Manchester United lost the Premier League title without knowing in October 2011. Manchester City's 6-1 victory at Old Trafford condemned United to their heaviest home defeat since February 1955, but the scoreline had further consequences later in the season.
Rene Meulensteen, former assistant of Sir Alex Ferguson, told the Manchester Evening News about that afternoon:"Everyone was very disappointed, but the manager was furious, not necessarily because we lost, but the fact we lost the game so heavily. "He tore into the players and said ‘I understand running into a game like that and sometimes everything falls away, but we were losing 3-1, we got a man sent off.
I still thought, and you lot thought, we could win the game, but we flooded people forward and got hit. ALSO READ: I worked for Ratcliffe and Ineos - he should learn from mistakes ALSO READ: Dan Gore's journey to his United debut "He said 'how often do I have to say a goal difference might play a massive part in winning or not winning the league' - and he was right in the end.
That was the biggest message after that game." Sergio Aguero's goal against Queens Park Rangers won the title for City on the final day of the 2011/12 season, but both teams would have finished with an identical record of 89 points, scoring 89 goals and conceding 29, if the derby at Old Trafford had ended with a 2-1 scoreline.