12/11/2009 09:00 ManUtd.com, Steve Bartram
OT100 #1: Opening day
To celebrate Old Trafford's impending 100th birthday, ManUtd.com runs through the 100 greatest moments in the stadium's history. First up, naturally, is the first game to be staged in M16...
The background: United chairman John Henry Davies stumped up £60,000 of his own money for the construction of a new stadium in 1909, enlisting Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, the mastermind behind Hampden Park, to design it. After months of construction by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester, United swapped Bank Street for Old Trafford and the new ground was ready to host its first game: United vs Liverpool.
The occasion: On a pitch "as spick and span, as smooth, and as green as a billiard table," according to The Manchester Guardian, United roared into a 3-0 lead through Sandy Turnbull's diving header and further strikes from Tom Homer and George Wall. However, the visitors hit back with braces from Arthur Goddard and James Stewart to eventually edge a thrilling game.
The aftermath: Defeat to Liverpool, who finished second behind Aston Villa, was United's only setback at Old Trafford during 1909/10. The Reds took maximum points from all seven remaining homes games and finished fifth in the First Division - a marked improvement on finishing 13th a year earlier.