Manchester United bid farewell to Sir Alex Ferguson and started a new chapter under David Moyes in the 2013/14 season.
The Red Devils entered the season as reigning Premier League champions after Sir Alex Ferguson left on a high note by winning his 13th league title.
United’s most successful manager of all time put his faith in the ‘chosen one’ David Moyes to continue his legacy, but the title defence at Old Trafford couldn’t have gone much worse.
Manager: David Moyes (Ryan Giggs interim)
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The Scot was handed a six-year contract but lasted barely 10 months in charge before being sacked.
Manchester United Unveil New Signing Marouane Fellaini
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Season outcome and top scorer
Premier League position: 7th
Points total: 64
FA Cup: Third round
League Cup: Semi-finals
Champions League: Quarter-finals
Community Shield winners
Trophies: 1 (Community Shield)
Wayne Rooney finished as United’s top scorer for the season, netting 19 across all competitions and 17 in the Premier League.
Top scorer: Wayne Rooney (19)
Rooney finished fourth in the Golden Boot race, with Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Yaya Toure finishing ahead of him.
Signings
Marouane Fellaini
Juan Mata
It is now well-known that Moyes wanted to sign Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos, and rejected the chance to sign Thiago Alcantara while at United.
Moyes suffered a disastrous summer window in charge of United, but Mata’s arrival via helicopter in January will be remembered fondly.
More United News
What David Moyes told Ruben Amorim to ‘fix’ at Man Utd 🗣️🎙️
It’s not always calling the players out, but I see a little bit where I think the players are quite happy to hide behind the manager and let him take the hit for them. I could do with some of them saying, ‘I’m not quite at it at the moment, not playing well.’
We’re not getting much of that. That work rate is the first thing that any manager has to talk with players about.
-Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast in 2024
Memorable matches
Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United
Remember the name Adnan Januzaj? The Carrington graduate scored twice on his very first start for United.
The Red Devils conceded first to Craig Gardner, but Januzaj spared Moyes from an embarrassing defeat to bottom-of-the-table Sunderland.
Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal
Robin van Persie did not hesitate to celebrate his goal against his former side. The Dutch striker had left the Gunners and won the title under Ferguson, and he was the difference maker at Old Trafford.
Manchester United 3-0 Olympiacos
Van Persie lit up Old Trafford with a Champions League hat-trick to overcome a 2-0 defeat to the Greek side in the first leg.
United went on to face Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, where Patrice Evra scored a thunderous strike against the German side.
Manchester United 4-1 Aston Villa
The Red Devils scored a dominant victory with Wayne Rooney scoring a brace alongside goals from Javier Hernandez and new signing Juan Mata.
But the Aston Villa clash is remembered not for the goals or the result, but for the fly-by organised by fans that read “Wrong One – Moyes Out”.
It was not well received by fans at Old Trafford, but it was a symbol of fan unrest growing towards the Scotsman.
Manchester United 4-0 Norwich City
Ryan Giggs’ first game in charge as interim manager ended in a comfortable victory for United.
Moyes was sacked as soon as Champions League qualification became mathematically impossible, so Giggs stepped in and rose the morale at Old Trafford.
Rooney and Mata both scored twice in the United legend’s first match on the sidelines.
What else happened in 2013/14
The 2013/14 season will be remembered as the first with Ed Woodward in charge of the footballing department. Alongside Ferguson, chief executive David Gill stepped down from his role.
The Moyes season marks the beginning of a nightmarish post-Ferguson era, with the Red Devils still trying to return to their former glory.
READ MORE: David Moyes says he knows the ‘big thing’ that cost him his job at Manchester United
United recorded their lowest league finish since 1990 and missed out on European qualification for the first time since the 1989/90 campaign.
During the summer transfer window, United had to fight to keep Rooney, with Jose Mourinho publicly declaring his interest in bringing him to Chelsea.