There was an odd feeling going into the 2001-02 season. We’d completed seventh within the prime flight for the earlier two seasons, however there was already a sense of what might need been.
Our type had fallen off a cliff after Christmas for the earlier two years, and there was no signal that the taking part in workers had the turnover it wanted to proceed competing. The primary subject was that only a week earlier than this fixture on the Stadium of Mild, Niall Quinn had loved celebrating his thirty fifth birthday, and for some time, the query on most supporters’ lips was who would change him.
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Quinn’s partnership with Kevin Phillips had been devastating within the two years it took to carry us out of Division One, and the 2 years we had completed within the prime half of the Premier League – however everybody knew this was coming to an finish.
In the summertime of 2001, it appeared Peter Reid additionally knew this and tried to supply an additional possibility up prime, which got here within the type of Lilian Laslandes, who arrived from Bordeaux for round £3.6m. Laslandes had an honest report in France and had picked up seven caps for the nationwide facet, so it didn’t look unhealthy on paper.
4 Aug 2001: Lilian Laslandes of Sunderland in motion through the pre-season pleasant match in opposition to West Bromwich Albion performed at The Hawthorns, in Birmingham, England. Sunderland received the match 3-0. Necessary Credit score: Clive Brunskill /Allsport
The French striker lined up within the beginning XI on the opening day of the season together with Swiss worldwide full-back Bernt Haas, however these had been the one two debutants as we beat Ipswich City 1-0. It was an honest begin to the season as we sat fifth within the desk after eight video games, which culminated in a 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on the Reebok Stadium – with Reid getting one over his former worker at Roker, Sam Allardyce.
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Subsequent up was the go to of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, who had been sitting third and three factors behind early leaders Leeds United. When the staff sheets had been submitted earlier than kick-off, there was a realisation that Ferguson had one eye on the Champions League fixture in opposition to Deportivo La Coruna that was to comply with on the Wednesday after this fixture.
David Beckham, Fabian Barthez, Roy Keane, Juan Sebastian Veron and Ronny Johnson had been all ignored of the squad utterly and Dwight Yorke and Ruud van Nistelrooy solely had a spot on the bench, however regardless of the modifications, it was United who made the higher begin.
Paul Scholes and Andy Cole had probabilities within the first ten minutes to place the guests forward, however after Reid’s facet weathered the early storm, they started to have some pleasure. Julio Arca, specifically, seemed sharp, and Quinn and Phillips had been inflicting points within the United defence, however the dreadlock was damaged simply after the half hour.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Ryan Giggs is congratulated by Nicky Butt and Luke Chadwick after scoring United’s second purpose through the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Sunderland v Manchester United on the Stadium of Mild on October 13, 2000 in Sunderland. Sunderland 1 Manchester United 3 (Photograph by Matthew Peters/Manchester United through Getty Photographs)
A following transfer down the United proper received Luke Chadwick near the purpose line the place he put in a harmful ball into the field that seemed prefer it was good for Scholes to satisfy the ball on certainly one of his trademark runs, however the ball simply went over his head and didn’t give any time for Stanislav Varga to react and put into his personal web.
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Reid’s facet reacted properly to the setback and though United had been good for the lead, there have been probabilities for both facet going into the break but it surely remained 0-1.
At half-time Reid was pressured right into a change when Kevin Kilbane got here off injured and was changed by new signing David Bellion. And within the opening exchanges of the second half Sunderland seemed the higher facet, which was why a second for United simply earlier than the hour was a blow.
A slick transfer ended up with Andy Cole on the sting of the field sliding an inch-perfect ball by way of to Ryan Giggs, who ran on to it and slotted previous Thomas Sorensen with none fuss. Lower than ten minutes later the sport was utterly out of sight when Chadwick switched the play and located Cole in acres of area contained in the field, who slid the ball residence to make it three.
The away facet took their foot off the gasoline within the later levels with their midweek problem forward, and with slightly below ten minutes remaining, Stefan Schwarz performed a stunning ball excessive for Phillips to chase down, brush off Wes Brown, take it previous Roy Carroll and slot residence for a comfort.
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Sadly, it was simply a kind of days that Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United had been on it and there wasn’t an excessive amount of you may do about it.
FA Barclaycard PremiershipStadium of LightSunderland 1-3 Manchester United[Phillips 83’ – Varga (OG) 35’, Giggs 59’, Cole 66’]
Sunderland: Sorensen, Williams, Craddock, Varga, Grey, Kilbane (Bellion), Thirlwell, Schwarz, Arca, Phillips, Quinn Substitute not used: Macho, McCartney, Medina, Laslandes
Manchester United: Carroll, G. Neville, Brown, Blanc (P. Neville), Silvestre, Chadwick, Butt, Scholes (Stewart), Giggs (Yorke), Cole, Solksjaer Substitute not used: Van Der Gouw, Van Nistelrooy
Attendance: 48,305