2013–14 Manchester United F.C. season
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The 2013–14 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 22nd season in the Premier League, and their 39th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football.
David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...
began the season as United's new manager after taking over from
Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
, who retired after almost 27 years in charge. He had been announced as the club's new manager before the end of the previous season, but did not officially take over until 1 July 2013. Despite winning the Community Shield, United were soon struggling in the league and endured some of their worst results since the end of the 1980s. In January, United were eliminated from the FA Cup at the first hurdle with a loss to
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
, as well as from the semi-finals of the League Cup after being beaten on penalties by
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 ...
. United fared better in Europe, topping their group in the group stage. They suffered a scare when they lost to
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
in the first leg of the round of 16, but overcame the deficit in the second leg. United were ultimately eliminated during the quarter-finals in April, with defending champions
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 ...
beating them 4–2 on aggregate. On 22 April 2014, with four games remaining, Moyes was sacked as manager, less than a year into his six-year contract. His last game, two days earlier, had ended in 2–0 defeat at his old club Everton. 40-year-old player-coach
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 ...
was placed in charge for United's remaining games, from which they collected seven points. A seventh place in the league was United's lowest finish since 1990 and meant that they had missed out on European qualification for the first time since 1989–90 (when English clubs were still banned from European competitions due to the Heysel Stadium disaster of
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). The last time outside the Heysel ban era that United had missed out on a place in Europe was in 1980–81. Dutch coach Louis van Gaal was confirmed as Manchester United's new manager on a three-year contract on 19 May 2014, with Giggs appointed as his assistant. On the same day, Giggs announced his retirement as a player after a career spanning nearly 25 years, during which he had played almost 1,000 competitive games for the club and won 34 trophies.


Background

It was a period of change for United's staff. In May 2013, manager Sir
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
announced his retirement after 26 years of service, having just won his 13th Premier League title that season and United's 20th overall. Earlier in February 2013, it was made known that chief executive David Gill would be stepping down after 16 years of service, with 10 years as chief executive. Each announcement was accompanied with the naming of their successors, who would take over on 1 July 2013.
David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...
, aged 50, manager of Everton and a Scotsman like Ferguson, was appointed as the new United manager.
Ed Woodward Edward Gareth Woodward (born 9 November 1971) is an English accountant and investment banker who was the executive vice-chairman and effectively the chief executive of Manchester United from 2012 to 2022. Richard Arnold succeeded him in his ...
assumed the top executive role at United, although he retained the title of executive vice-chairman. Moyes looked to appoint his own coaching staff as he started his reign. In May 2013, assistant manager
Mike Phelan Michael Christopher Phelan (born 24 September 1962) is an English professional football coach and former player who is currently a coach at Manchester United. Born in Nelson, Lancashire, he spent most of his playing career at Burnley, Norwich ...
and goalkeeping coach
Eric Steele Eric Steele (born 15 May 1954) is an English former footballer turned coach, who is currently employed as a goalkeeping coach by the Football Association, working with England's junior teams. Career Steele began his playing career as a goalkee ...
left the club. First-team coach
René Meulensteen Reinhard Jozef Petrus Meulensteen (born 25 March 1964) is a Dutch former footballer and coach who is currently assistant coach of the Australia national soccer team. He spent the early parts of his career working in the Netherlands before taking ...
followed a month later. All three had served in their respective positions since 2008, while Phelan and Meulensteen had worked in other roles at United since 2001. In their place, Moyes brought in staff from Everton to join him in July, appointing
Steve Round Steve Round (born 9 November 1970) is an English professional football coach and former player. He was until 6th July 2023, assistant first team coach of Premier League club Arsenal. After a brief playing career operating as a full-back, repr ...
as assistant manager, Chris Woods as goalkeeping coach and Jimmy Lumsden as coach. In July, veteran United winger
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 ...
became a player-coach, while former United and Everton player Phil Neville was also added to the coaching staff.


Pre-season and friendlies

United preceded their 2013–14 campaign with a global tour of Asia, Australia and Europe, before returning to
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 ...
for Rio Ferdinand's testimonial match against Sevilla, marking the defender's 11 years with the club. United's pre-season saw them suffer three defeats in seven games, which was described as "poor" and "miserable". One of the defeats came against the Thai All-Star XI, which was David Moyes' first game in charge. By the time the pre-season ended, United were struggling off the pitch as well, having made no major signings at that point. Moyes admitted that the "transition from Everton to Manchester United has been difficult at times". Regarding the lack of major signings, Moyes pointed out that he "got the job on 1 July" and were on tour for the next three weeks, as well as the fact that "the level
e had E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...
been shopping in the past asnot the level Manchester United have been shopping in". During this period, United had to battle to retain the services of their striker Wayne Rooney. Near the end of the previous season, weeks before Sir Alex Ferguson's announcement of retirement, Rooney was reported to have verbally asked to leave the club despite not handing in a transfer request. After Moyes took over, Rooney was left angered and confused by comments by Moyes which seemed to indicate that Rooney would be playing second fiddle to fellow striker Robin van Persie. Chelsea attempted to sign Rooney, with Chelsea manager
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the British ...
openly declaring his high interest, but United insisted that Rooney was not for sale.


FA Community Shield

As Premier League champions, United began the season against the holders of the FA Cup,
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
in the Community Shield. The match, which was David Moyes' first competitive fixture in charge of Manchester United, was played at Wembley on 11 August. United ran out 2–0 winners due to two goals from Robin van Persie in a game where they played "with a sense of control" but failed to "emphasise the gulf between the two clubs more emphatically". This was United's (and Moyes') first silverware of the season. The Shield was ultimately Moyes' only honour as United manager.


Premier League


August and September

United faced a tough start to the 2013–14 league season; within the first five games in August and September, three were against Chelsea, Liverpool and
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 ...
. After the fixtures were decided, manager David Moyes publicly questioned whether the draw was done fairly for the defending champions. Moyes' first league game in charge of Manchester United saw them visit
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
on 17 August. It was a bright start for United as they ran out 4–1 winners with doubles from Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck, while substitute Wayne Rooney played a part in two goals. This put United at the top of the league, a height they would never replicate that season. United's first home game of the season was against José Mourinho's Chelsea. They played out a stalemate for the first 0–0 game since 2009 at Old Trafford in 77 Premier League games. Rooney, who was being courted by Chelsea at the time, performed prominently and positively while receiving much support from the Old Trafford crowd. The club's next match saw an "error-prone and inhibited" United falling to fierce rivals Liverpool at Anfield for Moyes' first competitive loss. Liverpool led from the fourth minute through Daniel Sturridge and topped the table with their third consecutive 1–0 victory. United, though, were out of the top four, and they stayed out for the rest of the season. United had not failed to score in successive games in six years. Following the international break, Moyes' first home win came against Crystal Palace on 14 September, during which Ashley Young was yellow carded for diving against
Kagisho Dikgacoi Kagisho Evidence Dikgacoi (born 24 November 1984) is a South African retired professional footballer who is currently the manager of Witbank Spurs. He represented South Africa at international level. He made his international debut in 2007, a ...
, for which Moyes would criticise Young. In another controversial clash near the end of first half, Young this time earned a penalty and Dikgacoi was sent off. Van Persie converted and Rooney later scored from a free kick for a 2–0 win. Also, new signing
Maroune Fellaini Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese club Shandong Taishan. Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, Fellaini played youth football for Anderlecht, R.A.E.C. ...
debuted as a substitute. United then travelled across town to play a much anticipated fixture against 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 ...
. City opened the scoring through
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 ...
in the 16th minute, then doubled their lead via Yaya Touré seconds before half-time. Any thoughts of a comeback for the visitors were dispersed soon after the restart, as Agüero grabbed his second and City's third in the 47th minute. Samir Nasri then added his own name to the scoresheet three minutes later to compound United's misery. Rooney managed to pull a goal back with a 25-yard free kick late on into the game, but it was merely consolation as United fell to their worst defeat at the Etihad Stadium in nine years. On 28 September, Manchester United hosted West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. The visitors took the lead in the 54th minute through
Morgan Amalfitano Morgan Henri René Amalfitano (born 20 March 1985) is a retired French professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played for Cannes, Sedan, Lorient, Marseille, West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United. Amalfitano has earned one ...
, but United responded quickly, levelling the scores with a Rooney free kick three minutes later. However, West Brom hit back immediately, with 20-year-old substitute
Saido Berahino Saido Berahino (born 4 August 1993) is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Cypriot First Division club AEL Limassol and captains the Burundi national team. Having fled his native Burundi as a child, he received pol ...
grabbing the winner as David Moyes' side slipped to their first home defeat of the season.


October and November

On a run of back-to-back Premier League defeats, United then travelled to the
Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
to play against league strugglers
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 ...
. Much to Moyes' dismay, it was once again the opposition who struck first, as Craig Gardner capitalised on Nemanja Vidić's error to put the hosts ahead. However, United fired back, as 18-year-old
Adnan Januzaj Adnan Januzaj (born 5 February 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Sevilla and the Belgium national team. Born and raised in Brussels, he began his career with Anderlecht before joining Manchester ...
scored twice on his first Premier League start, rescuing a valuable three points for the visitors. The Red Devils then began a run of four consecutive home games at Old Trafford, beginning with a visit from high-flying Southampton, who boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League. Van Persie's 26th-minute strike looked to have set the hosts on course for a win, but the visitors equalised through a last gasp corner kick, with Dejan Lovren's header deflecting off of Adam Lallana to spoil United's celebrations. The club then welcomed
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
to Old Trafford. Despite holding the worst goalscoring record in the Premier League, Stoke unexpectedly drew first blood through Peter Crouch in the third minute. Van Persie looked to have levelled proceedings heading into half-time with a 43rd-minute strike, but the visitors soon regained their lead seconds before the break, this time through a
Marko Arnautović Marko Arnautović (; born 19 April 1989) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Bologna and the Austria national team. Arnautović began his career in his native Austria playing in the youth teams for a ...
free kick. With the game entering its final 15 minutes, United finally found their equaliser as Rooney headed in Van Persie's corner kick, and less than two minutes later, substitute Javier Hernández completed the comeback as he nodded in Patrice Evra's cross. On 2 November, Manchester United visited
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
at
Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football ground in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 22,384; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against M ...
. United began brightly, as Rooney set up Antonio Valencia for the game's opener in the ninth minute, and cemented their lead a few minutes later after two quick-fire goals from Van Persie and Rooney.
Alexander Kačaniklić Alexander Kačaniklić ( sr-cyr, Александар Качаниклић; mk, Александар Качаниклиќ; born 13 August 1991) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays for AEL Limassol. He normally operates on the left win ...
's heavily deflected shot pulled one back for the hosts in the 65th minute, but it was not enough in the end to prevent David Moyes' side from taking the three points, as his team won two consecutive league games for the first time all season. United then clashed with rivals and league leaders
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at Old Trafford. Van Persie, who had left the Gunners to join United the previous season, once again struck against his former side after his header found the back of the net in the 27th minute. Despite the visitors looking largely dominant possession wise throughout the match, solid defending from the hosts were enough to see through a win, as United recorded a memorable victory over
Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
's in-form men. David Moyes' men then returned to
South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
, as they were presented with the opportunity to extend their impressive domestic run against
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 ...
at the Cardiff City Stadium. Rooney put the visitors ahead with just 15 minutes played, and after former Manchester United teammate
Fraizer Campbell Fraizer Lee Campbell (born 13 September 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker, most recently for Huddersfield Town. He has also played for Manchester United, Royal Antwerp, Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, ...
equalised for the home side, he set up Evra's header to restore the lead just before the break. However, United were once again unravelled by a last gasp set-piece, as substitute
Kim Bo-kyung Kim Bo-kyung (; or ; born 6 October 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Club career Cerezo Osaka In 2010, Kim dropped out of Hongik University and signed a thre ...
nodded in a free-kick to salvage a draw for the Welsh side.


December and January

United's next game was away against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Kyle Walker Kyle Andrew Walker (born 28 May 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Manchester City and the England national team. Walker started his career at his boyhood club Sheffield United which he had joined ...
fired the hosts into an early lead with a close-range free kick in the 18th minute, but man of the moment Wayne Rooney pounced to equalise for United moments later. However, André Villas-Boas' men raced into the lead once again after the restart, this time through a
Sandro Sandro is an Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swiss, Georgian and Croatian given name, often a diminutive of Alessandro (disambiguation), Alessandro or Alexander. It is also a surname. Sandro may refer to: Given name or nickname Sports *Sandro (f ...
rocket from 25 yards out, forcing the visitors to come from behind a second time through a Rooney penalty kick. The following two matches at home ended with 1–0 losses against Everton and
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 ...
(both of whom ended long runs without wins at Old Trafford). Those losses meant United were winless in the last four games with only two points collected from a possible 12. United then won four matches in a row, which included win at
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 ...
, Hull City and Norwich City alongside a win at home against West Ham United. United started off 2014 by losing a fourth home league match in a 2–1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, leaving them down in seventh. After bowing out of the FA Cup to Swansea City the week before, a much-improved second half display against them at Old Trafford saw United come out on top. Antonio Valencia opened the scoring with a tap-in before Danny Welbeck flicked in the second from Patrice Evra's shot. But the high was short-lived as a defensive horror show meant the Reds left Stamford Bridge with no points. Samuel Eto'o scored a hat-trick and Javier Hernández scored a consolation before Nemanja Vidić was sent off. But United made it back-to-back home wins for the first time since November as new signing Juan Mata helped them see off Ole Gunnar Solskjær's Cardiff City. Robin van Persie returned to score before Ashley Young fired in to seal the points.


February and March

But again United did not follow it up with a win. A Michael Carrick own goal put them behind at Stoke City before Robin van Persie converted from Juan Mata's pass. A screamer from Charlie Adam, however, meant United returned from Staffordshire empty-handed. United also fell behind in their next game bottom-side Fulham.
Steve Sidwell Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...
shocked Old Trafford as United piled forward in search of the win. Mata's cross for fired in by Van Persie, and minutes later Carrick scored his first goal of the season with a neat finish from the edge of the box. Darren Bent's injury-time goal, however, meant United dropped two vital points again. United played well to come away from the
Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...
with a 0–0 draw, denying Arsenal for the second time this season. Van Persie had two great chances to score but was denied by Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczęsny. United got back to winning ways with a comfortable victory at Crystal Palace. Van Persie converted a penalty after Patrice Evra was fouled, before Wayne Rooney expertly volleyed in to seal the win. United's third away game in succession saw them travel to the ground where Alex Ferguson bowed out of the Premier League, at The Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion. United eased to a 3–0 victory; Phil Jones headed in Van Persie's dangerous free kick just before half time, a sweeping move ended with Rooney heading in
Rafael Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...
's right-wing cross and substitute Welbeck expertly finished off another fine move as United finally delivered a good performance. United returned to Old Trafford up against an in-form Liverpool. After a tight first-half,
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot after Rafael committed a handball in the area. The Liverpool then captain added a second penalty after a foul by Phil Jones seconds just into the second-half. After United were denied a penalty of their own, the Merseyside club were awarded a third penalty which also saw United captain Nemanja Vidić sent off. Replays suggested Daniel Sturridge actually dived, but nonetheless Gerrard missed the kick. Luis Suárez completed the scoring after a neat attack. United got back to winning ways with a comfortable 2–0 away win at West Ham. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring with a half-volley from just inside the West Ham half, reminiscent of
David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
's goal against
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
in 1996. The England striker then added his second after
Mark Noble Mark James Noble (born 8 May 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder and is well remembered for his time at English club West Ham United, spending eighteen years with the club. Apart from two sh ...
failed to clear Ashley Young's cross. Another poor performance saw United slip to another costly derby defeat, this time to neighbours Manchester City in the 150th Manchester Derby. Edin Džeko finished off a rebound to give City the lead after just 47 seconds. The City striker later volleyed in number two in the second-half, before Yaya Touré completed the rout in added time. On 29 March 2014, a flypast was staged by a portion of United fans with the banner displaying "Wrong One - Moyes Out" during a match against
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 ...
at Old Trafford. After the match, which United won 4–1, Moyes claimed that the majority of fans had been "very supportive" of him.


April and May

Despite that comment, and a 4–0 win over Newcastle United, the club fired Moyes less than a month later on 22 April, shortly after United lost 2–0 to Moyes' old club Everton at Goodison Park. The result ended any hope of them making the Champions League, and when combined with Tottenham Hotspur winning their own match the previous day, left United needing to take near-maximum points from their remaining games to even achieve a
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 ...
spot.
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 ...
took over as interim player-manager for the final four games. His first game as manager was a 4–0 thrashing of Norwich City at Old Trafford, with Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata each scoring a pair. However, the next match resulted in a surprise 1–0 defeat to strugglers
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 ...
, a result which ultimately proved a fatal blow to United's slim Europa League hopes. This was followed by a 3–1 win over Hull City in the club's final home match of the season, and Giggs's farewell game at Old Trafford. The final day saw United playing away at Southampton, needing a victory and for Spurs to lose against Aston Villa in order to take sixth place. Ultimately, neither result went United's way, as they only managed to draw while Spurs won. This meant that for the first time since the 1989–90 season (or the 1980–81 season, if the seasons when English clubs were barred from European competition in the aftermath of the Heysel Disaster are not counted), the club had failed to qualify for any form of European football whatsoever.


Aftermath

In September 2014, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward participated in a conference call to investors, discussing the results for the financial year that ended on 30 June 2014. Woodward described the 2013–14 season as "challenging and disappointing." He announced a record annual revenue of £433.2 million, a rise of 19 per cent, which was in part due to a new shirt manufacturing deal with
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
. However, the club's annual profit fell by 84 per cent to £23.8 million, which BBC Sport analysed was "largely due to United's owners cashing in a tax credit in the previous financial year." It was also revealed that the club had paid former manager David Moyes and his staff £5.2 million following their exits, while their seventh-placed finish in the Premier League reduced their prize money by £7.4 million. BBC Sport also predicted that the total cost for missing out on the Champions League will end up at more than £50 million. Lastly, the club budgeted for a third-place Premier League finish for the 2014–15 season.


Results


Table


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 draw was made on 8 December 2013, which saw United drawn at home to fellow Premier League club
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
. The tie took place on 5 January 2014. The Swans won for the first time 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 ...
resulting in United exiting from the competition.


League Cup

As one of seven English clubs who qualified for European competition in the 2012–13 season, United received a bye to the Third Round of the League Cup. The draw took place on 28 August 2013, with United being paired with fellow Premier League club Liverpool. It is the fourth time overall the two rivals have met in the competition and the first time since the 2003 final, where Liverpool ran out 2–0 winners. The game was played on 25 September 2013 in Old Trafford, with United winning thanks to a goal by Javier Hernández in the 46th minute after a corner kick by Rooney. After the game United were drawn to play against Norwich City on 29 October at home, which United won 4–0. The draw for the Fifth Round took place on 30 October 2013, with United being paired with fellow Premier League club
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
at the Britannia Stadium. The game was played on 18 December 2013, with United winning 2–0. The draw for the Semi-finals took place on 18 December 2013, with United being paired with fellow Premier League club
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 ...
. They lost the first leg of the tie 2–1 at the
Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
. In the return leg at Old Trafford, they were leading 1–0 at the end of 90 minutes and the tie went to extra time. Both teams scored late goals at the end of extra time, meaning that the two sides were exactly level over the two legs. In the resulting penalty shoot-out, Adnan Januzaj, Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Rafael all missed their kicks; only Darren Fletcher scored, while Sunderland scored two of their own, putting United out of the competition.


UEFA Champions League


Group stage

Having finished in the top three in the league last season, United began their Champions League campaign in the group stage. Courtesy of their UEFA coefficient, they were seeded in Pot 1 for the draw, which took place in Monaco on 29 August 2013. United were drawn into Group A, along with Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen from Germany, and
Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...
from Spain. Manchester United were previously drawn with Bayer Leverkusen in both 2001–02 and 2002–03, while Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad were new opponents. United's first UEFA Champions League group game was at home against Bayer Leverkusen on 17 September 2013, which ended in a 4–2 win after Rooney double and a strike apiece from Robin van Persie and Antonio Valencia. The game marked Moyes' first UEFA Champions League group stage game and Rooney's 200th goal in all competitions for United.


Knockout phase

The draw for the round of 16 was made in Nyon,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, on 16 December 2013. The first leg was played on 25 February 2014 away from home, and the second leg was played on 19 March 2014 at Old Trafford. As winners of their group, United were drawn against Greek league champions,
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
, who finished as runners-up in Group C. It was the fifth tie between the two clubs and the first time they had faced one another since 2002 when United won 3–2 in the First group round. United lost the first leg 2–0 in Greece, but came back to win 3–0 in the return leg thanks to a Robin van Persie hat-trick. The 3–2 aggregate win sent United into the quarter-finals to face title-holders
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 ...
. In the first leg at Old Trafford, United were comprehensively outplayed by Bayern, yet they took the lead through Vidić and eventually finished with a 1–1 draw. Despite again taking a 1–0 lead in Germany, they capitulated after the goal and lost 3–1, thus being eliminated 4–2 on aggregate.


Squad statistics

Sources:


Transfers

Manchester United began to make changes to their squad on in June 2013. On 7 June, it was announced that United would be releasing eight players in addition 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 had retired at the end of the previous season. Also on the same day, 20-year-old Uruguayan right-back
Guillermo Varela Guillermo Varela Olivera (; born 24 March 1993) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Clube de Regatas do Flameng ...
became David Moyes's first signing as Manchester United manager. These transfers came into effect upon the opening of the summer transfer window on 1 July. United went on to sell youngster
Mats Møller Dæhli Mats Møller Dæhli (born 2 March 1995) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg and the Norway national team. Born in Oslo, he was previously contracted to English club Mancheste ...
to Molde FK and 21-year-old Scott Wootton to Leeds United during the window. Meanwhile, Chelsea made two bids of £20 million and £25 million to sign United's Wayne Rooney in July and August, but United rejected the bids. During the summer transfer window, Moyes attempted to sign players from his former club Everton. In June, Everton rejected a £12 million bid by United for English defender
Leighton Baines Leighton John Baines (born 11 December 1984) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a left back. He is currently U-18s manager at Everton F.C., Everton. Baines started his career with Wigan Athletic F.C ...
. By July, United failed in two attempts to sign Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fàbregas for over £25 million. In August, Everton rejected another bid by United, a £28 million joint bid for Baines and Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini, describing it as "insulting." United ultimately managed to make 25-year-old Fellaini their first major signing of the season on transfer deadline day on 2 September for £27.5 million. On that day, United also signed 17-year-old Swiss defender
Saidy Janko Saidy Janko (born 22 October 1995) is a professional footballer who plays for Swiss club BSC Young Boys. Although Janko primarily recognised as a right-back, he is equally capable of playing on the right wing. Born in Switzerland, he played inte ...
from Zürich, while abandoning their attempt to sign midfielder Ander Herrera from
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 ...
. A late loan move for defender
Fábio Coentrão Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão (; born 11 March 1988) is a Portuguese former professional footballer. Mainly a left-back, he also operated as a winger and occasionally as a defensive midfielder. After starting playing professionally with ...
from
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 ...
also fell through. During the transfer window, Real Madrid also rejected a £33.9 million bid from United for midfielder Sami Khedira. United's failure to sign several major targets during the summer transfer window, as well as their actions on transfer deadline day, were labelled as a farce. BBC Sport described the "scramble to get ellaini'sdeal ... over the line moments before the transfer window closed symbolised the confusion in a summer when a clear transfer strategy was conspicuously absent from Old Trafford." It was pointed out that Fellaini had a £23.5 million release clause that expired at the end of July, and that he ultimately cost only £0.5 million less than what United bid jointly for both Fellaini and Baines in August. Meanwhile, the Spanish professional football league said that three lawyers had unsuccessfully negotiated to sign Ander Herrera for United, but United denied sending anyone to the league's offices.


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Loan out


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2013-14 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 ...