It’s October, 1996 and I’m a long-haired scruffy student wondering how Man Utd would respond to a 5-0 mauling the previous week when Newcastle had battered them at St James Park.
Less than six months after beating Southampton 3-1 at the Dell during the infamous half time shirt change, when their awful grey kit was dumped at half-time, United were humbled once again.
After a young Eyal Berkovic had given the Saints an early lead, Roy Keane got sent off and the game descended into an attacking goal fest which saw four goals plundered in the final ten minutes.
Southampton were inspired by the portly but wonderfully skillful Matt Le Tissier, who would score the second with a majestic chip, and an Egil Ostenstad hat-trick, to win the game 6-3.
Red Crisis? Man Utd went on to win the league by 7 points from Newcastle, who claimed a second consecutive runner up spot. United did not top the Premiership until late January, and from then on they remained top and were crowned champions at the beginning of May without kicking a ball, their title status was confirmed by Liverpool’s failure to beat Wimbledon in the penultimate game of the season.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Southampton were at the wrong end of the table but managed to avoid relegation. Manager Dave Merrington had been dismissed at the end of the previous season to be succeeded by Graeme Souness, who brought in quality new players including Claus Lundekvam and Ostenstad. The 6-3 win over Manchester United was the highlight of the season, while Southampton entered the final game of the season only needing a draw to confirm their survival.
Southampton beat Manchester Utd 3-1 in the “grey shirt” match, not the other way around.