Manchester United gives fitting send-off to Sir Alex Ferguson
Amid a carnival
atmosphere at a rainy
Old Trafford,
Manchester United gave
the retiring Alex
Ferguson and Paul
Scholes a perfect send-
off in their final home
match by beating
Swansea 2-1 in the
Premier League.
Ferguson, who is
stepping down at the
end of the season after
nearly 27 years as
United manager,
jumped out of his seat
and punched the air in
delight after Rio
Ferdinand volleyed the
winning goal into the
back of the net in the
86th minute.
Scholes played 66
minutes in his last
home match before
coming off to a
standing ovation from
more than 76,000 fans
taking one final
opportunity to salute a
manager and player
who have contributed
so much to the club
over the past three
decades.
Javier Hernandez put
United in front in the
39th before Michu
equalized for Swansea
10 minutes later. But
the match was
effectively meaningless
as United had already
wrapped up its 13th
Premier League title.
United still has one
game left this season
— at West Bromwich
Albion next Sunday —
but this was the final
opportunity for the
club’s fans to witness,
and savour, the end of
a trophy-filled era
overseen by Ferguson.
Both teams formed a
guard of honour as
Ferguson emerged from
the tunnel onto the
pitch, with a sea of red
flags bearing
“Champions 2013”
providing an eye-
catching backdrop.
Rarely has Old Trafford
hosted an atmosphere
like this, and Ferguson
was clearly emotional.
As Ferguson made his
way to the dugout,
waving to the crowd
and signing a batch of
autographs along the
way, the focus of the
majority of the crowd
turned to the 38-year-
old Scholes, who was
playing his 717th match
for United and first
since the end of January
because of a knee
injury.
Zinedine Zidane and Xavi
Hernandez are among
the players past and
present to describe
Scholes as one of the
greatest players of his
generation, and the
Englishman showed his
full repertoire of skills.
Scholes had one good
chance to mark his final
home match with a
goal, but he dragged a
shot straight at
goalkeeper Gerhard
Tremmel in the 23rd
minute.
Scholes will end his
career having played
17,606 Premier League
minutes at Old Trafford
since signing
professional terms with
the club in 1993.
By the time Scholes had
jogged off to a standing
ovation in the 66th
minute, Hernandez had
put United ahead with a
low drive after a
mistake by Swansea
defender Ashley
Williams. However,
Michu equalized soon
after the start of the
second half by volleying
in Nathan Dyer’s right-
wing cross.
With the game
approaching what is
widely known in British
football as “Fergie
Time” — coined due to
the amount of injury-
time goals scored by
United in Ferguson’s
tenure that started in
1986 — an inswinging
corner from Robin van
Persie crept through to
Ferdinand, who volleyed
home amid a cacophony
of noise for his first
goal since January 2008.
atmosphere at a rainy
Old Trafford,
Manchester United gave
the retiring Alex
Ferguson and Paul
Scholes a perfect send-
off in their final home
match by beating
Swansea 2-1 in the
Premier League.
Ferguson, who is
stepping down at the
end of the season after
nearly 27 years as
United manager,
jumped out of his seat
and punched the air in
delight after Rio
Ferdinand volleyed the
winning goal into the
back of the net in the
86th minute.
Scholes played 66
minutes in his last
home match before
coming off to a
standing ovation from
more than 76,000 fans
taking one final
opportunity to salute a
manager and player
who have contributed
so much to the club
over the past three
decades.
Javier Hernandez put
United in front in the
39th before Michu
equalized for Swansea
10 minutes later. But
the match was
effectively meaningless
as United had already
wrapped up its 13th
Premier League title.
United still has one
game left this season
— at West Bromwich
Albion next Sunday —
but this was the final
opportunity for the
club’s fans to witness,
and savour, the end of
a trophy-filled era
overseen by Ferguson.
Both teams formed a
guard of honour as
Ferguson emerged from
the tunnel onto the
pitch, with a sea of red
flags bearing
“Champions 2013”
providing an eye-
catching backdrop.
Rarely has Old Trafford
hosted an atmosphere
like this, and Ferguson
was clearly emotional.
As Ferguson made his
way to the dugout,
waving to the crowd
and signing a batch of
autographs along the
way, the focus of the
majority of the crowd
turned to the 38-year-
old Scholes, who was
playing his 717th match
for United and first
since the end of January
because of a knee
injury.
Zinedine Zidane and Xavi
Hernandez are among
the players past and
present to describe
Scholes as one of the
greatest players of his
generation, and the
Englishman showed his
full repertoire of skills.
Scholes had one good
chance to mark his final
home match with a
goal, but he dragged a
shot straight at
goalkeeper Gerhard
Tremmel in the 23rd
minute.
Scholes will end his
career having played
17,606 Premier League
minutes at Old Trafford
since signing
professional terms with
the club in 1993.
By the time Scholes had
jogged off to a standing
ovation in the 66th
minute, Hernandez had
put United ahead with a
low drive after a
mistake by Swansea
defender Ashley
Williams. However,
Michu equalized soon
after the start of the
second half by volleying
in Nathan Dyer’s right-
wing cross.
With the game
approaching what is
widely known in British
football as “Fergie
Time” — coined due to
the amount of injury-
time goals scored by
United in Ferguson’s
tenure that started in
1986 — an inswinging
corner from Robin van
Persie crept through to
Ferdinand, who volleyed
home amid a cacophony
of noise for his first
goal since January 2008.
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