MANCHESTER UNITED 2 CITY 2
City win 4-3 on aggregate
League Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg
17th December 1969
attendance 63,418
Scorers
City Bowyer(17), Summerbee(82)
United Edwards(23), Law(59)
ref Jim Finney
United Stepney, Edwards, Dunne, Stiles, Ure, Sadler, Morgan, Crerand, Charlton, Law, Best – sub Kidd
City Corrigan, Book, Pardoe, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Summerbee, Connor, Lee, Young, Bowyer – sub Owen(unused)
Our lead didn’t last long, though, because United scored about five minutes afterwards, when they made their first real attack. Paul Edwards went through from a defensive position and hit a great goal into the top corner of the net. We led 3-2 on aggregate with the second half still to come.
That was when George Best picked the ball up 35 yards from goal, wriggled his way through the City defence and hit a shot which Joe Corrigan first grasped, then let drop. Denis Law didn’t miss chances like those and he struck the ball into the net, bringing the aggregate score level. Yet we were still playing well and, although United had equalised, when I looked at the faces of their players it seemed to me that they still felt under pressure. They should have been registering real delight and oozing confidence, but I sensed that they weren’t able to believe in themselves, even then.
We built up another attack and a free kick was awarded against United, just outside the 18 yard box. It was an indirect free kick and, as they lined up the defensive wall, the referee still had his arm pointing skywards. When Franny Lee ran forward to take the kick, we all knew he was going to shoot, and to this day I don’t think he could explain why he hammered in a direct shot when the kick was an indirect award. But hit the ball he did, and Alex Stepney tried to save it. He could have stood and let the ball go into the net and it wouldn’t have counted but, instead he did his best to stop the shot and Mike Summerbee raced in to put the ball past him.
Naturally, Alex took some stick over that goal. But since that match I’ve spoken to a lot of goalkeepers about the incident and they all agree that when you see the ball coming at you it’s an instinctive reaction to try and stop it. Especially when it comes from behind a wall of defenders for, though it may be an indirect free kick, there’s always the danger of a deflection. I still think Alex did the right thing.
There were no more goals … we’d won the tie 4-3 over the two matches.
BLUE BLOOD THE MIKE DOYLE STORY BY MIKE DOYLE WITH DAVID CLAYTON
IAN BOWYER PUTS CITY 1-0 UP
…Law, apart from his goal was just not in the match while Charlton was superbly shadowed by Connor, a job he fulfills in a most excellent manner. You didn’t see much of Connor in 90 minutes of thrills and spills. But neither did you see much of Charlton.
Peter Gardner
GOALS FROM EDWARDS AND LAW BRINGS THE TIE LEVEL ON AGGREGATE
…The tie took a dramatic new turn in the 83rd minute. Bowyer was fouled by Morgan and Lee decided that cramp or no cramp, he was going to take the free kick. He was convinced it was a direct one, so he fired it hard on target and it led to the goal that sealed United’s fate.
Ronald Crowther
MIKE SUMMERBEE SCORES THE GOAL THAT SENDS CITY TO WEMBLEY
I was there in Stretford end paddock there was no way Stepney could hold franny Lees shot from the free kick even though the ref indicated indirect free kick while Utd were preparing the wall , buzzer raced forward and smashed the rebound high into the net we blues were ecstatic you could hear a pin drop in Stretford end so of to snowy Wembley and a rubbish pitch to beat West Brom to win the LEAGUE CUP !