ROBBIE FOWLER
Our Anfield legend says what we’re all thinking
IT was one of the lowest points of my career, watching Eric Cantona lift the FA Cup for Manchester United in 1996.
As you would expect really, given that I was in the Liverpool team beaten at Wembley that day, and was forced to stand alongside my dejected team-mates as the Frenchman did the captain’s honours up in the Royal Box.
There’s never a good time to lose to your biggest rivals – but it’s a lot more painful knowing they are making history as well as collecting the winners’ medals.
United did the Double that season, the first club to do it twice.
Three years later, they went one better by adding the Champions League to their trophy haul – and, once again, everyone at Anfield was left cursing the fact that we had blown the chance to halt their progress to the Treble.
When we faced United in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford, we were given the perfect start as Michael Owen headed us into an early lead.
For 85 minutes, we were in front. Then Dwight Yorke equalised and, before we could console ourselves with the prospect of a replay, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer popped up with a winner in Fergie time.
He would score a much more important injury-time goal later in the season, of course.
But it was another example of how even the greatest of teams need a stroke of luck to get over the finishing line first.
United had other great escapes that season. Dennis Bergkamp had a penalty saved
in the semi-final; Bayern Munich hit the woodwork twice in the Champions League Final.
But all the record books show is that United became the first English club to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same season.
There’s no mention of Solskjaer’s winner against us at Old Trafford flying through the legs of Jamie Carragher – and rightly so. That’s football. It’s why we love it.
Now United and Liverpool meet again at Old Trafford in the cup – and this afternoon it’s the visitors on a quest to achieve something unique.
Jurgen Klopp’s side go into the quarter-final as Premier League title challengers and Carabao Cup winners. They are also through to the last eight of the Europa League. United fans won’t want to see Trent
Alexander-arnold claiming “this means four” at the end of the season. It is the team from Manchester who are the underdogs.
Erik ten Hag has enough motivation to win the game, considering he is fighting for his future.
But I think the Old Trafford supporters will forgive him anything if he can halt Liverpool’s march towards a Quadruple – including turning the tie into the kind of dour arm wrestle that enabled United to escape from Anfield with a 0-0 draw in December.
Virgil van Dijk was not impressed with United’s game plan that day.
But the big man has been around long enough to know that Ten Hag was never going to risk being sent back to
Manchester with another 7-0 drubbing. Liverpool scored five at Old Trafford in 2021. They are quite capable of doing the same again if United go toe-to-toe.
So I am expecting a tight, nervy affair that might even be settled by a touch of outrageous fortune.
Forty-seven years ago, Liverpool had aspirations of winning the Treble when they faced United in the FA Cup Final.
Bob Paisley’s side had been crowned champions already and were just four days away from beating Borussia Monchengladbach to lift the European Cup for the first time.
But they were beaten at Wembley by a fluke when a sliced shot from Lou Macari brushed the stomach of Jimmy Greenhoff and looped over keeper Ray Clemence.
Again, you won’t see it in the record books. Only on Youtube.
Old Trafford fans will forgive Ten Hag anything if he can halt Liverpool’s march to a Quadruple