This was a lesson in game management and psychology for us. The way Kev's shoulders sunk after the goal went in pretty much dampened any chance of our comeback. You don't see Pep or Klopp do that. A little more resilience and this could've been our year - should've been our year. One of the games that made me a Magpies fan.
Remember this like it was yesterday - I must've been 10. My first grasp of what a "top-of-the-table clash" was - and as a Utd fan it was nail biting stuff from the first whistle. Newcastle were well-oiled, brilliant - in the ascendancy in the title race and about to pull away. Then Cantona gives us the lead. From that moment on, I knew we were going to win the game - and the league. This game was the night the title race shifted - and Keegan knew it too.
Yes indeed but there were 3 glaring reasons for this painful loss. Shearer, Peacock and Watson (all either absent or hadn't signed yet in Shearer's case) Schmeichel also had an absolute blinder
A1 & HDJ Enterprises Exec A1 Including Shearer in your comment is the most stupidest thing I’ve ever I’ve read !! Wtf ??? Are you really that uneducated on football teams in a season ?? You don’t belong in the footballing world !!! You’re not even a basic football fan with that drivel !! My god !!
One of Roy Keanes best ever performances. Always so calm, always there. Doesn't get the recognition for being such an amazing footballer, all more about his drive and personality. Like all the greats he made it look easy.
Iwan Bottos you’re that typical fan that probably didn’t watch Keane properly. ON THE BALL Keane was extremely calm. Off the ball he was hounding players and getting to them as quickly as he can with a brilliant nouse to smell danger and fight for the ball.
I was at this game. The best atmosphere I've ever experienced at a football match. I can honestly say a day never goes by when I don't think about 95/96 and what might have been. In saying that, I've only got good memories of this period. I feel bad for the Newcastle fans who weren't around to see this team in the 90's. I fear we won't get back to this level again.
This was definitely the best Newcastle team I've ever seen, by some distance. People always talk about the 12 point lead but we didn't really throw it away, Man Utd won 15 of their last 19 league games, only losing 2 of them and beating us twice in that period. You just have to give credit where it's due sometimes.
If any celebration drink was offered, I doubt that Schmeichel would have accepted Newcastle Brown Ale. They almost battered MU that night but they lost their Newcie Brown Ale bottle afterwards, handing the reds the title in the process.
Keegan said in his book he said nothing at half time because they’d attacked so much...My thinking,if that was Ferguson he’d have lifted them out of it for missed chances so make it right !!
As a Toon, fan, yes I was devestated, but at the end of the day, despite all the chances we had and all the pressure we put Man Utd under, all it took was one chance for them and they scored with it
I'm still pig sick that Man United missed out on Shearer 96/97 onwards would have started out as: Big Pete Gary Neville Ronny Johnsen Gary Pallister Denis Irwin David Beckham Roy Keane Paul Scholes Ryan GIggs Eric Cantona Alan Shearer With Jaap Stam too follow. With that midfield and front 2 we would have pissed the league every year from 1996 - 2002 and we probably win a couple more Champions League titles as well. It is always said Shearer would have won more coming too United but as he quite rightly said "So would United"
Peter Schmichael and Eric Cantona was the only thing between us and the premier league title that season. The thing was we were better then Manchester United that game we totally out classed them but they had that ability to hang on til the end that extra mental strength. We didn’t have that
Must admit, during the first half of that season I couldn't honestly see how that Newcastle side would lose the title. Then their defence got tested a few times......
Music Music Only had to tighten up defence and they would have,as I’ve said before lost 5 in 8 on the run in,couldn’t win the premier league playing all out for 38 games !!
blue Star Well that’s only 3 points if you don’t attempt to score ! Lost the league by 4 and had a lesser goal difference ! So you need to get 5 points ! You couldn’t defend as a unit let’s be honest so that cancels Anfield out,Blackburn definitely defend all out and Forest well,you wear looking leggy that night so no that wouldn’t have won the league,they should have been tightening up the last 10 matches,not leaving it to the last couple of weeks !
people always go on about ronaldo's header vs roma, when he wasn't even in the picture when scholesie crossed the ball and then he bullets it in. Now take a look at Roy Keane at 3:33, not even in the picture, but storms back to defend...legendary!
That what made players like Keane world-class. It the little things you miss that they do and they make very few mistakes. Watch the lead up to the goal, determination, and vision to get that ball and pass forward asap to build an attack.
The best thing about these older games (besides the physical, direct play), is that whenever they show the stands not one person is staring like an idiot at their phone.
Even with all the money that Newcastle have these days it’s going to be something special that beats a game like this, edge of your seat stuff! One of my favourite games ever to watch of the prem era!
Had we won this game we would have won the league, Keegan wouldn't have left the following season, no Dalglish, no Gullit, everything would have been different.
Keegan always had his limit. Even if you won it, this team wouldn't have lasted with Keegan until 1999 and the Gullit era. You would've had some other manager regardless. Your performances had been iffy since the turn of 1996.
Even though United were trailing by 12 points but showed spirit that season and won 1-0 against their so called title rivals in 1995/96. What topped it was beating Liverpool in the FA Cup Final 1-0 with King Eric scoring the winner. I was only 2 turning 3 years old.
schmeichel are his best , man utds most important player , newcastle were world class and as a united fan only for schmeichel it be a different result . Good to see newcaslte playing well now again
I remember this game they battered us the whole way through and cantona stole it, a sign of true champions, Newcastle were a great team then, schmeichel was man of the match that game.
This was a crucial period in that season and i remember us winning 1-0 for a series of games and everytime cantona with the winner !! And the geordies crumbled again like clockwork !! sweet times.
Newcastle had every single chance to win that game and pull themselves ahead of Man United. Schmeichel save that game and the season with those saves. You just tell when United scored and won that game that they would going to comeback and win the league which they did.
Goals win games. It may be self-evident, but it isn't always apparent how decisive the role of a keeper is in preventing an otherwise excellent side from scoring. Peter did a masterful job in goal that evening. If not for him, Newcastle would have gobbled up the three points.
'Liquid style'.... very apt description of Asprilla. One of the most fascinating/frustrating/skillful/ bizarre players I've ever seen. Great fun to watch. This might sound weird but when I think of the 90s, he is one of the 1st people that pops into my head. Not even a Newcastle fan 😂😂.
Alan Rose I always remember Asprilla for that hat rick vs Barca for Newcastle. But Newcastle fans only remember him for not living up to the stature he arrived at the club with and he’s always been scapegoated for screwing up the league for Newcastle.
Their performances were waning from January really but they were scraping league wins. Come end of February their shit performances caught up with them and they started reflecting their results. United were just better.
Man Utd get lucky! Getting dominated throughout the match, possession and shots to goal ratio! If it hadn't have been for P. Schmeichel , it would have been another 5-0 stuffing! lol
@Colin David You say "another" but this was before the 5-0 game. I doubt Newcastle would've put in such a vengeful performance the following season at st james's park had they not been embarrassed by ManUtd at Wembley 4-0 on Shearer's competitive debut in the charity shield and of course frustrated by finishing trophyless the previous season despite having a 12point lead while ManUtd went on to win the double with 2 big PL wins against Newcastle playing a huge part.
United fan myself, got to admit, first half was most one sided 0-0 EVER. Probably "one of the" most one sided half ever. I know Arsenal had worse specially after 2011. But Wow! Peter Schmeichel.
ONLY reason Newcastle didn't win this title was Schmeichel, what a great side they really were, would have rewritten football history completely and all that followed
Im a man united fan and i remember this game well. I was only 16 at the time and looking back i feel if newcastle had won this game then they would have gone on to win the title that season. There is a reason they didnt win, that is I don't think Shearer would have joined them the following season. It was his destiny to go there though and this game was pivotal in determining that.
sadat s You "think Newcastle" would've won the title if they won this game lol well obviously it went to the last day of the season even with ManUtd doing the double over Newcastle that season. It's simple maths. But then again at least they weren't robbed decision wise in a close title race. If ManUtd got their stonewall pen at 2-2 at Highbury in 97/98 which Arsenal went on to win 3-2 then Arsenal would never close a very similar points deficit after also winning 0-1 at OldTrafford and with RoyKeane injured all season for Arsenal to narrowly win that title by 1 point with ManUtd scoring more and conceded less than them, 12 GD better than Arsenal and so just half a point in it. 95/96 at least beat Newcastle with no controversy and in the end won by 4 points and scored more and conceded less than Newcastle. The worst one was Chelsea 2009/10 needed 2 dodgy wins against ManUtd to nick that title by 1 point....and Gerrard to throw the penultimate game of the season because Liverpool preferred to lose with nothing to play for themselves finishing 7th but knowing if Chelsea dropped any points it was the first year Liverpool could be overtaken by ManUtd on overall league title wins, hence Gerrard's deliberate backpass to Drogba. So if the fixture scheduling was slightly different that season (or the head to head's between the top2 weren't fixed) ManUtd win the title because Liverpool won at all costs when ManUtd came to Anfield in the October that season, which made it even more fixed. ManCity needed 2 wins against ManUtd in 2011/12 and the 1-6 at OldTrafford was crucial for the goal difference which of course it was decided by that season and it wouldn't have been such a big scoreline if ManUtd weren't with a numerical disadvantage for most of the game and Balotelli did dive in that incident whether touched or not.
@@cddb5408 The final points margin in 1997-98 may have been one point, but only because Arsenal took their foot off the gas and lost their last two games (by a combined 5-0) after securing the title. Man Utd may have led by 11 pts at one stage, but Arsenal always had some games in hand and went on an excellent run and ended up winning the title with 2 games to spare. Prior to securing the title, Arsenal had won 10 games in a row by an overall margin of 23-2. After that, they lost their last 2 games by a combined 5-0, whereas Man Utd won their last 3 games by a combined 8-0. If you discount the non-competitive games once Arsenal were certain champions, the points margin would've been greater and the goal difference would've been very similar.
@@of_doom_and_steel477 Arsenal needed maximum points of ManUtd in 1997/98 to stand any chance of the title that's clear as day they were behind ManUtd before both matches and it was the first season ManUtd didn't have their captain Cantona and their new captain RoyKeane was injured for all but 1 month of the season. Arsenal were about 6th at Christmas. Also were they taking their foot off the gas or were they just hard fixtures that they would usually lose anyway? Just look at the results Arsenal used to get in those fixtures in the seasons surrounding that one then come back to me.....and ManUtd's last few fixtures were ones they'd usually win and they did. I'd understand if you said they were resting players for the FAcup final but they still usually lose those games plus they were both away they obviously played more home games hence the false points margin they had before the last game(s).
@@cddb5408 They won by 1 point after they lost their last two games and Man Utd won their last two. If they hadn't eased off after securing the title, they'd most likely have won by 7 points and indeed could have afforded to have lost one of the Man Utd games (they'd have still won the title by a point). You're imagining things about how Arsenal would "normally" have lost those last two games. They weren't in "normal" form for most of that season, and that's why they won the title. Like I said, in the crunch part of the season, when it counted most, Arsenal were well-nigh invincible and won 10 consecutive games by a combined total of 23 goals to 2. Only then, with the title in the bag, did they suddenly lose 4-0 to Liverpool (whose mediocre campaign had included home defeats to Leicester, Southampton and Barnsley) and 1-0 to Aston Villa (who needed to win to qualify for the UEFA Cup). If the title had still been up for grabs, it's just about inconceivable that Arsenal would've lost either game in the form they'd been in, whereas it is quite possible that they'd have kept winning by lopsided scorelines like in many of their prior games. Now that you mention it, however, they did indeed rest Vieira and Anelka in their final league games, and Petit, Bergkamp, Adams, Seaman and Overmars weren't even on the subs bench (so very much a B team) ...
@@of_doom_and_steel477 They needed to rest them otherwise they wouldn't have won the double. They narrowly won both competitions. They were a bit lucky to be in the position to rest them. Also if you lose 4-0 it's hard to say they would've won if they tried a bit harder, especially vs Liverpool who they had a poor record against especially around that time. Also Liverpool came 3rd that season, it's a hard fixture on paper despite the fact ManUtd won 1-3 there that season and the previous season.
Classic match & some class football being played at rip roaring pace for most of it. Man United weathered a storm, defended well keeper was well switched on & when they carved out a chance Cantona snapped at at it & scored. - Shearer came in after & he might be N.U. all time top scorer but that is it as he was never in a side that was good enough to win even an F.A Cup be retired & never won anything.- Unlike Cantona.
Em,they signed Shearer after finishing runners up ! They finished up 2nd again because Keegan fucked off after selling him the dream ! Had he stayed and had the guile to keep going and change tactics you know they might have !
They were close to the top from Oct-Dec of '96 (it was shaping into a race between themselves and Liverpool, but both teams began to stutter right away). After that, the best they ever did was scrape into the league of "champions" or lose in the cup final after getting drawn against a load of lower-league (or non-league) teams. An even bigger shame is that they were never again as exciting to watch. People say that Asprilla's signing unsettled the team, but he was fantastic to watch when playing, and equally so when celebrating a goal!
Watching this as a lifelong devils fan, I did feel a little bit sorry for Newcastle fans at the end of the season. Despite being Welsh, I had a Geordie great uncle who I used to spend the weekends with. I'd have loved him to see Newcastle win the title just once. He'd have been 6 or 7 the last time they won it.
Couldn't believe this when he scored we were unbelievable and they won then Fenton scored twice at Southampton fucked our 12 point lead never again will TOON ARMY FALL AGAIN Greatest team
I genuinely feel the course of footballing history could have been altered with a Newcastle win here. We almost certainly would have won the league this season. After that, who knows but the way everyone played from thereon would have been completely different.
PLs littered with nearly men. I think Arteta and Howe are in that bracket today. Keegan was too. His love of the game, his softness, his kindness, he wasnt cut out to be a ruthless PL winner. Would he have taken NU to CL glory, v v unlikely.
agl2007 Unfortunately that's what team's who don't win trophies do. They lose the title deciding game but then thrash the same team in a season where the win isn't that significant....other than qualifying for the 97/98 champions league....but obviously they didn't win that either lol
@@paulearl8203 There wasn't really a title-race that season. Liverpool and Newcastle looked like the main contenders towards the half-way stage, but both of them started stuttering badly, and stuttering Man Utd ended up winning by 7 pts because the other teams stuttered more persistently than they did.
Keegan blew it by buying Faustino Asprilla when there was no need. He had a title challenging squad, it unsettled the team with his incessant need to buy, and Utd capitalised on this.
Absolute rubbish !! That’s a myth ! Check his stats,he in no way cost Newcastle the league ! Tactics cost them the league,playing all out attack for 38 games ??? Defence only needed to be tightened up and job done ! Blame Keegan,and not for signing Asprilla !!
I think Schmeichel's performance that night was a bit overrated to be honest. He made some good gathers and good saves but nothing spectacular. Probably 8/10 sort of performance. Keane was the real difference.
Newcastle should have won they had more chances..they played better but not so clever tactically..watch the great Ginola..he doesnt look so connected with the rest..i think it was Keegans fault..not as a good manager tactically..not trying to mix up things..maybe it has to do with the 90s..u know..stack to that sometimes awfull 4-4-2 and lose..
I remember back then I was amazed how Newcastle squandered a 12 point lead; I thought, so did most people, that they had the title in the bag. Man utd didn't falter in the second half of the season though which was largely due to Ferguson's management; credit where it's due he was the master of title run ins. Newcastle were the team that everyone wanted to win the league though and although they didn't they will be remembered for playing amazing football that season and they captured the hearts of the nation. Man utd on the other hand were a good effective side with key players but were absolutely hated at the time (still are) with the controversial cantona, thuggish Keane etc. They may have won the title but Newcastle were far more a likeable team. Man utd were a good team yes but a likeable team no way.
Manchester United were/are hated simply because of their fame, had nothing to do with players like Cantona being controversial. Asprilla was hardly an angel, think he headbutted Keith Curle on his Newcastle debut. Newcastle had a fantastic side this season, but they weren't the only side to play great football. Ferguson's Manchester United sides of the 90's were brilliant football teams and even if you wanted them.to lose you can never not accuse them of being boring. Calling them an effective side makes them sound like a well oiled machine, they were much more expansive than that.
Gary Mitrovic imo Liverpool played the best easy on the eye football in 95/96. It was a style that was ahead of its time in the league. Attacking based possession. It was so smooth and they were the only side that played out from the back. They were in the title race for most of that season and if they had a world class centre midfielder and centre back then it could’ve possibly been a 3 horse race that went to the final day.
so i havent watched the whole match just the highlights of this video and i keep on wondering why do people keep on saying newcastle deserved to win? count the classic opportunities showed in this video and u will see it was 8-7 for the teams .. utd had clear cut chances to score way more than once so did newcastle .. plus i dont see how the excuse ''newcastle played man utd out of the park in the first half'' yeah u know utd played bad the first half then played superbly in the second.. so for me both teams played great and the most clinical of the two won.. i really dont see this game being a one team show like many suggest .
Maybe these highlights are not a fair reflection then and this is coming from a United fan. We were battered in the first half we could hardly get out of our own half. It's true that we slowly took control second half but at no point did we look comfortable. Feel for Newcastle as they played some sensational football that season. Premier League before money destroyed it as a contest where you now get teams with 75% possession.
@@jamesmcgrath1342 "Premier League before money destroyed it ..." The formation of the premier league was just a symptom of the commerce that was already destroying the game.
Newcastle dominated the first half hour an looked great then Utd composed an had got away with it still being 0.0 after that it looked clear to me that Utd we’re on top
It's hard to truly judge how good a manager is when they've never been in a situation where they haven't had billions of some shitty tycoon's spare coins to spend on players ...
Although a Utd fan I think Newcastle might have won the league this season had Keegan not bought Faustino Asprilla . He disrupted a winning team. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Angus Walsh Wouldn't say robbed, that usually means it was a controversial loss. This wasn't controversial, it was just unlucky for Newcastle/ManUtd had a great goalkeeper and clinical striker.
