Remember when United were rubbish? Sportsmail's guide to the ultimate Euro humiliations

11 March 2009 14:11
German champions Bayern Munich crushed Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate last night as Liverpool completed an evening of Champions League humiliations with their 4-0 on-the-night thrashing of Real Madrid. Here, Sportsmail's Merseyside football reporter John Edwards presents his top five shameful European thrashings... Manchester United10, Anderlecht 0, September 26, 1956 Already 2-0 up from the first leg in Brussels, United announced their arrival in European competition in stunning style. The return was at Maine Road, as Old Trafford was still without floodlights, let alone corporate hospitality boxes. A crowd of 40,000 looked on as the Belgian champions were routed from the first whistle, with first-leg scorers Tommy Taylor and Dennis Viollet helping themselves to first-half hat-tricks. There was no let-up after the break, as Billy Whelan scored twice and Viollet and winger Johnny Berry added further goals to register United biggest-ever win in cup football. Barcelona 4, Manchester United 0, November 2, 1994 United were torn apart by a Hristo Stoichkov masterclass. The Bulgaria forward's temperament may have been suspect at times, but when the mood took him, he was unstoppable. And how the mood took him, in front of an enthralled Nou Camp full house. His left foot orchestrated the entire evening, and United were heading for a hammering by half-time, after goals from Stoichkov and another frontrunner of world renown, Brazil's Romario. Stoichkov struck again in the 52nd minute, and United's embarrassment was complete when full-back Albert Ferrer, later to join Chelsea, added a fourth. Deportivo La Coruna 4, AC Milan 0, April 7, 2004 No-one saw this coming, least of all Milan themselves after going into this quarter-final tie as Champions' League holders and establishing a commanding 4-1 lead in the opening encounter at the San Siro. The advantage was wiped out inside 43 minutes, as Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque sent the home fans wild. Milan didn't know what had hit them, and there was no escape from their most humiliating defeat in Europe when substitute Gonzalez Fran added a fourth to seal an astonishing 5-4 aggregate win for Deportivo 15 minutes from time. Liverpool4, Real Madrid 0, March 10, 2009 Liverpool have had many a memorable night in Europe, but few to match this. Overhauling AC Milan's 3-0 half-time lead to take the 2005 final on penalties in Istanbul may have been more dramatic, but dismantling a team of Real Madrid's pedigree so thoroughly has to be almost as eye-catching. A four-goal margin, making it 5-0 overall, is emphatic enough but only tells half the story. Iker Casillas saved his sorry side from an even bigger hiding with no fewer than five world-class saves as a red tide surged towards the Real goal. Juande Ramos had the gall to describe Liverpool's style as 'counter-attacking' but at least conceded his team had been outplayed. Bayern Munich 7, Sporting Lisbon 1, March 10, 2009 If Real were poor over both legs against Liverpool, Sporting were even worse. Bayern may be having their problems in the Bundesliga, trailing leaders Hertha Berlin by four points, but they breezed past pitiful opposition to rack up a 12-1 aggregate win. Onlookers at the Allianz Arena described it as being like a training session for their side after the tie was ended as a contest by Sporting's 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon. A Lukas Podolski double and own goal from Anderson Polga opened up a 3-0 lead inside 40 minutes, and though Joao Moutino scored in spectacular style, Bastian Schweinsteiger extended Bayern's lead almost immediately. Second half goals followed from Mark van Bommel, a Miroslav Klose penalty and Thomas Muller.

Source: Daily_Mail