Sir Alex Ferguson lambasted his squad for 'not being ruthless enough' after Manchester City pipped them to the Premier League title on goal difference in 2012.
It was one of the most dramatic moments in Premier League history.
Ferguson's team were waiting on the pitch after beating Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and with City losing at the Etihad to Queens Park Rangers United were set to be crowned champions, that was until two last minute goals including Sergio Aguero's 93rd minute winner meant City were crowned Premier League champions for the first time.
A painful way for any team to lose a title and Ferguson told his players it was their own fault they weren't going home with another Premier League medal.
"I’ll never forget in the dressing room after that game," former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley recalled to manutd.com. "The manager said to us all: ‘I told you. That ’s why I wanted you to be more ruthless and really kill teams, because you can lose leagues on goal difference.’
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"And he was right. We’d gone in after beating teams 3-0 or 4-0 that season and he still hadn’t been happy with us in the dressing room. That’s how much of a winner he was, how ruthless he wanted us to be. If we’d done that, scored more goals, really killed teams, we’d have won the league in 11/12. But had we done that, would we have had that real determination to win it the next year and win it as convincingly as we did?"
Cleverley, who now plays for Watford, wasn't in the squad for the game but admitted he still can't listen to the commentary for Aguero's winner.
"I was on my way down from the directors’ box at the Stadium of Light and as soon as Dzeko scored City’s equaliser, I knew. I could see it unfolding and that it was meant to be theirs. It was a terrible, terrible day in my career," he recalled.
"I still can’t listen to Martin Tyler’s commentary when the clip comes on Sky Sports . You know the one.
"I cannot listen to it. I have to turn over. My best mate, we’re both the same; can’t listen to it. Everything just comes back. Losing to your city rivals on goal difference with the last kick of the season, it doesn’t get much worse."
