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Part One: The Premiership
16 May 1999, Old Trafford
MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Beckham 43, Cole 48
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1
Ferdinand 25
United: Schmeichel; Neville, May, Johnsen, Irwin; Beckham, Scholes (Butt 70), Keane, Giggs (Neville 80); Yorke, Sheringham (Cole 46). Subs not used: Van Der Gouw, Solskjaer
"I am starting to paint my players as gods of the game."
Sir Alex Ferguson
"Old Trafford witnessed the conclusion to a great struggle, but this was not a day for endings. If things go according to plan, this was just a beginning.”
Oliver Holt, The Times
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Treble: The Premiership
Andy Cole relives sealing the first leg of the Treble on a nerve-shredding afternoon against Tottenham at OT...
I remember it like it was yesterday. The manager told me two days before the game that I wasn't playing; I was gutted as it was the last day of the league season and we had to win.
So I watched from the bench as Spurs scored, and got jittery because we had chances we didn't convert. We always believed we'd get back into it, and Becks scored with a super goal before half-time. Then the boss put me on for Teddy. Almost straight away, Gary Neville got the ball inside the Spurs half, cut inside and clipped it into the area.
It was a bit further than I expected so I had to bring it down with my first touch. After that it was instinct. It bounced up and out of the corner of my eye I saw Ian Walker in the half-half position, so I tossed a lob up, caught it perfectly on the instep and it bounced into the net.
The rest of the game was so tense, but we held on, even though we knew Arsenal were winning too. It was nice to score the goal that won the league but it wasn't about individuals, it was a massive collective effort.