Date 4 March 1995 Event 1994–95 FA Premier League Attendance 43,804 | Venue Old Trafford Referee Graham Poll (Tilehurst) | |
The 1994–95 season match between Manchester United and Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, Manchester, took place on 4 March 1995. The two teams went into the match at opposite ends of the table, although Ipswich had beaten United earlier in the season 3–2 at Portman Road. Andy Cole scored a Premier League record five goals in the game to set up a 9–0 win for Manchester United, another Premier League scoring record.
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Background
Manchester United were the reigning Premier League champions, while Ipswich had narrowly avoided relegation to the First Division in the final minutes of the previous season, finishing one place above the relegation zone.
Manchester United went into the match three points behind league leaders Blackburn Rovers, and therefore needed a win to maintain the pressure on the Lancashire club going into the last two months of the season. Meanwhile, Ipswich Town were in 21st place in the league, three points ahead of bottom club Leicester City, but eight points away from escaping the relegation zone.
Prior to this match, the two teams had met 50 times in all competitions, with Manchester United having the upper hand with 24 wins to Ipswich's 18. The remaining eight matches, which finished as draws, were all in the league, where it was a similar story, with Manchester United winning 20 of the teams' 45 meetings, while Ipswich had 17 wins. The most recent game between the two sides, however, on 24 September 1994, finished in a 3–2 win for Ipswich at their home, Portman Road.
Reaction
The result was Manchester United's biggest league win in 103 years, matching the nine-goal margin they recorded in a 10–1 win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 15 October 1892. It wiped out Blackburn's goal difference advantage at the top of the table as Rovers beat Aston Villa 1–0 at Villa Park on the same day, although Rovers' manager Kenny Dalglish shrugged off the result saying, "You only get three points whether you win 9–0 or 1–0".
Manchester United went on to finish second in the league, just one point behind Blackburn, while Ipswich were relegated, finishing bottom of the league.
Cole's record five-goal haul was later equalled by Alan Shearer – for Newcastle United against Sheffield Wednesday in September 1999; Jermain Defoe – for Tottenham Hotspur against Wigan Athletic in November 2009; Dimitar Berbatov – for Manchester United against Blackburn Rovers in November 2010; and Sergio Agüero – for Manchester City against Newcastle United in October 2015.
Ipswich goalkeeper Forrest went on to concede a further seven goals against Manchester United, playing for West Ham United in a 7–1 defeat in April 2000.