2011–12 Manchester United F.C. season
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The 2011–12 season was
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
's 20th season in the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, and their 37th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. United were defending
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
champions, and aimed for an unprecedented 20th league title this season. Furthermore, they were competing in the Champions League for a 16th successive season. In addition, they were competing in the domestic tournaments, the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
and the League Cup. Manchester United began the season with a 3–2 win over local rivals
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
in the Community Shield at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
on 7 August 2011. They were, however, knocked out of the League Cup at the Fifth Round stage for the second successive season after losing 2–1 to Crystal Palace at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
on 30 November 2011. On 7 December 2011, United lost 2–1 away to
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, a result which saw them finish third in their Champions League group. This meant that they competed in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
(formerly the UEFA Cup) for the first time since the 1995–96 season. However, they only made it as far as the Round of 16, falling to
Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
5–3 on aggregate. On 4 January 2012 against
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
,
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...
broke Sir Bobby Charlton's record for the most starts, the match being Giggs' 757th start. On 28 January 2012, United were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Fourth Round after losing 2–1 against
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
. Going into the last match of the season, on 13 May 2012, United and Manchester City were locked together on 86 points at the top the table, but City led with an eight-goal advantage in goal difference. United therefore needed to better City's result to win the title. They were on course to do this, winning 1–0 at
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, whilst City trailed 2–1 at
home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
to Queens Park Rangers. However, two stoppage time goals from Edin Džeko and
Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest playe ...
gave City a 3–2 win and edged United out on goal difference. It was the first time in 23 years that the champions and the runners-up had finished level on points. The season was the first since 1991–92 without
Gary Neville Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former player. He is also a co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a comm ...
, who retired after the 2010–11 season.


Pre-season and friendlies

Manchester United preceded their 2011–12 campaign with a tour of the United States for the second year in a row. As in 2010, they played in the
MLS All-Star Game The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a traditional all-star ga ...
, in which they took on a team of the best players in
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
. In the lead-up to this game, which was played on 27 July 2011, United took on the
New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
(13 July), the Seattle Sounders (20 July) and the Chicago Fire (23 July), before finishing the tour with a game against
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
at FedExField in Washington, D.C., on 30 July. The club granted a
testimonial In promotion and advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a person's written or spoken statement extolling the virtue of a product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens, where ...
to
Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
, who retired on 31 May 2011, to honour his 17 years of service to United. The match was played at Old Trafford against New York Cosmos on 5 August 2011. United won the game 6–0 – with Scholes himself opening the scoring the opening goal – to complete an unbeaten pre-season. The club also granted a testimonial to
Harry Gregg Henry Gregg, (27 October 1932 – 16 February 2020), was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby, with a total of 247 appearances for the club. He w ...
, a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, who rescued a 20-month-old girl, her pregnant mother and attempted to revive United manager Sir Matt Busby. The match was played at
Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rent ...
against Irish League XI on 15 May 2012. The Irish XI was managed by
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
and
David Jeffrey David Jeffrey (born 28 October 1962) is a Northern Irish football manager and former player, who currently manages Ballymena United. He is best known for managing Linfield between 1997 and 2014. He began his professional playing career with t ...
. United won the game 4–1.


FA Community Shield

As
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
champions, United began the season against the holders of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, local rivals
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
in the Community Shield. The match was played at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
on 7 August. This was the first time the Shield had been contested by the two clubs in 55 years. United had most of the possession and more shots on goal in the first half, but it was City who took the lead in the 38th minute when
Joleon Lescott Joleon Patrick Lescott (born 16 August 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He currently works as a coach with the England U21s. Lescott is a graduate of the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth academy. H ...
nodded in a David Silva free-kick. Edin Džeko then doubled City's lead on the stroke of half-time with a low strike from long-distance. However, seven minutes into the second half, Chris Smalling volleyed home an Ashley Young free-kick to reduce the deficit, and then Nani finished off an intricate passing move involving
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
and Tom Cleverley in the 58th minute to bring the score back to 2–2. With a penalty shoot-out looming as the game moved into injury time, Nani forced a mistake from City captain
Vincent Kompany Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (; ; born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back and is the current manager of EFL Championship club Burnley. He most notably played for Manchester City f ...
, outpaced the defence and rounded goalkeeper Joe Hart before sliding the ball into the empty net to seal United's comeback and their 19th
FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
.


Premier League

The fixtures for the 2011–12 league season were announced on 17 June, with United beginning the defence of their title away from home for the first time since 2005–06.


FA Cup

United entered the FA Cup at the Third Round stage with the other Premier League clubs, as well as those from the Championship. The Third Round draw was made on 4 December 2011, and gave United an away match against holders
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. The tie was played on 8 January 2012, and was the 162nd Manchester derby ending in a 3–2 win for United. The match saw the dramatic return of Manchester United legend
Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
from his retirement after last season's Champions League Final against
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
. Two goals from
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
and one from Danny Welbeck saw United go into the second half 3–0 up and a man up,
Vincent Kompany Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (; ; born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back and is the current manager of EFL Championship club Burnley. He most notably played for Manchester City f ...
having been sent off after 12 minutes of the first half. However, 10-man Manchester City bounced back immediately after the break with a free kick from
Aleksandar Kolarov Aleksandar Kolarov (; born 10 November 1985) is a Serbian former professional footballer. Although primarily a left-back, Kolarov could also operate as a centre-back and anywhere along the left flank and was known for his overlapping attacking ru ...
followed by a close-range goal from
Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest playe ...
. The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 8 January 2012, and gave United a tie against their other strong
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
for the second successive season in the FA Cup. The match was played at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
on 28 January 2012. United lost 2–1.
Daniel Agger Daniel Munthe Agger (; born 12 December 1984) is a Danish professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of Danish 1st Division club HB Køge. As an active player, he played as a central defender for Brøndby and Liverpool a ...
's header put Liverpool in front, and
Park Ji-sung Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in ...
equalised seven minutes before the break, but
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
's late winner ended United's hopes of winning the famous trophy. United had hit the post through Antonio Valencia in the first half. This loss meant that United still had not won the FA Cup since 2004, or even appeared in a final since 2007.


League Cup

As one of eight English clubs who qualified for European competition in the 2010–11 season, United received a bye to the Third Round of the League Cup. The draw took place on 27 August 2011, giving United a trip to
Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...
to take on fierce
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Leeds United. The match took place on 20 September 2011, where United won 3–0. Sir Alex Ferguson handed a start to debutant Zeki Fryers, 18 years old, and twice early on, Dimitar Berbatov had to clear off the line. But that was the closest the hosts came to causing an upset, as Michael Owen opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a scuffed shot and lashed home a second on 32.
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...
all but sealed the victory when he played a short corner to
Park Ji-sung Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in ...
, got the return ball, nutmegged
Robert Snodgrass Robert Snodgrass (born 7 September 1987) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Heart of Midlothian. Snodgrass started his senior career with Livingston. He also had a loan spell at Stirling Albion before moving to E ...
, and shot past Andrew Lonergan via a deflection off Luciano Becchio. Late on,
Ramón Núñez Ramón Fernando Núñez Reyes (born 14 November 1985) is an international footballer who last played for the Mesquite Outlaws in the Major Arena Soccer League. Núñez plays primarily as an attacking midfielder. He can also play as a winger o ...
, a Leeds substitute, fluffed the chance to score a consolation for Leeds, firing wide. The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 24 September 2011, and gave United a trip to the EBB Stadium to take on
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side Aldershot Town. The match was played on 25 October 2011, with United once again winning 3–0, through goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, and Antonio Valencia. The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 29 October 2011, and gave United a home match against Championship side Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace took the lead in the 65th minute, with a 40-yard strike from Darren Ambrose. However, their lead lasted less than four minutes, with Federico Macheda equalising from the penalty spot, after he was fouled himself, in the 69th minute. Despite increasing Manchester United pressure, the match went to extra-time, where Crystal Palace scored a second, with a
Glenn Murray Glenn Murray (born 25 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer and football pundit who played as a striker. His career spanned 19 years from 2002 until 2021. Best known for his two spells with Brighton & Hove Albion, Murra ...
header, to put them 2–1 ahead in the 98th minute. The game eventually ended 2–1, with Palace facing
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
in the semi-finals, a game which secured a Championship side in the final.


UEFA Champions League


Group stage

Manchester United began their Champions League campaign in the group stage after finishing in first place in the
2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season ...
. The draw for the group stage was made on 25 August 2011. As one of the top eight-ranked teams in Europe, the club was seeded in Pot 1, meaning that they would avoid being drawn with defending champions
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, as well as
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
,
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...
,
Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
,
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
and the other three English clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. The draw eventually paired United with two previous opponents, Benfica and Swiss champions
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, and one new opponent, Romanian champions Oțelul Galați. ;Benfica (14 September 2011) United's first UEFA Champions League group game was away to Benfica on 14 September 2011, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
Nicolás Gaitán Osvaldo Fabián Nicolás "Nico" Gaitán (; born 23 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Portuguese Primeira Liga club Paços de Ferreira. A product of Boca Juniors, he joined Benfica in ...
's delightful long pass picked out Óscar Cardozo in the 24th minute, and he controlled on his chest then finished from 16 yards. But three minutes before half-time, Ryan Giggs cut inside from the right and fired a 20-yard strike to equalise. United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard saved from
Nolito Manuel Agudo Durán (; born 15 October 1986), known as Nolito (), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for Segunda División club Ibiza. Having begun his career at lower league clubs he signed for Barcelona i ...
and Gaitán late on. ;Basel (27 September 2011) United's next game in the Champions League was a home game against Basel. Two goals from Danny Welbeck in the 16th and 17th minutes looked to have put United in control. Welbeck's first goal came when he scuffed a shot in off the post, and the England forward's second was a far more convincing strike from Ryan Giggs' cross.
Fabian Frei Fabian Frei (born 8 January 1989) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and a centre-back for Swiss Super League club Basel and the Switzerland national team. Until June 2011, he played for the Swiss U-21 team. ...
shot in off the post on 58 minutes to give Basel hope, and
Alexander Frei Alexander Frei or Alex Frei (born 15 July 1979) is a Swiss professional football coach and a former player who played as a forward. He is currently the manager of Basel. He began his career at Basel, going on to various other clubs in Switzerla ...
's header, aided by awful defending from Rio Ferdinand, made it 2–2. With 15 minutes remaining, Basel were awarded a penalty and Alexander Frei sent David de Gea the wrong way to give Basel a shock lead and leave United on the brink of a first home defeat in almost 18 months. In the 90th minute, however, Ashley Young headed home Nani's cross at the back post to rescue a point. United could have earned all three points had substitute Dimitar Berbatov not shot into the side-netting rather than play it along the ground for a tap-in. Instead, United were forced to settle for a point, as they went down to third in Group C. This was the first time since 1999 that United had failed to win either of their first two Champions League group stage matches. ;Oțelul Galați United went on to win both their fixtures against Oțelul Galați 2–0, with two penalties, both scored by Wayne Rooney, leading United to victory away from home, and an early goal from Antonio Valencia and a late own goal from
Cristian Sârghi Cristian is the Romanian and Spanish form of the male given name Christian. In Romanian, it is also a surname. Cristian may refer to: People * Cristian (footballer, born 1994), Brazilian footballer * Cristian Adomniței (born 1975), Romanian engi ...
to ensure a 2–0 United victory at Old Trafford. ;Benfica (22 November 2011) A 2–2 draw in Matchday 5 against Benfica followed. Phil Jones with an own goal put Benfica in front. Dimitar Berbatov in the 30th minute and Darren Fletcher in the 59th turned the tables, but
Pablo Aimar Pablo César Aimar (born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer and current assistant coach of the Argentina national football team, Argentina national team. Aimar played as an Midfielder#Attacking ...
's equaliser just two minutes later gave the final result. ;Basel (7 December 2011) However, an unlikely 2–1 away defeat against Basel meant that United failed to progress past the group stage of the Champions League for only the third time in 17 years. The starting position for both clubs on matchday 6 in the sold-out
St. Jakob Park St. Jakob-Park () is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity w ...
with 36,894 fans was clear. With Benfica already assured of progress to the knock-out stage, Basel and United went head-to-head for the second qualifying berth. United needed only a point and the hosts would only stay in the competition with a win. It was a cool evening and at times it rained after referee
Björn Kuipers Björn Kuipers (; born 28 March 1973) is a former Dutch Referee (association football), football referee. He has been a FIFA International Referees List, FIFA listed referee from 2006 to 2021 and an UEFA Elite group referee from 2009 to 2021. He ...
of the
Royal Dutch Football Association The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and women ...
blew his whistle for the kick-off. United started well their hopes were somewhat dashed as their defence failed to clear a Markus Steinhöfer's cross from the right. The ball went to the far side and
Xherdan Shaqiri Xherdan Shaqiri (; born 10 October 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team. Shaqiri began his career at FC Basel, winning honours including t ...
claimed it on the left and sent it hard and high back into the centre. Keeper David de Gea could not clear the ball far enough and Basel's captain
Marco Streller Marco Streller (born 18 June 1981) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a striker and is best known for his years with FC Basel and the Switzerland national team. He was the sporting director of FC Basel from June 2017 until June 2019. Sin ...
slammed a fierce shot home to put the hosts a goal ahead after nine minutes. The early goal gave Basel an optimism and they played with a good momentum and they continued to press forwards. United struggled to control the Basel wingers Shaqiri to the right and
Fabian Frei Fabian Frei (born 8 January 1989) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and a centre-back for Swiss Super League club Basel and the Switzerland national team. Until June 2011, he played for the Swiss U-21 team. ...
on the left. As the game commenced Nani became equally influential for the visitors. After 30 minutes he brought a good cross to the middle but both Rooney and Park Ji-Sung were unable to reach it. A few minutes later Nani's own effort was bravely smothered by keeper Yann Sommer. Rooney had a second chance a few minutes later but the Basel keeper was equal to that too. United began the second half positively, but their increasing frustration was becoming obvious. All the more so, then as while trying to make a clearance, right-back Steinhöfer volleyed the ball against his own crossbar. Steinhöfer came away laughing and within minutes the Basel fans created a song to celebrate his feat. Basel created chances for themselves,
Alexander Frei Alexander Frei or Alex Frei (born 15 July 1979) is a Swiss professional football coach and a former player who played as a forward. He is currently the manager of Basel. He began his career at Basel, going on to various other clubs in Switzerla ...
had one kick acrobatically saved. Then another counter-attack and Shaqiri played a neat cross from the right, Streller dummied by striding under the ball and Alexander Frei was there to head it home at the far post, with six minutes of play left. Although Phil Jones headed the ball home after Macheda's shot had rebounded off the cross-bar, Basel survived a tense final two minutes to advance to the knock-out phase with the 2–1 win. ;Conclusion According to football finance blogger Andy Green (a.k.a. "andersred"), United's failure to progress beyond the group stage of the Champions League could cost them up to £20 million, mostly in lost TV revenue. In the knockout phase Basel were drawn against
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
and were defeated 7–1 on aggregate. Bayern, in their turn advanced as far as the final. But here they were defeated by Chelsea after a penalty shoot-out.


UEFA Europa League

As a result of finishing third in their group, United played in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
for the first time since the 1995–96 season. They entered the tournament at the Round of 32 stage. As one of the top four of the eight third-placed Champions League teams, United were seeded for the Round of 32 draw which took place at 12:00 GMT on 16 December 2011. United were drawn against Ajax. The only previous meeting between the two sides came in the 1st Round of the same competition in the 1976–77 season, United winning 2–1 on aggregate. United were away from home for the first leg on 16 February 2012. United won the game 2–0. United struggled to get going in the first half, and David de Gea produced a brilliant save to deny
Siem de Jong Siem Stefan de Jong (; born 28 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Eerste Divisie club De Graafschap as an attacking midfielder or striker. Playing in the youth academies of De Graafschap and Ajax, he made his pro ...
. But the ''Red Devils'' looked far stronger after the break, and Ashley Young put them ahead with a drilled finish. Javier Hernández doubled the lead late on to ensure that United took two away goals with them into the second leg at Old Trafford. The return leg was at Old Trafford on 23 February 2012. United lost 2–1 (their fourth home loss of the season, having lost none at home the previous season), but went through 3–2 on aggregate. The ''Red Devils'' took the lead through Javier Hernández's finish following Dimitar Berbatov's fine pass.
Aras Özbiliz Aras Özbiliz ( hy, Արաս Օզբիլիզ; born 9 March 1990) is an Armenian professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Pyunik and the Armenia national team. Early life Özbiliz was born on 9 March 1990 in the Bakırköy distric ...
levelled for Ajax from 20 yards. Toby Alderweireld headed home the winner with three minutes to go, but the goal came too late. United were drawn with
Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
in the Round of 16, after the Spanish side defeated Lokomotiv Moscow on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw in their Round of 32 tie. United had only met Athletic Bilbao once before, in their debut season in European football. They met in the quarter-finals of the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
in the 1956–57 season.
Matt Busby Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager, who managed Manchester United F.C., Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 197 ...
's
babes Babes may refer to: __NOTOC__ Arts and entertainment * Babes (band), an American indie pop band * "Babes", a song from the album '' The Inner Me'' by Lala Hsu * ''Babes'' (TV series), an American sitcom (1990–1991) * Babes (website), a pornograph ...
lost 5–3 in Spain, before winning 3–0 at Maine Road – Old Trafford was not equipped with floodlights at that time – to progress 6–5 on aggregate. The second leg was played on 6 February 1957, and the majority of the players who played that day would perish exactly a year later in the Munich air disaster. The first leg of the tie against Athletic Bilbao ended in a 3–2 defeat for United at Old Trafford on 8 March 2012. Wayne Rooney smashed United ahead from close range, before
Fernando Llorente Fernando Javier Llorente Torres (; born 26 February 1985), nicknamed ''El Rey León'' ("The Lion King" in Spanish), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker. He started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way throu ...
's header drew the visitors level. But the cavalier Spaniards refused to settle for a draw, as United failed to win yet another European home game. The hosts were stunned by two controversial second-half goals from Óscar de Marcos – who appeared to be offside from Ander Herrera's lofted pass – and Iker Muniain – whose goal resulted from a free-kick awarded after Patrice Evra kicked the ball with only one boot on – before a late consolation by Rooney from the penalty spot softened the blow as United succumbed to their fifth home defeat of the season. United travelled to the San Mamés Stadium for the second leg of tie, on 15 March 2012. Having lost the first leg, United needed to win at least 2–0 to progress. However, United lost 2–1 on the night and 5–3 on aggregate, meaning that they tumbled out of Europe. Iker Muniain hit the post, before Fernando Llorente scored with a volley from Fernando Amorebieta's raking diagonal pass. Ryan Giggs then headed wide, but Óscar de Marcos put further daylight between the sides when he crashed in. Wayne Rooney scored from 25 yards late on, but it was merely a consolation.


Squad statistics


Transfers

Manchester United's first two departures of the 2011–12 off-season were Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and English midfielder
Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...
, who both retired shortly after the end of the 2010–11 season. On 1 July, three players were released by the club: English midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Northern Irish goalkeeper Conor Devlin and English defender Oliver Gill. Four days later,
Nicky Ajose Nicholas Olushola Ajose (born 7 October 1991) is a former English professional footballer who played as a forward. Ajose began his career with Manchester United, but never made an appearance in the first team and spent much of the 2010–11 s ...
was allowed to move to Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee. He was followed two days later by veteran defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea, who were both offered four-year contracts at
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. The final departure of the summer was French forward
Gabriel Obertan Gabriel Antoine Obertan (born 26 February 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for USL League One side Charlotte Independence. A former attendee of the famous Clairefontaine academy, Obertan began his professional ca ...
, who signed a five-year contract with
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee. The club's first signing of the summer came on 13 June 2011 in the form of Blackburn Rovers centre-back Phil Jones. He was followed ten days later by
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
winger Ashley Young. But with the departure of Van der Sar, the club needed a long-term replacement for him in goal, and a deal was done to sign young Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea from
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
. Unlike Van der Sar, however, Paul Scholes' retirement was not permanent, and he returned to the club in January 2012 to alleviate the club's injury crisis. The only other arrival in January was young Swiss defender
Frédéric Veseli Frédéric Shtjefan Veseli ( sq, Frederik Shtjefan Veseli; born 20 November 1992), also known as Freddie Veseli, is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Fatih Karagümrük and the Albania national team. His main position ...
, signed from cross-town rivals
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. Four players left Manchester United during the January transfer window. First to depart was Irish midfielder Darron Gibson who signed for Everton for an undisclosed fee on 13 January. A week later, after spending the first half of the season on loan to
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
,
Danny Drinkwater Daniel Noel Drinkwater (born 5 March 1990) is an English professional footballer who is a midfielder. He is currently a free agent. Having come through the youth academy at Manchester United, he spent time on loan with Huddersfield Town, Cardif ...
was bought by Leicester City also for an undisclosed fee. The last two players to leave were Mame Biram Diouf, who joined
Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
on 28 January, and
Ravel Morrison Ravel Ryan Morrison (born 2 February 1993) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national football team, Jamaica national ...
, who made a deadline day move to West Ham United. Italian defender Alberto Massacci was released from his contract on 23 April.


In


Out


Loan out


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 Manchester United F.C. season Manchester United F.C. seasons
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...