Losing at half-time at Old Trafford? You may as well give up! It's nearly 30 years since a team came back to beat United in the league

By Adam Shergold
PUBLISHED: 15:41 GMT, 14 January 2013 | UPDATED: 17:17 GMT, 14 January 2013




It is well known that any side that goes in at half-time trailing at Old Trafford has a mountain to climb in order to come back and win.
But it may surprise you that it's been nearly three decades since a side managed to fight back and take away all three points.
Through not only the post-1992 Premier League era but Sir Alex Ferguson's whole time in charge, Manchester United have always gone on to either win or draw at home in the league if they're leading at the interval.


Fortress Old Trafford: During the entire 26-year Alex Ferguson era, United have not lost at home in the league if they're leading at half-time

MAN UNITED 1 IPSWICH TOWN 2

May 7, 1984

Manchester United: Gary Bailey, Mike Duxbury, Arthur Albiston, Ray Wilkins, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, Bryan Robson, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton, Mark Hughes, Arthur Graham
Scorer: Hughes
Ipswich Town: Paul Cooper, Frank Yallop, Steve McCall, Romeo Zondervan (Tommy Parkin), Russell Osman, Ian Cranson, Trevor Putney, Mark Brennan, Mich D'Avray, Alan Sunderland, Eric Gates
Scorers: D'Avray, Sunderland

Attendance: 44,257
Half-time: 1-0



The last time it happened was on May 7, 1984, when Ipswich Town fought back from a first-half Mark Hughes strike to win 2-1, thanks to goals from Mich D'Avray and Alan Sunderland.
Margaret Thatcher was battling the coal mining unions, the Soviet Union was considering whether to boycott the Los Angeles Olympics and Duran Duran topped the charts with The Reflex.
The result effectively handed the le to Liverpool, who thrashed Coventry City 5-0 on the same afternoon to establish a five point lead. It was their third successive championship and 15th overall.
Ron Atkinson's United ended up fourth, six points behind their Merseyside rivals.
Ipswich, a few years after their golden age of the late Seventies and early Eighties, ended up 12th.
So for the last eight years of the top-flight First Division and the entire Premier League period, United have not been defeated if they've led at half-time.
Since the inception of the Premier League, there have been 212 occasions when United have been leading after 45 minutes - they've won 200 of those and drawn just 12.

First half lead: Mark Hughes fired United into a 1-0 lead in the match with Ipswich Town in May 1984, the last time they surrendered a half-time lead in a league game at Old Trafford


Match winner: Alan Sunderland, pictured a few years later, scored the decisive goal for Ipswich in their 2-1 win

Decisive weekend: On the same day, Liverpool beat Coventry City 5-0 at Anfield to effectively seal the le - Ian Rush scores the second goal as Sam Allardyce tries to stop it (above)





HARD TO BEAT

In the Premier League era (1992-), Man United have led 212 times at half-time in league fixtures at Old Trafford. Their record in these games reads:
Won: 200 Drawn: 12 Lost: 0


The latest came on Sunday, when United beat Liverpool 2-1, having led at half-time through Robin van Persie's well-taken strike.
They doubled the lead in the second half through Nemanja Vidic and held on despite Daniel Sturridge pulling one back.
There is a crumb of comfort for teams visiting Old Trafford, though, as a few have fought back to get a point.

Ominous: Things weren't looking good for a Liverpool win when Robin van Persie gave Manchester United the lead in the first half on Sunday

Even so, it is over two years since this has occurred in the league, when West Bromwich came back from a 2-0 half-time deficit on October 16, 2010.
In all compe ions, Basle earned a 3-3 draw having been two-down at half-time in a Champions League group stage match in September 2011.


Comeback: Edwin van der Sar looks on as Somen Tchoyi equalises for West Brom in the 2-2 comeback draw in October 2010



Storming of Old Trafford: Basel earned a 3-3 draw at United in the Champions League back in 2011