Manchester United's 5 Biggest Moments of 2014

Manchester United will finish 2014 in a much healthier and optimistic state than when they entered the year 12 months ago.

This has been an eventful and turbulent year for United in which they have finished seventh, missed out on Champions League football, broken the British transfer record, sacked a manager for the first time in 28 years and begun what they hope will be a new era of success under Louis van Gaal.

Here I list the five biggest moments for United during 2014 on the basis of the impact they have had on the club.

Manchester United 0 Liverpool 3

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This was the moment many Manchester United fans began to realise that their manager David Moyes was out of his depth at Old Trafford.

Under Moyes United had been struggling in the Premier League for most of the season, but the majority of United fans were still clinging on to the hope he could turn it around.

A win over Liverpool, which would derail their bitter rivals' own title challenge, was desperately needed when they met in March.

But this would prove beyond United, who were poor again, and they could have lost by a bigger margin than 3-0, with Steven Gerrard missing a penalty.

If Moyes couldn’t even rouse his United team to produce a performance against Liverpool at Old Trafford it was clear he had no future at the club.

David Moyes Is Sacked

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It had been 28 years since Manchester United had sacked a manager, but by April 2014 it was obvious David Moyes could not remain in his post.

Following United’s woeful performance in a 2-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park, which confirmed they would not be able to qualify for the Champions League, Moyes was dismissed by the club’s board.

It had always been a calculated risk to appoint a manager who had never won a trophy or managed big-name players, and it had failed miserably.

Moyes had guided United to seventh, their lowest finish for 24 years, and presided over a cautious brand of football. He had to go.

Louis van Gaal Is Appointed Manchester United Manager

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In May Louis van Gaal became only Manchester United’s ninth permanent manager since the Second World War.

The Dutchman was everything Moyes was not, and exactly what the club needed; a manager of stature, who had a long history of winning trophies.

Van Gaal’s impressive CV of winning the Champions League, as well as titles in Holland, Spain and Germany, immediately breathed new confidence in to Old Trafford.

Angel Di Maria Arrives at Old Trafford

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By the middle of August a restlessness and sense of disappointment had descended on Old Trafford.

So far the club had only signed Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, and the club’s fans were rightly fearful they were being left behind in the transfer market.

This all changed when on the evening of August 26 United announced they had broken the British transfer record to sign Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for £59.7 million.

Suddenly the mood among United fans changed as they saw their club willing to compete for the best players in the world for the first time. 

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2

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Manchester United might be comfortably nestled in third at the moment, but their season originally got off to a slow and unconvincing start under Louis van Gaal.

United had only won four of their first 11 games in the Premier League, and they had been largely underwhelming before their visit to Arsenal at the end of November.

But at the Emirates United produced a performance and win that proved that better times were on the way with Van Gaal.

While David Moyes has never won in the Premier League at Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal in 47 attempts, here was Van Gaal winning at one of these clubs at his very first attempt.