
The 1995–96 season was Manchester United‘s fourth season in the Premier League, and their 21st consecutive season in the top division of English football.
United finished the season by becoming the first English team to win the Double (league title and FA Cup) twice. Their triumph was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Alex Ferguson had sold experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis before the start of the season, and not made any major signings. Instead, he had drafted in young players like Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil.
Eric Cantona returned from a nine-month suspension at the beginning of October, and finished the season as the club’s top scorer with 19 goals in all competitions, the last one being the winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup Final. He also picked up a Premier League winner’s medal and the FWA Player of the Year award. The title had been sealed on the final day of the season with a 3–0 win at Bryan Robson‘s Middlesbrough.
Veteran defenders Steve Bruce and Paul Parker moved on at the end of the season, as did goalkeeper Tony Coton, who had only joined the club in January and never played a first team game. As the season drew to a close, speculation mounted that United would sign a world-class striker – possibly Alan Shearer – to partner Eric Cantona in the bid to bring the European Cup to Old Trafford.
The season also produced one of the most infamous moments in football shirt history, when United changed their kits at half-time during their away defeat to Southampton, with Alex Ferguson stating that it was because he felt the kit left players unable to spot each other on the pitch, as well as the fact that United had not won a single of their five games played wearing the kit.
Match worn shirts




Pre-season and friendlies
Date |
Opponents |
H / A |
ResultF–A |
Scorers |
Attendance |
31 July 1995 |
Selangor |
A |
4–1 |
Bruce, Butt, Pallister, Sharpe |
50,000 |
2 August 1995 |
Selangor |
A |
2–0 |
Bruce, Scholes |
20,000 |
7 August 1995 |
Birmingham City |
A |
0–1 |
|
13,330 |
9 August 1995 |
Bradford City |
A |
1–0 |
Keane |
13,457 |
11 August 1995 |
Shelbourne |
A |
2–2 |
Butt, Beckham |
12,500 |
13 August 1995 |
East Fife |
A |
4–0 |
Beckham (2), McClair, Sharpe |
5,385 |
15 August 1995 |
Oldham Athletic |
A |
2–0 |
Sharpe, Jobson (o.g.) |
8,766 |
5 December 1995 |
International Select |
N |
1–2 |
Scholes |
22,000 |
12 December 1995 |
Celtic |
A |
1–3 |
Scholes |
37,306 |
FA Premier League

Date |
Opponents |
H / A |
ResultF–A |
Scorers |
Attendance |
Leagueposition |
19 August 1995 |
Aston Villa |
A |
1–3 |
Beckham 84′ |
34,655 |
19th |
23 August 1995 |
West Ham United |
H |
2–1 |
Scholes 50′, Keane 68′ |
31,966 |
5th |
26 August 1995 |
Wimbledon |
H |
3–1 |
Keane (2) 28′, 80′, Cole 60′ |
32,226 |
4th |
28 August 1995 |
Blackburn Rovers |
A |
2–1 |
Sharpe 46′, Beckham 67′ |
29,843 |
2nd |
9 September 1995 |
Everton |
A |
3–2 |
Sharpe (2) 3′, 49′, Giggs 74′ |
39,496 |
2nd |
16 September 1995 |
Bolton Wanderers |
H |
3–0 |
Scholes (2) 18′, 86′, Giggs 34′ |
32,812 |
1st |
23 September 1995 |
Sheffield Wednesday |
A |
0–0 |
|
34,101 |
3rd |
1 October 1995 |
Liverpool |
H |
2–2 |
Butt 2′, Cantona 71′ (pen.) |
34,934 |
3rd |
14 October 1995 |
Manchester City |
H |
1–0 |
Scholes 5′ |
35,707 |
2nd |
21 October 1995 |
Chelsea |
A |
4–1 |
Scholes (2) 4′, 10′, Giggs 78′, McClair 85′ |
31,019 |
2nd |
28 October 1995 |
Middlesbrough |
H |
2–0 |
Pallister 44′, Cole 88′ |
36,580 |
2nd |
4 November 1995 |
Arsenal |
A |
0–1 |
|
38,317 |
2nd |
18 November 1995 |
Southampton |
H |
4–1 |
Giggs (2) 1′, 4′, Scholes 9′, Cole 69′ |
39,301 |
2nd |
22 November 1995 |
Coventry City |
A |
4–0 |
Irwin 28′, McClair (2) 48′, 76′, Beckham 58′ |
23,400 |
2nd |
27 November 1995 |
Nottingham Forest |
A |
1–1 |
Cantona 67′ (pen.) |
29,263 |
2nd |
2 December 1995 |
Chelsea |
H |
1–1 |
Beckham 61′ |
42,019 |
2nd |
9 December 1995 |
Sheffield Wednesday |
H |
2–2 |
Cantona (2) 18′, 84′ |
41,849 |
2nd |
17 December 1995 |
Liverpool |
A |
0–2 |
|
40,546 |
2nd |
24 December 1995 |
Leeds United |
A |
1–3 |
Cole 30′ |
39,801 |
2nd |
27 December 1995 |
Newcastle United |
H |
2–0 |
Cole 6′, Keane 53′ |
42,024 |
2nd |
30 December 1995 |
Queens Park Rangers |
H |
2–1 |
Cole 45′, Giggs 52′ |
41,890 |
2nd |
1 January 1996 |
Tottenham Hotspur |
A |
1–4 |
Cole 36′ |
32,852 |
2nd |
13 January 1996 |
Aston Villa |
H |
0–0 |
|
42,667 |
3rd |
22 January 1996 |
West Ham United |
A |
1–0 |
Cantona 9′ |
24,197 |
2nd |
3 February 1996 |
Wimbledon |
A |
4–2 |
Cole 41′, Perry 45′ (o.g.), Cantona (2) 71′, 81′ (pen.) |
25,380 |
2nd |
10 February 1996 |
Blackburn Rovers |
H |
1–0 |
Sharpe 15′ |
42,681 |
2nd |
21 February 1996 |
Everton |
H |
2–0 |
Keane 30′, Giggs 82′ |
42,459 |
2nd |
25 February 1996 |
Bolton Wanderers |
A |
6–0 |
Beckham 5′, Bruce 15′, Cole 70′, Scholes (2) 76′, 79′, Butt 90′ |
21,381 |
2nd |
4 March 1996 |
Newcastle United |
A |
1–0 |
Cantona 52′ |
36,584 |
2nd |
16 March 1996 |
Queens Park Rangers |
A |
1–1 |
Cantona 90′ |
18,817 |
2nd |
20 March 1996 |
Arsenal |
H |
1–0 |
Cantona 65′ |
50,028 |
1st |
24 March 1996 |
Tottenham Hotspur |
H |
1–0 |
Cantona 51′ |
50,157 |
1st |
6 April 1996 |
Manchester City |
A |
3–2 |
Cantona 7′ (pen.), Cole 42′, Giggs 78′ |
29,668 |
1st |
8 April 1996 |
Coventry City |
H |
1–0 |
Cantona 47′ |
50,332 |
1st |
13 April 1996 |
Southampton |
A |
1–3 |
Giggs 89′ |
15,262 |
1st |
17 April 1996 |
Leeds United |
H |
1–0 |
Keane 72′ |
48,382 |
1st |
28 April 1996 |
Nottingham Forest |
H |
5–0 |
Scholes 42′, Beckham (2) 45′, 55′, Giggs 70′, Cantona 90′ |
53,926 |
1st |
5 May 1996 |
Middlesbrough |
A |
3–0 |
May 14′, Cole 54′, Giggs 81′ |
29,921 |
1st |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
FA Cup
Date |
Round |
Opponents |
H / A |
ResultF–A |
Scorers |
Attendance |
6 January 1996 |
Round 3 |
Sunderland |
H |
2–2 |
Butt 13′, Cantona 80′ |
41,563 |
16 January 1996 |
Round 3Replay |
Sunderland |
A |
2–1 |
Scholes 70′, Cole 90′ |
21,378 |
27 January 1996 |
Round 4 |
Reading |
A |
3–0 |
Giggs 37′, Parker 57′, Cantona 90′ |
14,780 |
18 February 1996 |
Round 5 |
Manchester City |
H |
2–1 |
Cantona 39′ (pen.), Sharpe 78′ |
42,692 |
11 March 1996 |
Round 6 |
Southampton |
H |
2–0 |
Cantona 49′, Sharpe 90′ |
45,446 |
31 March 1996 |
Semi-final |
Chelsea |
N |
2–1 |
Cole 55′, Beckham 59′ |
38,421 |
11 May 1996 |
Final |
Liverpool |
N |
1–0 |
Cantona 86′ |
79,007 |
League Cup
Date |
Round |
Opponents |
H / A |
ResultF–A |
Scorers |
Attendance |
20 September 1995 |
Round 2First leg |
York City |
H |
0–3 |
|
29,049 |
3 October 1995 |
Round 2Second leg |
York City |
A |
3–1 |
Scholes (2) 7′, 80′, Cooke 14′ |
9,386 |
UEFA Cup
Squad statistics
