The 2000–01 season was Manchester United's ninth season in the Premier League, and their 26th consecutive season in the top division of English football. United won the Premier League for the third successive season and the seventh time since its inauguration in 1993. They were less successful in cup competitions, going out in the fourth round of the FA Cup, the fourth round of the League Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
New goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was an instant success, and previous first-choice goalkeeper Mark Bosnich failed to feature in the first team in 2000–01, opting to join Chelsea on a free transfer in January, despite equally limited first-team opportunities at Stamford Bridge. Veteran striker Teddy Sheringham had an excellent season, topping the club's goalscoring charts and gaining both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards. However, the arrival of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from PSV Eindhoven at the end of the season prompted Sheringham to return to Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer. Also leaving the club was Henning Berg, who was loaned to his old club Blackburn Rovers just after the start of the season, and moved on a permanent contract in December, joining former United players John Curtis and Mark Hughes in Blackburn's successful campaign that saw them promoted back to the Premier League after a two-year exile.
Pre-season and friendlies DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance29 July 2000York CityA2–0Keane (2) 52', 62'9,00330 July 2000Shrewsbury TownA8–1Butt 3', Solskjær (2) 12', 40', Sheringham 51', Clegg 58', Fortune (2) 61' (pen.), 68', Healy 79'8,0004 August 2000Real MadridN1–0Solskjær 89'39,0005 August 2000Bayern MunichA1–3Fortune 85'43,0009 August 2000BirkirkaraN5–1Beckham 18', Yorke 49', Solskjær (2) 53', 74', Scholes 70'7,61416 August 2000Manchester CityH2–0Sheringham 36', Cole 85'45,15815 May 2001CelticA2–0Silvestre 15', Djordjic 88'57,268
FA Charity Shield
DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance13 August 2000ChelseaN0–265,148
Premier League
DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendanceLeagueposition20 August 2000Newcastle UnitedH2–0Johnsen 20', Cole 69'67,4775th22 August 2000Ipswich TownA1–1Beckham 39'22,0073rd26 August 2000West Ham UnitedA2–2Beckham 6', Cole 49'25,9985th5 September 2000Bradford CityH6–0Cole 11', Fortune (2) 23', 60', Sheringham (2) 71', 81', Beckham 85'67,4471st9 September 2000SunderlandH3–0Scholes (2) 14', 82', Sheringham 76'67,5031st16 September 2000EvertonA3–1Butt 26', Giggs 29', Solskjær 38'38,5411st23 September 2000ChelseaH3–3Scholes 14', Sheringham 37', Beckham 39'67,5681st1 October 2000ArsenalA0–138,1462nd14 October 2000Leicester CityA3–0Sheringham (2) 37', 54', Solskjær 90'22,1321st21 October 2000Leeds UnitedH3–0Yorke 40', Beckham 50', Jones 82' (o.g.)67,5231st28 October 2000SouthamptonH5–0Cole (2) 9', 73', Sheringham (3) 45', 51', 55'67,5811st4 November 2000Coventry CityA2–1Cole 27', Beckham 37'21,0791st11 November 2000MiddlesbroughH2–1Butt 62', Sheringham 65'67,5761st18 November 2000Manchester CityA1–0Beckham 2'34,4291st25 November 2000Derby CountyA3–0Sheringham 61', Butt 69', Yorke 76'32,9101st2 December 2000Tottenham HotspurH2–0Scholes 40', Solskjær 84'67,5831st9 December 2000Charlton AthleticA3–3Giggs 42', Solskjær 43', Keane 66'20,0431st17 December 2000LiverpoolH0–167,5331st23 December 2000Ipswich TownH2–0Solskjær (2) 20', 32'67,5971st26 December 2000Aston VillaA1–0Solskjær 85'40,8891st30 December 2000Newcastle UnitedA1–1Beckham 25' (pen.)52,1341st1 January 2001West Ham UnitedH3–1Solskjær 3', Pearce 33' (o.g.), Yorke 57'67,6031st13 January 2001Bradford CityA3–0Sheringham 72', Giggs 75', Chadwick 87'20,5511st20 January 2001Aston VillaH2–0G. Neville 57', Sheringham 87'67,5331st31 January 2001SunderlandA1–0Cole 46'48,2601st3 February 2001EvertonH1–0Watson 52' (o.g.)67,5281st10 February 2001ChelseaA1–1Cole 69'34,9601st25 February 2001ArsenalH6–1Yorke (3) 3', 18', 22', Keane 26', Solskjær 38', Sheringham 90'67,5351st3 March 2001Leeds UnitedA1–1Chadwick 64'40,0551st17 March 2001Leicester CityH2–0Yorke 88', Silvestre 90'67,5161st31 March 2001LiverpoolA0–244,8061st10 April 2001Charlton AthleticH2–1Cole 45', Solskjær 82'67,5051st14 April 2001Coventry CityH4–2Yorke (2) 13', 28', Giggs 81', Scholes 87'67,6371st21 April 2001Manchester CityH1–1Sheringham 71' (pen.)67,5351st28 April 2001MiddlesbroughA2–0P. Neville 4', Beckham 84'34,4171st5 May 2001Derby CountyH0–167,5261st13 May 2001SouthamptonA1–2Giggs 71'15,5261st19 May 2001Tottenham HotspurA1–3Scholes 22'36,0721st
FA Cup
DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance7 January 2001Round 3FulhamA2–1Solskjær 8', Sheringham 89'19,17828 January 2001Round 4West Ham UnitedH0–167,029
League Cup
DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance31 October 2000Round 3WatfordA3–0Solskjær (2) 12', 81', Yorke 54'18,87128 November 2000Round 4SunderlandA1–2 Yorke 31'47,543
UEFA Champions League
Group stage
DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendanceGroupposition13 September 2000AnderlechtH5–1Cole (3) 15', 50', 72', Irwin 31' (pen.), Sheringham 42'62,7491st19 September 2000Dynamo KyivA0–065,0001st26 September 2000PSV EindhovenA1–3Scholes 2' (pen.)30,5002nd18 October 2000PSV EindhovenH3–1Sheringham 8', Scholes 82', Yorke 87'66,3131st24 October 2000AnderlechtA1–2Irwin 36' (pen.)22,5063rd8 November 2000Dynamo KyivH1–0Sheringham 18'66,7762nd
Second group stage
DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendanceGroupposition21 November 2000PanathinaikosH3–1Sheringham 48', Scholes (2) 81', 90'65,0241st6 December 2000Sturm GrazA2–0Scholes 18', Giggs 89'16,5001st14 February 2001ValenciaA0–049,5411st20 February 2001ValenciaH1–1Cole 12'66,7151st7 March 2001PanathinaikosA1–1Scholes 90'27,2312nd13 March 2001Sturm GrazH3–0Butt 5', Sheringham 20', Keane 86'66,4042nd
Knockout phase
DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance3 April 2001Quarter-finalFirst legBayern MunichH0–166,58418 April 2001Quarter-finalSecond legBayern MunichA1–2Giggs 49'60,000
Squad statistics No.Pos.NameLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals1GK Fabien Barthez3001000120104402DF Gary Neville3212000140104913DF Denis Irwin20(1)01000721029(1)24DF David May1(1)0000000001(1)05DF Ronny Johnsen111001040101716DF Jaap Stam1501000600(1)022(1)07MF David Beckham29(2)9200011(1)01043(3)98MF Nicky Butt24(4)320008(3)10034(7)49FW Andy Cole15(4)910001040(1)026(5)1310FW Teddy Sheringham23(6)151(1)1008(3)51033(10)2111MF Ryan Giggs24(7)520009(2)21036(9)712DF Phil Neville24(5)110204(2)00031(7)113GK Mark Bosnich00000000000014GK Andy Goram20000000002015MF Jesper Blomqvist00000000000016MF Roy Keane (c)28220001311044317GK Raimond van der Gouw5(5)01020200010(5)018MF Paul Scholes28(4)600001261040(4)1219FW Dwight Yorke15(7)91(1)0227(4)10(1)025(13)1220FW Ole Gunnar Solskjær19(12)101(1)1223(8)01026(21)1321DF Henning Berg0(1)0000000000(1)022DF Ronnie Wallwork4(8)00(1)0200(1)0006(10)023DF Michael Clegg00002000002024DF Wes Brown25(3)010109(2)00036(5)025MF Quinton Fortune6(1)200200(1)00(1)08(3)227DF Mikaël Silvestre25(5)1200013(1)01041(6)128MF Michael Stewart30000(2)000003(2)030DF John O'Shea00002000002032MF Bojan Djordjic0(1)0000000000(1)033GK Paul Rachubka10000(1)000001(1)034MF Jonathan Greening3(4)000201(1)0006(5)035FW David Healy0(1)0000(1)000000(2)036MF Luke Chadwick6(10)20(1)0201(2)0009(13)237FW Danny Webber00000(1)000000(1)0
Transfers On the way out of United, during the summer were defender Danny Higginbotham, goalkeeper Massimo Taibi, midfielder Jordi Cruyff, and forward Alex Notman. Higginbotham left United for Derby County, after three years to fulfil his desire to play more first team football, Taibi signed for Reggina, after he had been on loan at the club during the second half of the 1999–2000 season, Cruyff signed for Alavés, after his United contract had expired, and Notman, who had never played a Premier League match for United, signed for Norwich City, where he would remain for three years.
French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez would be United only signing in May 2000. No players arrived at United throughout the whole 2000–01 season.
Leaving United during the winter were Norwegian defender Henning Berg, who signed for Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £1.75 million, Northern Irish forward David Healy, who signed for Preston North End for a fee of £1.5 million, and Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, who signed for Chelsea on a free transfer, after United had signed Fabien Barthez in the 2000 close season. Forward Teddy Sheringham left United to rejoin Tottenham Hotspur on 26 May.
Out Date Pos. Name To Fee5 July 2000DF Danny Higginbotham Derby County£2m8 July 2000GK Massimo Taibi Reggina£2.5m10 July 2000MF Jordi Cruyff AlavésFree28 November 2000FW Alex Notman Norwich City£250k15 December 2000DF Henning Berg Blackburn Rovers£1.75m3 January 2001FW David Healy Preston North End£1.5m18 January 2001GK Mark Bosnich ChelseaFree26 May 2001FW Teddy Sheringham Tottenham HotspurFree
Loan in Date from Date to Pos. Name From Fee22 March 200131 May 2001GK Andy Goram Motherwell£100k
References