The thousands that watched from the stands, singing and howling into the Manchester night, thought they’d never see another game like it. They weren’t the only ones. Watching events unfold inside the Theatre of Dreams, you would have been encouraged to predict the 1998/99 Champions League peaked early.

Manchester United 3-3 Barcelona 1998 UCL All GOALS

Head-to-head matches: MANCHESTER UTD – BARCELONA
27.07.17 ICC Barcelona Manchester Utd 1 : 0
26.07.15 ICC Barcelona Manchester Utd 1 : 3
08.08.12 CF Barcelona Manchester Utd 1 : 0
(0 : 0)
31.07.11 ICC Barcelona Manchester Utd 1 : 2
28.05.11 CL Barcelona Manchester Utd 3 : 1

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side led twice; a Giggs and Scholes one-two punch established a two-goal cushion inside 25 minutes only for Barça to battle back. Beckham’s sublime free-kick put United in the ascendancy once more, only for a controversial penalty to give Louis van Gaal’s men another lifeline. Luis Enrique converted beyond Peter Schmeichel but only after Rivaldo had duped Stefano Braschi, the Italian referee, into awarding a spot-kick following minimal contact from Jaap Stam.