Source: Telegraph
Five controversial football team selections
1. Derby 4 Leeds 1, March 1970 [LNB]With Celtic visiting Elland Road for a European Cup semi-final three days later and the FA Cup final with Chelsea to worry about, Leeds manager Don Revie risked a £5,000 league fine by sending his reserves to the Baseball Ground to face Brian Clough's Derby. Leeds lost and finished the season without a trophy, but Clough never forgot the slight. [LNB] Related ArticlesLeeds 1 Millwall 1: Millwall reach play-off finalSbragia has faith in UnitedSport on televisionPredictor: How will your team finish the season?Phil Brown wary of weakened Manchester UnitedSir Alex Ferguson forecasts a Man Utd deluge2. Fulham 1 Liverpool 0, May 2007 [LNB]With a rematch with AC Milan in the Champions League final on his mind, Rafa Benitez sent a second XI to face Lawrie Sanchez's relegation-threatened side. Clint Dempsey's goal against the likes of Gabriel Paletta and Mark Gonzalez secured Fulham the three points which, ultimately, kept them up and sent Sheffield United down. [LNB]3. Manchester Utd 0 West Ham 1, May 2007 [LNB]Needing a win to stand any chance of surviving, Alan Curbishley's men duly took an early lead at Old Trafford through Carlos Tevez and grimly clung on, sending Sheffield United down in their stead and keeping the Premier League's lawyers busy for the next two years. Their task was made immeasurably easier by Sir Alex Ferguson's inclusion of Alan Smith, Kieran Richardson and an ageing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. [LNB]4. Sporting Lisbon 1 Bolton 0, March 2008 [LNB]Despite beating Atletico Madrid to reach the last 16 of the Uefa Cup and earning an impressive 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium against Sporting, Gary Megson sent his fringe players out in Portugal to the fury of his travelling fans. Bolton narrowly lost a game a full-strength side may have won, missing out on a quarter-final spot. Tottenham and Aston Villa this season followed Megson's lead. [LNB]5. Everton 0 Manchester Utd 0, April 2009 [LNB]After a season dampening down speculation that his side could win an unprecedented quintuple, Sir Alex Ferguson evidently grew so tired of discussing the subject he decided to take unilateral action. Out went the Rooneys and Ronaldos, in came Danny Welbeck, Federico Macheda and Darron Gibson, and Everton – just – won the FA Cup semi-final on penalties. [LNB]
