Man Utd’s biggest European wins
Manchester United were the first English club to enter European competition in 1956 when Matt Busby defied the wishes of the Football League to lead his Busby Babes into the European Cup.
65 years later, United remain a pillar of European competition, having won all three major trophies at one point or another and enjoying some big wins along the way.
This list includes any game in European competition in which United have scored at least five goals while also maintaining a minimum margin of victory of four clear goals.
Date: 25 February 2016
Competition: Europa League, last 32
Scorers: own goal, Marcus Rashford (2), Ander Herrera, Memphis Depay
An 18-year-old Marcus Rashford grabbed the headlines in this win over Midtjylland, with two goals on his senior United debut. He only started because of an injury to Anthony Martial in the warm-up and went on to score another two against Arsenal a few days later.
Date: 26 February 2002
Competition: Champions League, second group stage
Scorers: David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2), Mikael Silvestre, Ruud van Nistelrooy
Date: 13 September 2000
Competition: Champions League, first group stage
Scorers: Andrew Cole (3), Denis Irwin, Teddy Sheringham
Date: 9 March 1966
Competition: European Cup, quarter-finals
Scorers: George Best (2), John Connelly, Paddy Crerand, Bobby Charlton
This was the game that launched a 19-year-old George Best to international stardom as he put two-time European champions Benfica to the sword in their own stadium.
Date: 28 October 2020
Competition: Champions League, group stage
Scorers: Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford (3), Anthony Martial
United’s demolition of new kids on the Bundesliga block, RB Leipzig, was all the more impressive because Marcus Rashford bagged his hat-trick after coming on as a second half substitute.
The Germans had also reached the semi-finals of the previous year’s competition, and were coached by future Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.
Date: 27 February 2020
Competition: Europa League, last 32
Scorers: Bruno Fernandes, Odion Ighalo, Scott McTominay, Fred (2)
Date: 16 September 2003
Competition: Champions League, group stage
Scorers: Mikael Silvestre, Quinton Fortune, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Nicky Butt, Eric Djemba-Djemba
Date: 27 August 2002
Competition: Champions League, third qualifying round
Scorers: Ruud van Nistelrooy (2), David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Date: 4 November 1998
Competition: Champions League, group stage
Scorers: David Beckham, Andrew Cole, Phil Neville, Dwight Yorke, Paul Scholes
Date: 12 March 2020
Competition: Europa League, last 16
Scorers: Odion Ighalo, Daniel James, Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood, Andreas Pereira
Date: 27 November 2013
Competition: Champions League, group stage
Scorers: Antonio Valencia, own goal, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Nani
Date: 12 May 1965
Competition: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, quarter-final
Scorers: John Connelly, David Herd, Denis Law (2), Bobby Charlton
Date: 29 April 2021
Competition: Europa League, semi-final
Scorers: Bruno Fernandes (2), Edinson Cavani (2), Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood
This game was the first time any club had scored six goals in a single leg of the semi-final of a European competition since Real Madrid in the European Cup almost 60 years earlier in 1964.
Date: 28 September 2004
Competition: Champions League, group stage
Scorers: Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney (3), Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Bellion
This thrashing of Fenerbahce at Old Trafford marked Wayne Rooney’s United debut, which had been delayed by several weeks because of injury. He scored a sublime hat-trick inside an hour.
Date: 21 October 1998
Competition: Champions League, group stage
Scorers: Ryan Giggs (2), Andrew Cole, Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Home and away wins over Brondby were actually the only victories that United managed in the 1998/99 Champions League group stage en-route to completing the treble, having drawn home and away against Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Date: 17 October 1964
Competition: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, first round
Scorers: Denis Law (3), Bobby Charlton, George Best
Date: 15 October 1963
Competition: Cup Winners’ Cup, first round
Scorers: Maurice Setters, Denis Law (3), Bobby Charlton, David Herd
Date: 11 November 1964
Competition: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, second round
Scorers: David Herd, Bobby Charlton (3), George Best, Denis Law
Date: 6 October 1965
Competition: European Cup, preliminary round
Scorers: John Connelly (3), George Best (2), Bobby Charlton
Date: 25 September 1957
Competition: European Cup, preliminary round
Scorers: Tommy Taylor (2), Liam Whelan (2), Johnny Berry, David Pegg
Date: 10 April 2007
Competition: Champions League, quarter-finals
Scorers: Michael Carrick (2), Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Patrice Evra
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first ever European goals when United thrashed Roma in the Champions League in 2007. Ironically, Daniele de Rossi’s volleyed consolation for the visitors was arguably the best goal of the night.
Date: 2 October 1968
Competition: European Cup, first round
Scorers: Nobby Stiles, Denis Law (4), Francis Burn, Bobby Charlton
Date: 26 September 1956
Competition: European Cup, preliminary round
Scorers: Tommy Taylor (3), Dennis Viollet (4), Liam Whelan (2), Johnny Berry
This was the first ever European Cup game played in England and remains, United’s all-time record win. But it wasn’t played at Old Trafford because floodlights had not been installed, which meant United played a number of European ‘home’ games in the 1950s at Manchester City’s Maine Road.
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