually paired United with two previous opponents, Benfica and Swiss champions Basel, and one new opponent, Romanian champions Oțelul Galați.United's first UEFA Champions League group game was away to Benfica on 14 September 2011, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Nicolás Gaitán's delightful long pass picked out Óscar Cardozo in the 24th minute, and he controlled on his chest then finished from 16 yards. But three minutes before half-time, Ryan Giggs cut inside from the right and fired a 20-yard strike to equalise. United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard saved from Nolito and Gaitán late on.
United's next game in the Champions League was a home game against Basel. Two goals from Danny Welbeck in the 16th and 17th minutes looked to have put United in control. Welbeck's first goal came when he scuffed a shot in off the post, and the England forward's second was a far more convincing strike from Ryan Giggs' cross. Fabian Frei shot in off the post on 58 minutes to give Basel hope, and Alexander Frei's header, aided by awful defending from Rio Ferdinand, made it 2–2. With 15 minutes remaining, Basel were awarded a penalty and Alexander Frei sent David de Gea the wrong way to give Basel a shock lead and leave United on the brink of a first home defeat in almost 18 months. In the 90th minute, however, Ashley Young headed home Nani's cross at the back post to rescue a point. United could have earned all three points had substitute Dimitar Berbatov not shot into the side-netting rather than play it along the ground for a tap-in. Instead, United were forced to settle for a point, as they went down to third in Group C. This was the first time since 1999 that United had failed to win either of their first two Champions League group stage matches.
United went on to win both their fixtures against Oțelul Galați 2–0, with two penalties, both scored by Wayne Rooney, leading United to victory away from home, and an early goal from Antonio Valencia and a late own goal from Cristian Sârghi to ensure a 2–0 United victory at Old Trafford. A 2–2 draw in Matchday 5 against Benfica, however, and an unlikely 2–1 loss against Basel at St. Jakob-Park meant that United failed to progress past the group stage of the Champions League for only the third time in 17 years.
According to football finance blogger Andy Green, United's failure to progress beyond the group stage of the Champions League could cost them up to £20 million, mostly in lost TV revenue.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Group position |
| 14 September 2011 | Benfica | A | Giggs 42' | 63,822 | 2nd | |
| 27 September 2011 | Basel | H | Welbeck 16', 17', Young 90' | 73,115 | 3rd | |
| 18 October 2011 | Oțelul Galați | A | Rooney 64', 90+2' | 28,047 | 2nd | |
| 2 November 2011 | Oțelul Galați | H | Valencia 8', Sârghi 87' | 74,847 | 1st | |
| 22 November 2011 | Benfica | H | Berbatov 30', Fletcher 59' | 74,873 | 2nd | |
| 7 December 2011 | Basel | A | Jones 89' | 36,894 | 3rd |
| Team | ||||||||
 Benfica | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 12 |
 Basel | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 11 |
 Manchester United | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 9 |
 Oțelul Galați | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 0 |
UEFA Europa League
As a result of finishing third in their group, United played in the UEFA Europa League for the first time since the 1995–96 season. They entered the tournament at the Round of 32 stage.As one of the top four of the eight third-placed Champions League teams, United were seeded for the Round of 32 draw which took place at 12:00 GMT on 16 December 2011. United were drawn against Ajax. The only previous meeting between the two sides came in the 1st Round of the same competition in the 1976–77 season, United winning 2–1 on aggregate.
United were away from home for the first leg on 16 February 2012. United won the game 2–0. United struggled to get going in the first half, and David de Gea produced a brilliant save to deny Siem de Jong. But the Red Devils looked far stronger after the break, and Ashley Young put them ahead with a drilled finish. Javier Hernández doubled the lead late on to ensure that United took two away goals with them into the second leg at Old Trafford.
The return leg was at Old Trafford on 23 February 2012. United lost 2–1, but went through 3–2 on aggregate. The Red Devils took the lead through Javier Hernández's finish following Dimitar Berbatov's fine pass. Aras Özbiliz levelled for Ajax from 20 yards. Toby Alderweireld headed home the winner with three minutes to go, but the goal came too late.
United were drawn with Athletic Bilbao in the Round of 16, after the Spanish side defeated Lokomotiv Moscow on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw in their Round of 32 tie.
United had only met Athletic Bilbao once before, in their debut season in European football. They met in the quarter-finals of the European Cup in the 1956–57 season. Matt Busby's babes lost 5–3 in Spain, before winning 3–0 at Maine Road – Old Trafford was not equipped with floodlights at that time – to progress 6–5 on aggregate. The second leg was played on 6 February 1957, and the majority of the players who played that day would perish exactly a year later in the Munich air disaster.
The first leg of the tie against Athletic Bilbao ended in a 3–2 defeat for United at Old Trafford on 8 March 2012. Wayne Rooney smashed United ahead from close range, before Fernando Llorente's header drew the visitors level. But the cavalier Spaniards refused to settle for a draw, as United failed to win yet another European home game. The hosts were stunned by two controversial second-half goals from Óscar de Marcos – who appeared to be offside from Ander Herrera's lofted pass – and Iker Muniain – whose goal resulted from a free-kick awarded after Patrice Evra kicked the ball with only one boot on – before a late consolation by Rooney from the penalty spot softened the blow as United succumbed to their fifth home defeat of the season.
United travelled to the San Mamés Stadium for the second leg of tie, on 15 March 2012. Having lost the first leg, United needed to win at least 2–0 to progress. However, United lost 2–1 on the night and 5–3 on aggregate, meaning that they tumbled out of Europe. Iker Muniain hit the post, before Fernando Llorente scored with a volley from Fernando Amorebieta's raking diagonal pass. Ryan Giggs then headed wide, but Óscar de Marcos put further daylight between the sides when he crashed in. Wayne Rooney scored from 25 yards late on, but it was merely a consolation.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 16 February 2012 | Round of 32 First leg | Ajax | A | Young 59', Hernández 85' | 48,866 | |
| 23 February 2012 | Round of 32 Second leg | Ajax | H | Hernández 6' | 67,328 | |
| 8 March 2012 | Round of 16 First leg | Athletic Bilbao | H | Rooney 22', 90+2' | 59,265 | |
| 15 March 2012 | Round of 16 Second leg | Athletic Bilbao | A | Rooney 80' | 40,000 |
Squad statistics
Transfers
Manchester United's first two departures of the 2011–12 off-season were Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and English midfielder Paul Scholes, who both retired shortly after the end of the 2010–11 season. On 1 July, three players were released by the club: English midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Northern Irish goalkeeper Conor Devlin and English defender Oliver Gill. Four days later, Nicky Ajose was allowed to move to Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee. He was followed two days later by veteran defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea, who were both offered four-year contracts at Sunderland. The final departure of the summer was French forward Gabriel Obertan, who signed a five-year contract with Newcastle United after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee.The club's first signing of the summer came on 13 June 2011 in the form of Blackburn Rovers centre-back Phil Jones. He was followed ten days later by Aston Villa winger Ashley Young. But with the departure of Van der Sar, the club needed a long-term replacement for him in goal, and a deal was done to sign young Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea from Atlético Madrid. Unlike Van der Sar, however, Paul Scholes' retirement was not permanent, and he returned to the club in January 2012 to alleviate the club's injury crisis. The only other arrival in January was young Swiss defender Freddie Veseli, signed from cross-town rivals Manchester City.
Four players left Manchester United during the January transfer window. First to depart was Irish midfielder Darron Gibson who signed for Everton for an undisclosed fee on 13 January. A week later, after spending the first half of the season on loan to Barnsley, Danny Drinkwater was bought by Leicester City also for an undisclosed fee. The last two players to leave were Mame Biram Diouf, who joined Hannover 96 on 28 January, and Ravel Morrison, who made a deadline day move to West Ham United. Italian defender Alberto Massacci was released from his contract on 23 April.