2014–15 Manchester United F.C. season
The 2014–15 season is Manchester United's 23rd season in the Premier League, and their 40th consecutive season in the top-flight ofEnglish football.
Background
United finished seventh[1] in the Premier League last season so won't be participating in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1995–96 campaign[1] and will not be in any European competition for the first time in 25 years.[1][2] Louis van Gaal was announced as the new manager on 19 May 2014 after the sacking of David Moyes in April.[1] [9]
Pre-season and friendlies
Manchester United preceded their 2014–15 campaign with a tour of the United States. They played LA Galaxy in the Chevrolet Cup on 23 July, and also participated in the 2014 International Champions Cup from 26 July to 2 August, playing against Roma,Internazionale and Real Madrid in the group stage. Having beaten Roma and Real Madrid in normal time, and Internazionale on penalties to win their group, they qualified for the final against Liverpool on 4 August. After going behind to a Steven Gerrard penalty in the first half, United rallied in the second with goals from Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata andJesse Lingard to win 3–1. Upon their return to England, the team played against Valencia on 12 August in what was Louis van Gaal's first home match as Manchester United manager.
Premier League
The fixtures for the 2014–15 season were announced on 18 June 2014. Manchester United opened their Premier League campaign at home to Swansea City on 16 August 2014, and their last game of the season will be away to Hull City on 24 May 2015.[10] The season started off on the wrong foot for Manchester United, losing 2–1 at home to Swansea City, marking Swansea's first league win at Old Trafford in club history, and the Red Devils' first home loss in a season opener since 1972.[11] Juan Mata gave United the lead at Sunderland but Jack Rodwell equalised on his debut before United labored to 0–0 draw against Burnley, despite Angel Di María making his debut for the Red Devils. The draw was followed up with United's first win of the season, a 4–0 thumping of Queens Park Rangers. However, the following week, 2–0 and 3–1 leads were blown as the Red Devils suffered a remarkable 5–3 defeat away to Leicester City. The following match resulted in a 2–1 home win over West Ham United, despite captain Wayne Rooney's sending off for a reckless kick at the legs of Stewart Downing. The next fixture, without club captain Rooney, was a morale-boosting 2–1 victory over Everton. The next two matches were last-minute draws against West Brom and Chelsea, respectively. United then narrowly lost to city rivals Manchester City, courtesy of a 1–0 scoreline at the Etihad Stadium. The next match, a 1–0 victory over Palace, ignited a six-match winning run that took United to third place in the table. Although United recorded wins over Premier League giants Arsenal, Liverpool and the in-form Southampton, throughout the season they have been greatly indebted to Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea, who has made many game-saving stops. United then drew away to Aston Villa, despite new signing Falcao scoring his second goal for the club. The Boxing Day clash against Newcastle was a 3–1 win, with Wayne Rooney scoring twice and assisting Robin van Persie. The next game, only two days later, was a goalless draw away to Tottenham Hotspur. The result was the same against Stoke, with Falcao's goal unable to win the game in a 1–1 draw. The following match, United ended their unbeaten streak with a home defeat to Southampton — the first time the Saints had won at Old Trafford in 27 years. Next week, United secured a 2–0 win at QPR's home in London, with Fellaini and Wilson scoring. The following fixture, United beat Leicester City 3–1 with goals from Van Persie and Falcao. However, they were later held to a 1–1 draw at West Ham, thanks to an equaliser in stoppage time from Daley Blind. After this, United won 3–1 against Burnley at Old Trafford, with two goals in the first half from substitute Chris Smalling, and a late penalty from Van Persie, although the Red Devils' performance was far from their best.[12] On 21 February, United suffered their first away defeat since November as the Swans did the double on the Red Devils for the first time in their history, winning 2–1, resulting in United dropping to fourth place.[13] United got back to winning ways with a 2–0 home victory overSunderland,[14] which was followed by a 1–0 away victory against Newcastle United.[15]The following fixture, United secured a 3–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur to boost their chances of a top four finish.[16] Their next game was against arch-rivals Liverpool atAnfield. United won the match courtesy of a brace from Juan Mata to secure the double over their rivals.[17]
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