Evra: The night Sir Alex predicted I'd score

The French full-back started United's famous 7-1 victory over Roma in 2007 on the bench, as the Reds looked to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of the quarter-final tie between the two clubs.

 

Incredibly, by the time Evra replaced John O'Shea in the 52nd minute, Ferguson's team were already 5-0 up on the night, and 6-2 on aggregate.

The Scot was so confident by this point that he predicted United's no.3 would score soon after getting onto the field of play.

 

“I started on the bench,”

remembered Evra, “and the boss said: ‘Patrice, you’re going to come on, but you’re going to come as a right-back, and you’re going to score a goal.’ He even told me that! 

 

“I came as the right-back, because you can see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave me the assist, and I shoot and I scored and we won 7-1.”

The 38-year-old revealed that Ferguson often describes United's performance in that match as close to perfection.

 

 

“The atmosphere was so electric: the stadium, the fans… everything was connected that day. Because I remember, I think we lost 2-1 against Rome in the first leg, and the Italian people were like, ‘Oh, Roma is such a big team. They’re going to destroy us’.

So complete was United's dominance by the time Evra's cameo began, that one of his compatriots on the opposing team could scarcely believe what he was experiencing. 

 

“Wow, that day, I know what it means, playing at Old Trafford,” explained the French international. “It’s the Theatre of Dreams for us, but it’s the theatre of nightmares for the opposite team. 

 

“I even remember [Roma defender] Philippe Mexes, he said: ‘Patrice, I was shaking!’ He said: ‘When I had the ball, I kicked the ball in the stands.’ Because he was shaking! This game was like too much.

 

“The Champions League… a big second leg… 7-1! I think that’s when people started to say, wow, this team is a big team. They started respecting us even more in Europe.”