Feature

PL30: Fergie Time - fact or fiction?

8 Aug 2022
Steve Bruce, Manchester United celebration in 1992/93

Did Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson really score more 90th-minute goals than anyone else?

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It is one of the most memorable moments in Premier League history.

On 10 April 1993, Steve Bruce popped up deep into stoppage time to score a dramatic winner against Sheffield Wednesday that set Manchester United on the way to their first Premier League title.

It was a scene that seemed to be replayed countless times... the clock ticking past the 90-minute mark with United, watched on by a wristwatch-glancing Sir Alex Ferguson, piling on the pressure against nervy opposition before scoring late on for a precious three points.

This ability to claim late wins under Ferguson spawned a phrase engrained in sporting folklore: Fergie Time.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United

But do the stats back up this idea of Man Utd's superiority when entering the final stages of a match? The answer may surprise you.

While Ferguson's side certainly had an impressive number of winners scored in the 90th minute or later during his Premier League reign, with 16, four clubs totalled more.

Between 1992/93 and 2012/13, Ferguson's final season at United, it was actually arch-rivals Liverpool who had the most with 24.

Arsenal were second with 19.

PL stats 1992/93-2012/13
Teams +90th-minute winners
Liverpool 24
Arsenal 19
Chelsea 18
Everton 17
Man Utd 16

Incredibly, United would have to wait almost 10 years after that Bruce goal before scoring another winner in the 90th minute or later.

That was scored by Paul Scholes against Sunderland on New Year's Day 2003.

And in the 1990s, United scored as many 90th-minute winning goals in the Premier League as the likes of Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest and Oldham Athletic.

Also in this series

Part 2: PL30: Where are Man Utd's 1992/93 title-winners now?
Part 3: PL30: Test your knowledge of Man Utd's 1992/93 title-winning season
Part 4: PL30: The Rise of the Manchester United Dynasty

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