The 2011–12 season was Manchester United's 20th season in the Premier League, and their 37th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. United were defending Premier League champions, and aimed for an unprecedented 20th league title this season. Furthermore, they were competing in the Champions League for a 16th successive season. In addition, they were competing in the domestic tournaments, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

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Manchester United

2011–12 season
Co-chairmen	Joel and Avram Glazer
Manager	Sir Alex Ferguson
Stadium	Old Trafford
Premier League	2nd
FA Cup	Fourth Round
League Cup	Fifth Round
UEFA Champions League	Group stage
UEFA Europa League	Round of 16
Community Shield	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Wayne Rooney (27) All: Wayne Rooney (34)
Highest home attendance	75,627 (vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 10 December)
Lowest home attendance	52,624 (vs. Crystal Palace, 30 November)
Average home league attendance	75,387
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2010–11 2012–13 →

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Manchester United began the season with a 3–2 win over local rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley on 7 August 2011.

They were, however, knocked out of the League Cup at the Fifth Round stage for the second successive season after losing 2–1 to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on 30 November 2011.

On 7 December 2011, United lost 2–1 away to Basel, a result which saw them finish third in their Champions League group. This meant that they competed in the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) for the first time since the 1995–96 season. However, they only made it as far as the Round of 16, falling to Athletic Bilbao 5–3 on aggregate.

On 4 January 2012 against Newcastle United, Ryan Giggs broke Sir Bobby Charlton's record for the most starts, the match being Giggs' 757th start.

On 28 January 2012, United were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Fourth Round after losing 2–1 against Liverpool at Anfield.

Going into the final day of the season, on 13 May 2012, United and their local rivals Manchester City were locked together on 86 points at the top of the table, but City led with an eight-goal advantage in goal difference. United therefore needed to better City's result to win the title. They were on course to do this, as a Wayne Rooney goal helped United scrape a 1–0 win away at Sunderland, whilst City trailed 2–1 at home to Queens Park Rangers. However, two stoppage time goals from Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero gave City a 3–2 win, pipping United to the title on goal difference. It was the first time in 23 years that the champions and the runners-up had finished level on points.

The season was the first since 1991–92 without Gary Neville and the first since 2004–05 without Edwin van der Sar, who both retired after the 2010–11 season.

Manchester United preceded their 2011–12 campaign with a tour of the United States for the second year in a row. As in 2010, they played in the MLS All-Star Game, in which they took on a team of the best players in Major League Soccer. In the lead-up to this game, which was played on 27 July 2011, United took on the New England Revolution (13 July), the Seattle Sounders (20 July) and the Chicago Fire (23 July), before finishing the tour with a game against Barcelona at FedExField in Washington, D.C., on 30 July.^[1]

The club granted a testimonial to Paul Scholes, who retired on 31 May 2011, to honour his 17 years of service to United. The match was played at Old Trafford against New York Cosmos on 5 August 2011.^[2][3] United won the game 6–0 – with Scholes himself opening the scoring the opening goal – to complete an unbeaten pre-season.^[4]

The club also granted a testimonial to Harry Gregg, a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, who rescued a 20-month-old girl, her pregnant mother and attempted to revive United manager Sir Matt Busby.^[5] The match was played at Windsor Park against Irish League XI on 15 May 2012. The Irish XI was managed by Martin O'Neill and David Jeffrey.^[6] United won the game 4–1.

As Premier League champions, United began the season against the holders of the FA Cup, local rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield. The match was played at Wembley on 7 August.^[7] This was the first time the Shield had been contested by the two clubs in 55 years. United had most of the possession and more shots on goal in the first half, but it was City who took the lead in the 38th minute when Joleon Lescott nodded in a David Silva free-kick. Edin Džeko then doubled City's lead on the stroke of half-time with a low strike from long-distance. However, seven minutes into the second half, Chris Smalling volleyed home an Ashley Young free-kick to reduce the deficit, and then Nani finished off an intricate passing move involving Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley in the 58th minute to bring the score back to 2–2. With a penalty shoot-out looming as the game moved into injury time, Nani forced a mistake from City captain Vincent Kompany, outpaced the defence and rounded goalkeeper Joe Hart before sliding the ball into the empty net to seal United's comeback and their 19th FA Community Shield.^[8]

The fixtures for the 2011–12 league season were announced on 17 June, with United beginning the defence of their title away from home for the first time since 2005–06.^[9]

United entered the FA Cup at the Third Round stage with the other Premier League clubs, as well as those from the Championship. The Third Round draw was made on 4 December 2011,^[10] and gave United an away match against holders Manchester City. The tie was played on 8 January 2012, and was the 162nd Manchester derby ending in a 3–2 win for United. The match saw the dramatic return of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes from his retirement after last season's Champions League Final against Barcelona. Two goals from Wayne Rooney and one from Danny Welbeck saw United go into the second half 3–0 up and a man up, Vincent Kompany having been sent off after 12 minutes of the first half. However, 10-man Manchester City bounced back immediately after the break with a free kick from Aleksandar Kolarov followed by a close-range goal from Sergio Agüero.

The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 8 January 2012, and gave United a tie against their other strong rivals Liverpool for the second successive season in the FA Cup. The match was played at Anfield on 28 January 2012. United lost 2–1. Daniel Agger's header put Liverpool in front, and Park Ji-sung equalised seven minutes before the break, but Dirk Kuyt's late winner ended United's hopes of winning the famous trophy. United had hit the post through Antonio Valencia in the first half. This loss meant that United still had not won the FA Cup since 2004, or even appeared in a final since 2007.

As one of eight English clubs who qualified for European competition in the 2010–11 season, United received a bye to the Third Round of the League Cup. The draw took place on 27 August 2011, giving United a trip to Elland Road to take on fierce rivals Leeds United.^[11] The match took place on 20 September 2011, where United won 3–0. Sir Alex Ferguson handed a start to debutant Zeki Fryers, 18 years old, and twice early on, Dimitar Berbatov had to clear off the line. But that was the closest the hosts came to causing an upset, as Michael Owen opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a scuffed shot and lashed home a second on 32. Ryan Giggs all but sealed the victory when he played a short corner to Park Ji-sung, got the return ball, nutmegged Robert Snodgrass, and shot past Andrew Lonergan via a deflection off Luciano Becchio. Late on, Ramón Núñez, a Leeds substitute, fluffed the chance to score a consolation for Leeds, firing wide.

The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 24 September 2011, and gave United a trip to the EBB Stadium to take on League Two side Aldershot Town. The match was played on 25 October 2011, with United once again winning 3–0, through goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, and Antonio Valencia.

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 29 October 2011, and gave United a home match against Championship side Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace took the lead in the 65th minute, with a 40-yard strike from Darren Ambrose. However, their lead lasted less than four minutes, with Federico Macheda equalising from the penalty spot, after he was fouled himself, in the 69th minute. Despite increasing Manchester United pressure, the match went to extra-time, where Crystal Palace scored a second, with a Glenn Murray header, to put them 2–1 ahead in the 98th minute. The game eventually ended 2–1, with Palace facing Cardiff City in the semi-finals, a game which secured a Championship side in the final.

As a result of finishing third in their group, United played in the UEFA Europa League for the first time since the 1995–96 season. They entered the tournament at the Round of 32 stage.

As one of the top four of the eight third-placed Champions League teams, United were seeded for the Round of 32 draw which took place at 12:00 GMT on 16 December 2011. United were drawn against Ajax. The only previous meeting between the two sides came in the 1st Round of the same competition in the 1976–77 season, United winning 2–1 on aggregate.

United were away from home for the first leg on 16 February 2012. United won the game 2–0. United struggled to get going in the first half, and David de Gea produced a brilliant save to deny Siem de Jong. But the Red Devils looked far stronger after the break, and Ashley Young put them ahead with a drilled finish. Javier Hernández doubled the lead late on to ensure that United took two away goals with them into the second leg at Old Trafford.

The return leg was at Old Trafford on 23 February 2012. United lost 2–1 (their fourth home loss of the season, having lost none at home the previous season), but went through 3–2 on aggregate. The Red Devils took the lead through Javier Hernández's finish following Dimitar Berbatov's fine pass. Aras Özbiliz levelled for Ajax from 20 yards. Toby Alderweireld headed home the winner with three minutes to go, but the goal came too late.

United were drawn with Athletic Bilbao in the Round of 16, after the Spanish side defeated Lokomotiv Moscow on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw in their Round of 32 tie.

United had only met Athletic Bilbao once before, in their debut season in European football. They met in the quarter-finals of the European Cup in the 1956–57 season. Matt Busby's babes lost 5–3 in Spain, before winning 3–0 at Maine Road – Old Trafford was not equipped with floodlights at that time – to progress 6–5 on aggregate. The second leg was played on 6 February 1957, and the majority of the players who played that day would perish exactly a year later in the Munich air disaster.

The first leg of the tie against Athletic Bilbao ended in a 3–2 defeat for United at Old Trafford on 8 March 2012. Wayne Rooney smashed United ahead from close range, before Fernando Llorente's header drew the visitors level. But the cavalier Spaniards refused to settle for a draw, as United failed to win yet another European home game. The hosts were stunned by two controversial second-half goals from Óscar de Marcos – who appeared to be offside from Ander Herrera's lofted pass – and Iker Muniain – whose goal resulted from a free-kick awarded after Patrice Evra kicked the ball with only one boot on – before a late consolation by Rooney from the penalty spot softened the blow as United succumbed to their fifth home defeat of the season.

United travelled to the San Mamés Stadium for the second leg of tie, on 15 March 2012. Having lost the first leg, United needed to win at least 2–0 to progress. However, United lost 2–1 on the night and 5–3 on aggregate, meaning that they tumbled out of Europe. Iker Muniain hit the post, before Fernando Llorente scored with a volley from Fernando Amorebieta's raking diagonal pass. Ryan Giggs then headed wide, but Óscar de Marcos put further daylight between the sides when he crashed in. Wayne Rooney scored from 25 yards late on, but it was merely a consolation.

Manchester United's first two departures of the 2011–12 off-season were Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and English midfielder Paul Scholes, who both retired shortly after the end of the 2010–11 season. On 1 July, three players were released by the club: English midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Northern Irish goalkeeper Conor Devlin and English defender Oliver Gill. Four days later, Nicky Ajose was allowed to move to Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee. He was followed two days later by veteran defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea, who were both offered four-year contracts at Sunderland. The final departure of the summer was French forward Gabriel Obertan, who signed a five-year contract with Newcastle United after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee.

The club's first signing of the summer came on 13 June 2011 in the form of Blackburn Rovers centre-back Phil Jones. He was followed ten days later by Aston Villa winger Ashley Young. But with the departure of Van der Sar, the club needed a long-term replacement for him in goal, and a deal was done to sign young Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea from Atlético Madrid. Unlike Van der Sar, however, Paul Scholes' retirement was not permanent, and he returned to the club in January 2012 to alleviate the club's injury crisis. The only other arrival in January was young Swiss defender Frédéric Veseli, signed from cross-town rivals Manchester City.

Four players left Manchester United during the January transfer window. First to depart was Irish midfielder Darron Gibson who signed for Everton for an undisclosed fee on 13 January. A week later, after spending the first half of the season on loan to Barnsley, Danny Drinkwater was bought by Leicester City also for an undisclosed fee. The last two players to leave were Mame Biram Diouf, who joined Hannover 96 on 28 January, and Ravel Morrison, who made a deadline day move to West Ham United. Italian defender Alberto Massacci was released from his contract on 23 April.

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More information Date, Pos. ...

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
13 June 2011	DF	Phil Jones	Blackburn Rovers	Undisclosed[18]
23 June 2011	MF	Ashley Young	Aston Villa	Undisclosed[19]
29 June 2011	GK	David de Gea	Atlético Madrid	Undisclosed[20]
8 January 2012	MF	Paul Scholes	Unattached	Free[21]
31 January 2012	DF	Frédéric Veseli	Manchester City	Undisclosed[22]

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More information Date, Pos. ...

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
28 May 2011	GK	Edwin van der Sar	Retired[23]
31 May 2011	MF	Paul Scholes	Retired[2]
1 July 2011	MF	Owen Hargreaves	Released[24]
1 July 2011	GK	Conor Devlin	Released
1 July 2011	DF	Oliver Gill	Released[25]
5 July 2011	FW	Nicky Ajose	Peterborough United	Undisclosed[26]
7 July 2011	DF	Wes Brown	Sunderland	Undisclosed[27]
7 July 2011	DF	John O'Shea	Sunderland	Undisclosed[28]
9 August 2011	FW	Gabriel Obertan	Newcastle United	Undisclosed[29]
13 January 2012	MF	Darron Gibson	Everton	Undisclosed[30]
20 January 2012	MF	Danny Drinkwater	Leicester City	Undisclosed[31]
28 January 2012	FW	Mame Biram Diouf	Hannover 96	Undisclosed[32]
31 January 2012	MF	Ravel Morrison	West Ham United	Undisclosed[33]
23 April 2012	DF	Alberto Massacci	Released[34]

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More information Date from, Date to ...

Date from	Date to	Pos.	Name	To
16 June 2011	30 June 2012	FW	Bebé	Beşiktaş[35]
17 June 2011	18 January 2012	DF	Ritchie De Laet	Norwich City[36][37]
1 July 2011	29 February 2012	MF	Ryan Tunnicliffe	Peterborough United[38]
1 July 2011	23 January 2012	DF	Scott Wootton	Peterborough United[39][40][41]
19 July 2011	30 June 2012	MF	Robbie Brady	Hull City[42][43]
2 August 2011	4 January 2012	FW	Joshua King	Borussia Mönchengladbach[44]
16 August 2011	10 September 2011	DF	Reece Brown	Doncaster Rovers[45]
23 August 2011	19 January 2012	MF	Danny Drinkwater	Barnsley[46][47]
24 August 2011	2 January 2012	MF	Oliver Norwood	Scunthorpe United[48]
31 August 2011	30 June 2012	MF	Gladestony	Twente[49]
9 September 2011	10 January 2012	GK	Sam Johnstone	Scunthorpe United[50]
2 January 2012	30 June 2012	FW	Federico Macheda	Queens Park Rangers[51][52]
13 January 2012	30 June 2012	FW	John Cofie	Royal Antwerp[53]
16 January 2012	30 June 2012	FW	Joshua King	Hull City[54]
31 January 2012	30 June 2012	DF	Scott Wootton	Nottingham Forest[55]
31 January 2012	30 June 2012	MF	Oliver Norwood	Coventry City[56]
21 February 2012	30 June 2012	GK	Tomasz Kuszczak	Watford[57]
27 February 2012	12 March 2012	DF	Sean McGinty	Morecambe[58][59]
2 March 2012	5 May 2012	DF	Reece Brown	Oldham Athletic[60]

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