That right-footed flick from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dying minutes against Bayern Munich in the Nou Camp will never be forgotten. The preceding domestic double wont be either, but the poor start will be contrastingly glossed over by many. After powering through European Cup qualification against LKS Lodz due to the previous seasons league failures against Arsenal. United were dispatched twice by their league nemesis, both in the league and in the seasons curtain raiser in the Charity Shield at Wembley. Six goals were scored without reply. Manchester United had spent big (£12.6 million was a lot for a player in those days) to acquire the services of Jesper Blomqvist, Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke. They were struggling to justify those huge lumps of money, after David Beckham rescued a point at home to Leicester City and United struggled to a 0-0 at Upton Park. Three goals in two games against Charlton Athletic and Coventry City soon elevated the Trinidad and Tobago international, Dwight Yorke to a starting eleven position. Meanwhile, United were beginning to mix it with big European players such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Four score draws and a torrent of goals against Brondby sealed Uniteds passage to the knockout phase of the Champions League. A certain strike partnership was beginning to blossom in the north-west of England, though. On October 3rd, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke were finally partnered up front together away at Southampton in what would be a crucial day in a 3-0 demolition of Southampton at the Dell. An awe-inspiring performance at the Nou Camp followed in November where the two strikers blitzed the Spanish side in a 3-3 draw which featured the likes of Rivaldo. United entered 1999 behind Aston Villa and Chelsea in the league with Arsenal shortly following in fourth place. They, along with Bayern Munich, would be inextricably linked towards the Red Devils all season. After embarrassing defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough at the back end of 1998, in which United conceded six, they replied with a seven-match winning streak and an undefeated streak which would take them into October. This fine run of form featured a ten-minute cameo from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on a cold February afternoon in Nottingham. In those ten minutes, the deadly Norwegian finisher netted four times in an 8-1 rout. Furthermore, United boasted more attacking riches at Filbert Street, as Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole battled ferociously for a hat-trick away in Januarys 6-2 humiliation of Leicester City. Stoppage time victories over Charlton Athletic and in a raucous FA Cup fourth round win over Liverpool spurred Manchester United on for the remainder of the season as Peter Schmeichel returned from a mid-season holiday. With the rejuvenated Dane, United swept through the likes of Inter Milan and Chelsea in the cup competitions whilst picking up vital wins against Everton and Newcastle. April began with a crucial week. After being held to at home to Juventus and in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, United reset for a gruelling week, all sandwiched in between was a 3-0 league win over Sheffield Wednesday. The mixture of a penalty save from Peter Schmeichel, one of the greatest goals scored on English soil from Ryan Giggs and a captains performance in Turin from Roy Keane secured two cup finals and a place atop of the Premier League. Arsenal dropped points against Leeds as April ticked over into May. A 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, courtesy of a deft Andy Cole finish, clinched a 5th title in seven years for Fergie. A relatively simple FA Cup win over Newcastle settled the second of three steps of the almighty Treble, which was completed in the Nou Camp over Bayern Munich. The drama of going a goal behind to a Mario Basler free-kick on six minutes and living dangerously as the likes of Carsten Jancker et al smacked the woodwork all reached a crescendo in stoppage time when Teddy Sheringham and Ole Solskjaer converted a disappointing defeat into a 2-1 treble-winning performance.
I am an aspiring journalist with a degree in Media Studies and a passion for all things sport -- especially football and Manchester United. I am a former season ticket holder at Old Trafford and have been a Red Devil since 1998.
