FA Cup Third Round, January 6th 1996: Manchester United 2-2 Sunderland
Sunderland were flying high under the guidance of Peter Reid and had gone from relegation candidates to promotion contenders. They travelled to Old Trafford not to make up the numbers but to test themselves against the best and to find how far they had come and how good they now were.
Both managers played their strongest team available to them, and on paper, United looked odds-on favourites. At halftime, United led by one goal, and it appeared that the odds were correct; however, the game changed midway through the second half. Midfielder Steve Agnew scored from 30 yards out, a shot that should have been saved, but the seven thousand away fans didn’t care.
Soon after, midfield orchestrator Paul Bracewell played a ball over the United defence for the rapid Craig Russell to chase. Having controlled the ball, he fired the ball across goal and into the corner of the goal in front of the Stretford End. Sunderland looked to be heading for a famous victory, but Eric Cantona headed in the equaliser with 10 minutes remaining.
United won the replay 2-1 at Roker Park in another pulsating tie, but Sunderland had pushed the best team in the country to its limits.
