MANCHESTER UNITED - THE 1994-95 SEASON
THE season started with Manchester United undoubtedly the kings of English soccer. They had defended their Championship of the previous season successfully and they were also the FA Cup holders.If ever a team was going to inspire the opposition to push themselves that bit harder, then Alex Ferguson's United were it.
The Carling Premiership campaign began with a comfortable 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers and by the time the first League tables were published United were third, following a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest and a 1-0 victory over Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
United were only to slip from those heights twice. A surprising 3-2 defeat at Ipswich in late September was followed by a 2-0 win over Everton and then a 1-0 reverse at Sheffield Wednesday which left them fifth.
From then on in United were to lose jusst thre e more Premiership games - the only trouble was that Blackburn were matching them stride-for-stride, winning extra points when United drew.
The race for the title was between these two sides and in their head-to-head clashed it was United who came out on top.
They had met in the pre-season curtain raiser, the Charity Shield at Wembley. United won that match 2-0.
The first Premiership meeting was at Blackburn on October 23. Andre Kanchelskis, the club's top scorer in the Premiership with 14, scored two with Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes landing the others in a 4-2 win at Ewood Park.
In the return match at Old Trafford in January United won again, Canotona settling the issue in the 80th minute - but it was to be the inspirational Frenchman's last full game for the club in the season.
The next contest was the infamous clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Cantona, sent off, reacted to abuse from the crowd and launched a two-footed kung-fu attack on a Palace fan.
He ended up banned for the rest of the season yet his disappearance from the scene went almosdt unnoticed as United won their next three Premiership matches. Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 at old Trafford, Manchester City were dispatched 3-0 at Maine Road and Norwich beaten 2-0 at Carrow Road.
United reached the FA Cup final again and finished thier last three matches with a 4-0 win at relegated Leicester City, a 0-0 home draw with Chelsea and a 3-2 win over Coventry City at Highfield Road.
Those two lost points at home to Chelsea cost them the title as they finished one point behind Blackburn but with a vastly superior goal difference.
The FA Cup ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat by Everton and their Coca-Cola Cup interest was ended by Newcastle - United lost 2-0 at St James' Park. In the European Cup United drew at home with Barcelona (2-2), beat Galtasaray 4-0 and Gothenburg 4-2. But it was the away games that cost them a place in the knock out stages. United lost 4-0 in barcelona, and 3-1 against Gothenberg. The only return was a 0-0 draw in Turkey with Galtasaray.
In spite of missing almost a third of the season Cantona finished joint second top scorer along with Andy Cole - a �7m buy from Newcastle in January 1995.
Astonishingly in their home Premiership campaign United conceded just four goals.
