Manchester United will face Real Betis at Old Trafford on Thursday evening, determined to impress a fanbase that has fuelled the squad’s overall progression and success so far this season.
Late last month, the manager called on our fans to create a special atmosphere for the Europa League play-off second leg against Barcelona – and the Theatre of Dreams did not disappoint.
Following a request from fans, the music was turned off inside the ground at 19:45 GMT, 15 minutes before kick-off, so the buzz could really start to build inside Old Trafford. The stadium was absolutely rocking when the referee blew his first whistle and there was an electrifying vibe within the ground.
Robert Lewandowski’s penalty after 18 minutes prompted a short spell of nervousness, admittedly, but that quickly turned into defiant support and another special European comeback ensued under the lights.
Fred restored parity with his lesser-used right foot shortly after half-time and Old Trafford burst into raptures as a greater sense of belief spread like wildfire.
Then came the big moment of the night.
A blocked shot bounced into the path of Antony and our Brazilian summer signing guided a left-footed finish into the bottom corner, ultimately winning the match and the play-off in front of a raucous Stretford End.
The atmosphere is measured throughout all home games and this produces an average decibel level per fixture. The 2-1 win over Barcelona came in at 94.7dB, displacing the Manchester derby victory of the same scoreline in third place on our chart for 2022/23.
The crucial Premier League wins over Arsenal and Liverpool remain in second and first place respectively, which is perhaps due to the fact United took first-half leads in both games and the average noise level was therefore a little higher.
Here are our top five loudest Old Trafford matches this season:
5: United 2 Leeds 2 = 92.4dB
4: United 2 Manchester City 1 = 94.3dB
3: United 2 Barcelona 1 = 94.7dB
2: United 3 Arsenal 1 = 94.9dB
1: United 2 Liverpool 1 = 95.9dB
United are determined to produce another successful European night this evening (Thursday), primarily to move closer to the Europa League quarter-finals but also to reward our supporters following last weekend's result at Anfield.
In our matchday Q&A, Ten Hag addresses the mood of the squad and challenges his players to whip up the crowd against Real Betis.
“It's about unity, but we let them down on Sunday and we don't want to. We are disappointed in that, we are disappointed in ourselves.
“But we have seen the whole season we have a really strong bond and we have to keep that but the team has to give the first energy. Give the first action and then the crowd will be behind us.”
United v Real Betis kicks off at 20:00 GMT.