I still get stick from United fans over ’95 goal: Hughes

EX-NI ace on how he helped change destination of the title on final day

NORTHERN Ireland hero Michael Hughes still gets reminded about a final-day goal for West Ham which helped stop Manchester United from winning the Premier League title in 1995 and he’s not ruling out the Hammers destroying another Manchester party tomorrow.

City start the day two points ahead of Arsenal but with a marginally worse goal difference.

Pep Guardiola’s men will be champions if they beat West Ham, or draw or lose and Arsenal fail to win.

The Gunners will finish top if they beat Everton and City fail to win while an Arsenal win and a City draw would hand the title to the Londoners on goal difference.

Former West Ham and Manchester City man Hughes knows the champions are firm favourites to win a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

No English club has won four League titles in a row and no side has won the Premier League from second place on the final day. But there will be plenty of tension in the air at the Etihad Stadium and Hughes feels it would be dangerous to assume West Ham will be rolled over.

The Hammers, in David Moyes’ last game as manager, are already guaranteed to finish the campaign in ninth and all the pressure is on a City side targeting the club’s eighth title since their first in 2012.

“The fact that City are at home makes a big difference,” said Hughes, who joined Harry Redknapp’s West Ham at the age of 23. “If the match was at West Ham you would consider it to be much tougher — you wouldn’t want to have to go to West Ham to win as they won’t lie down.

“City are clear favourites to win on Sunday but I’m sure that stranger things have happened in football and you just never know. All the teams now have two or three players who can win a game so it would be dangerous to dismiss West Ham. They can cause City problems and these results are never cut and dried.

“City are under pressure and they are not robots, they are human. If you were a betting man you would back City but they must do the business.”

Hughes scored one of the most impactful Premier League goals ever — a final-day strike against United in the 1-1 draw which denied Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils the 1994/95 title.

Blackburn Rovers went into their final-day trip to Liverpool with a two-point lead, and having to match or better United’s result against West Ham to guarantee winning their first Premier League title.

United needed a big favour from their old foes at Anfield. If Liverpool took points off Blackburn and United won at West Ham, the title would remain at Old Trafford for a third successive season.

Hughes scored West Ham’s opener and although Brian Mcclair equalised for United in the second half they couldn’t find a winner which would have clinched the title as Liverpool did beat Blackburn.

Alan Shearer had put Kenny Dalglish’s side ahead but John Barnes equalised and Jamie Redknapp struck an injury-time freekick winner.

Meanwhile, United were repeatedly repelled by inspired West Ham goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko and his defiant defenders.

“I got stick from United fans in 1995 and still do,” added Hughes. “You remember the final game but titles are won over a season and United dropped points in other matches. It’s the drama of the last day that magnifies things but United had plenty of chances to win the League that season and you could argue they should have wrapped it up earlier. The last game blues stick in people’s minds.

“We were safe from relegation and had no worries. But everyone knew it was the final day of the season and what the game meant to both clubs.

“You still had to go out and perform because you didn’t want any accusations levelled at the team, yourself or the manager. It was never going to be a case of not caring. It actually worked the other way and there was a determination to give a good account of yourselves.

“That was our thought process. If you want to win a title you win it fairly. I think it’s the same now.

“There will not be any favours done. We played without pressure but you still wanted to impress in front of your own supporters and put on a good show. It was a very significant day and you can’t escape that.”

Former Crystal Palace skipper Hughes joined West Ham after a spell with Strasbourg in the 1990s.

“I loved my time at West Ham, they are a fantastic, real homely club with passionate, genuine supporters,” he said.

Hughes, who made 71 Northern Ireland appearances, is a huge admirer of City’s ruthless finisher Erling Haaland.

“I enjoy watching big Haaland play, his power and movement is something else,” said the former winger who left Carrick Rangers for City in the late 1980s.

“He is a striker I would really have enjoyed playing with in respect of what he brings to the side.”