10 stats to mark 10 years since Sir Alex retired

Friday 19 May 2023 07:00

Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of his final game as Manchester United manager exactly 10 years ago today, on 19 May 2013.

The Reds faced West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns in his last game in the dugout, with a 10-goal thriller being played out as the home side fought back from being three goals down on two occasions to draw 5-5.

Sir Alex is regarded as one of football’s greatest ever managers, who tasted success in his native Scotland, particularly with Aberdeen, prior to taking over at United.

Here we recall some of his incredible achievements during his 26-and-a-half trophy-laden years at Old Trafford with 10 stats provided by Opta...

West Bromwich Albion 5 United 5 Video

West Bromwich Albion 5 United 5

19 May 2013: Sir Alex Ferguson's last match as United manager was an extraordinary 5-5 draw at West Brom...

1: PREMIER LEAGUE SPECIALIST

During his tenure at United, Sir Alex won a record 13 titles in 21 Premier League seasons. His maiden triumph was in 1992/93 when we were crowned English champions for the first time in 26 years. Check out which other managers have lifted the Premier League trophy…

13 = Sir Alex Ferguson
4 = Pep Guardiola
3 = Arsene Wenger
3= Jose Mourinho
1 = Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte, Claudio Ranieri, Manuel Pellegrini, Roberto Mancini, Carlo Ancelotti, Sir Kenny Dalglish

2: GAMES AND GOALS GALORE

Sir Alex has won more matches (528) and seen his team score more goals (1,627) than any other manager in Premier League history. Find out which other gaffers have won the most games in the top flight…

528 = Sir Alex Ferguson
476 = Arsene Wenger
254 = David Moyes
236 = Harry Redknapp
217 = Jose Mourinho

3: THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

Sir Alex is currently the only manager to win a Premier League title in three consecutive seasons, something he achieved on two separate occasions - from 1998/99 to 2000/01, and then 2006/07 to 2008/09.

4: THE COMEBACK KINGS

The great Scot guided his team to more comeback wins than any other manager in Premier League history, registering 71 victories after conceding the first goal. Here are five of his finest triumphs in the competition after falling behind…

United 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday, 1992/93
Manchester City 2-3 United, 1993/94
Tottenham Hotspur 3-5 United, 2001/02
Everton 2-4 United, 2006/07
United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur, 2008/09

You can watch extended highlights of all these games in our Premier League Collection.

Sir Alex Ferguson: Leadership Video

Sir Alex Ferguson: Leadership

Film | Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the most iconic leaders in football history, reveals all about his methods for inspiring...

5: FORTRESS OLD TRAFFORD

A key feature of Sir Alex’s era at United was his ability to turn the Theatre of Dreams into a place teams would dread visiting. Our former boss won 305 Premier League matches on home turf, more than twice as many as any other manager has won at a stadium in Premier League history.

6: SECOND-HALF REVIVAL

Sir Alex was the first manager to see his team win a Premier League game after being three goals down at half-time. This occurred in September 2001, in the previously mentioned 5-3 victory over Tottenham at White Lane.

Goals from Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham wiped out the home side’s three-goal advantage. This feat has only been achieved once since then (Wolves 4-3 Leicester 2003/04) and never again by an away team.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 United 5 Video

Tottenham Hotspur 3 United 5

29 September 2001: United came from three goals down to win on a memorable afternoon at Tottenham...

7: HOME AWAY FROM HOME

No other manager in Premier League history has won more times on the road than Sir Alex, who has 223 away victories in the top flight to his name. Picking up points away from Old Trafford was a key factor in continuously winning or at least competing strongly for the league title.

8: CONSISTENCY IS KEY

It’s no surprise that under Sir Alex, the Reds won the most Premier League points in the 1990s (620), 2000s (832) and between January 2010 and his final game in May 2013 (300). His hunger for success year in, year out and ability to build successful teams in different periods was unmatched. 

9: RECORD VICTORY

Our former boss became the first manager to win a Premier League match by a nine-goal margin, when his side beat Ipswich Town 9-0 in March 1995. Goals from Roy Keane, Andy Cole (4), Mark Hughes (2) and Paul Ince secured the landslide victory. This is a feat that has only been achieved three times since - including another one in our record books.

Southampton 0-9 Leicester City, 2019/20
United 9-0 Southampton, 2020/21
Liverpool 9-0 Crystal Palace, 2022/23

10: TABLE TOPPERS

In total, Sir Alex ended 2,284 days with his team at the top of the Premier League table - that's 1,305 more days than his closest rival in that particular chart.

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