Manchester United’s 2012 loss at Sunderland cost them the Premier League title on goal difference.
Michael Carrick’s face spoke volumes when asked about 13 May 2012. 'Yes,' he replied with a slight nod and a forced smile. 'I can remember that. I have not forgotten it.' The Manchester United head coach was recalling the day Sergio Aguero scored a last-gasp winner for Manchester City to claim the Premier League title. Carrick was on the pitch at the Stadium of Light as United’s fate unfolded in the final minutes of their own match at Sunderland.
United traveled to Sunderland knowing a victory would make them champions if City failed to win at home. No one expected what followed. When the final whistle blew at the Stadium of Light, United were top of the table. Wayne Rooney’s single goal secured the win, while Edin Dzeko equalized for City against a team already battling relegation. The United players and staff could only wait and hope as the drama unfolded elsewhere.
As United’s players went to applaud the away supporters, the cheers from the Sunderland fans filled the stadium. Despite their own side’s defeat, the home fans celebrated United’s misfortune as if they had won the league themselves. 'We stayed out on the pitch because we had our result but we knew it wasn’t over at City,' said a member of the United group that day. 'It was their last home game of the season and there were a lot of people still in the stadium.'
The noise from the Sunderland fans carried a sharp tone. Their singing carried mocking undertones, and when United realized the league was lost, laughter erupted. 'I just remember the noise. There was sarcasm in the way they were singing. It wasn’t over but we thought we had done the job. Then the Sunderland fans got smart about it and started having a pop, which exploded into laughter because we had lost the league.'
Sir Alex Ferguson was visibly down and annoyed by the added time and the sarcastic chants. He vowed not to forget the moment. 'Remember this day. Remember Sunderland enjoyed the moment,' he would later use as motivation. The scene reminded him of a similar pain in 1992 when Leeds United’s win confirmed United’s title loss. 'When we lost the league to Leeds United in 1992, I said to [Ryan] Giggs and the boys, you remember this day,' he recalled at an awards dinner the next day.
Premier League chairman Dave Richards was unaware of the dramatic shift in the title race. He left his seat after full-time expecting to present the trophy, only to be told his services were no longer needed. Another senior official turned off their phone during the drive home and kept it off upon arrival, too upset to speak. The United players watched City’s match on their journey back to Manchester, where conspiracy theories began to surface.
Why did Queens Park Rangers, with several former City players in their lineup, put the ball out of play near the goal line after Dzeko’s equalizer? This ignored the fact that a minute later, a 10-man QPR had a throw-in inside City’s half. Jay Bothroyd challenged for it, Joleon Lescott won possession, and Nigel de Jong launched a run that led to one of the most iconic Premier League goals. 'That should have been looked into,' Wayne Rooney joked during an appearance in April 2025.
The Sunderland fans have not forgotten either, as their song at Old Trafford in October proved. 'You thought it was yours, you thought it was yours, we heard you singing, then Sergio scored.' The lighthearted jibe is common in football, but Saturday’s visit marks United’s sixth Premier League trip since that infamous day. The banter is sure to resurface, adding extra meaning to the fixture.
This trip means more to Carrick than most, as he was among those who experienced the heartbreak firsthand. Jonny Evans, now part of Carrick’s coaching staff, was also on the pitch that day. Both appear in video footage applauding the away support, Carrick in conversation with Ashley Young, trying to process what had just happened.
Carrick was part of the United side that won at Sunderland the following year en route to a 20th league title. Yet the memory of 2012 lingers. 'Obviously, it was a one-off kind of feeling. It wasn’t during the game, it wasn’t until after. I didn’t really know exactly where the land was lying at that point. It wasn’t until we walked towards the edge of the pitch and had to deal with what was thrown out. It’s in the past, but, yeah, it definitely sticks in the memory.'