FROM 3-0 DOWN TO A 5-3 WIN... THE GREATEST COMEBACK, 20 YEARS ON

THIS fixture was one of THE great matches in the English football calendar.

What was remarkable about this particular meeting was that it was a Saturday afternoon… remember when big games were actually played back then?

It was a sensational game, a brilliant rollercoaster ride back in the days when Manchester United felt untouchable.

And, well, it was Sir Alex Ferguson who once famously said: “Lads, it’s Tottenham…” Basically, that was the ultimate putdown because Spurs were seen as something of a soft touch in those days.

But at 3-0 up at halftime, it was Tottenham who were doing the unthinkable and no one could believe what they were seeing.

The amazing thing about the old White Hart Lane ground was the position of the press box which was directly behind the two dugouts.

And watching Fergie on the United bench throughout the game – going from infuriated rage to elation bordering on pure disbelief – was almost as entertaining as the match itself.

Fergie was literally sat yards away from the press benches. The game was incredible. Tottenham were so good in the first half, United just crumbled and this was in the era of Laurent Blanc and Juan Sebastian Veron.

Fergie was infuriated at people openly questioning his judgement.

So at 3-0, the knives felt like they were being sharpened.

But the magic and aura around United is such that as soon as Andy Cole made it 3-1 a minute after the restart, you could almost sense the visitors would turn the game on its head.

Tottenham were nervous, United rampant, and Fergie’s side were so good that it could have been more than five (David Beckham celebrates scoring the Red Devils’ fifth, above).

It remains one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen and one that only added to United’s magical aura.

TOTTENHAM: Sullivan, Richards, King, Perry, Taricco, Ziege, Freund, Anderton (Rebrov 83), Poyet, Ferdinand, Sheringham. Subs: Keller, Thelwell, Davies, Etherington

MAN UNITED: Barthez, G Neville, Irwin (Silvestre 46), Johnsen, Blanc, Beckham, Butt (Solskjaer 40), Scholes, Veron, Cole, Van Nistelrooy. Subs: Carroll, Chadwick, P Neville

REFEREE: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees)