Fergie stunned by Old Trafford repeat
11:54pm Thursday 22nd November 2007
THE scorch marks on the walls of the home dressing room at Old Trafford proved that lightning can, after all, strike the same place twice.
Sir Alex Ferguson put on a brave face, but in private he was seething after seeing his Mighty Reds beaten on their own patch by Little Old Bolton for the second year running.
Kevin Nolan, who'd scored in the previous season's 2-1 win, did the damage again - pouncing on a David Beckham error to score the only goal of the game 13 minutes from time.
What a time and what a place to score your first goal of the season! And what a record. Scoring twice in successive derby wins at Old Trafford earned the young Nolan a place in Bolton folklore.
And what a day for Sam Allardyce. The wily Bolton boss, who had come over all emotional the previous October, inspired his players by showing videos of that momentous triumph to remind them of what they were capable of - and it worked a treat.
United looked awesome to start with but it was Wanderers who fashioned the first clear-cut chances: Henrik Pedersen spurned one, shooting straight at Fabien Barthez after Michael Ricketts sent him clear, and Anthony Barness put one over the bar.
Missing Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, United were poor in midfield but Juan Sebastian Veron at least managed to conjure up a chance for Ruud van Nistelrooy just before half-time, when the Dutchman's powerful shot beat Jussi Jaaskelainen only to bounce down off the crossbar.
Van Nistelrooy claimed the ball had crossed then line but referee Graham Barber was having none of it. Ricketts, who'd scored the matchwinner the previous season, was at the peak of his form and was tormenting the living daylights out of Laurent Blanc.
Fergie was looking distinctly uncomfortable on the touchline, long before Nolan delivered the coup de grace.
That night, Wanderers had the distinction of being the only club in England to have won more games against Manchester United than they had lost.
It's perhaps a sign of how deeply those successive home defeats hurt Ferguson and his players that United have imposed themselves so devastatingly in subsequent derbies - winning seven and drawing two.
The current head-to-head record in all competitions reads: 41 Wanderers wins, 46 United wins and 24 draws.
But, for Bolton fans, the memory of those two derby upsets will never be erased.
Manchester United Barthez; P Neville, Blanc, Ferdinand, Silvestre; Beckham, Butt, Veron (Forlan 76), Giggs; Solskjaer, van Nistelrooy. Not used: Ricardo, Stewart, O'Shea, Chadwick.
Wanderers Jaaskelainen; Barness, Bergsson, Whitlow, Charlton; Djorkaeff (Warhurst 73), Frandsen (Holdsworth 87), Nolan, Gardner; Pedersen (Campo 89); Ricketts. Not used: Poole, Walters.
Referee: Graham Barber (Tring).
Attendance: 67,623.