Newcastle United have had the better of Manchester United in recent years.
The Red Devils are a shell of the side they used to be now Sir Alex Ferguson is not at the helm. Their fans are still waiting for the manager who can take them back to the heights their long-standing boss did.
It looked as if Jose Mourinho could’ve been the answer to their prayers, but things went sour and he has since had success elsewhere. Mourinho has been linked to Newcastle, with the iconic head coach working under Newcastle legend Sir Bobby Robson in the early stage of his coaching career.
Newcastle United have gotten the better of Man United in the last few seasons, beating them at Old Trafford for the first time since 2013 last December. The Magpies also beat them in the Carabao Cup last season, avenging the defeat in the 2023 Carabao Cup final.
A famous win most fans will remember is the 5-0 hammering of Man United in 1996. What they may not remember, though, is the brutal comments made by Alan Shearer after the game.
Alan Shearer’s brutal dig towards Manchester United after 5-0 win
Shearer is not a well-liked figure in Manchester. Newcastle’s record goalscorer had the chance to join Man United in 1996 after meeting Ferguson. However, it was revealed that Shearer rejected Man United for Newcastle because Jack Walker, Blackburn’s chairman at the time, hated Man United and didn’t want Shearer to join them because of how much he disliked them.
Shearer was part of the Newcastle side who lost 4-0 to Man United in the Charity Shield a few months prior, so it was clear they were out for revenge when the Red Devils made the trip up to the North East.
Walker would have been happy to watch Shearer score in that historic 5-0 win at St James’ Park, and even more pleased to hear what he said after the game.
Other goals in the game came from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and a stunning chip by Phillipe Albert.
In his post-match interview following the game, Shearer went of his way to stick the dagger further into Man United’s back, saying: “(The win was) very sweet, it’s sweet revenge. We were embarrassed in the Charity Shield. We said beforehand we’d much beforehand we’d much prefer the three points and that’s exactly what we’ve done today. We’ve embarrassed them. Not many teams have done that in the last five years.
Shearer doubled down on his comments, and couldn’t hide his excitement when a little smirk was present on his face.
“As I said before, not many teams have embarrassed them over the years and that’s what we’ve done today. Everyone will take notice of us. We’ll enjoy it today and tonight but that’s as far as it goes.”
The feeling is mutual between the Newcastle legend and Man United fans. Shearer mocked Man United after Newcastle’s win in December and has gone on record to joke about the club he turned down almost 30 years ago.
Alan Ferguson’s reaction to Man United’s 5-0 defeat to Newcastle
Like Shearer at Man United, Ferguson is not the most popular figure on Tyneside. The Magpies looked set to win the Premier League title during the 1995/96 season but results went against them and Ferguson took the opportunity to pounce. Kevin Keegan’s famous rant about Man United was brought on by Ferguson’s comments about Stuart Pierce, it was a moment that Toon fans and players knew that the title had slipped away from them.
Shearer’s post-match interview was passionate and full of insults towards Man United. However, Ferguson’s was quite the opposite.
“I think it was one of those games where you get punished for every mistake you make or punished for every strike at goal,” Ferguson said.
“I thought we played quite well actually, played good football, and took the game to them all the time. I thought the second goal was very important to Newcastle. Allowed them to sit in the second half and we were punished for every mistake back there.
“It’s the first time I lost by five goals as a manager. I’ll put it down as a blip. It’s another day in the history of Man United.”
Man United may have had the last laugh then, but it’s a completely different story now with Newcastle aiming for a place in the Champions League whereas the Red Devils are fighting for mid-table mediocrity.
Dan Ashworth recently fell victim to the problems surrounding the club when he was sacked after just five months as Man United’s sporting director. New minority stakeholder Jim Ratcliffe paid Newcastle £4.1m to grant Ashworth an early release from his gardening leave.
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