When Manchester United went into the final day of the 1998-99 season needing a win to keep their treble dream alive, the message from manager Alex Ferguson was simple.
United had done most of the hard work by then, but could still end up empty-handed. Instead, they came from behind to beat Tottenham, before beating Newcastle United in the FA Cup final and Bayern Munich in the Champions League showpiece to complete the set.
Teddy Sheringham was involved in all three games, scoring twice. However, as United’s rivals Liverpool prepare for a pressure situation of their own as they pursue trophy number three, the former England striker has reflected on Ferguson’s words.
“He just said 'have belief in yourself, trust each other, you've got this far, make sure you don't f*** it up',” Sheringham told Mirror Football at bookmakers.com ’s Evening With the Spurs Legends in London. “He just said to keep doing what you're doing all season, to trust each other because you've got yourselves into this position, and just do it one more time.
“We got it back to 1-1 [at half-time] and it starts getting a bit tense then. I can't remember what the Arsenal score was at the time, but all you know is you have to do your job, and we knew we had to win the game to make sure that we won the league."
Sheringham made way at the break in that game, having picked up a booking shortly before half-time. However, after watching on as his replacement Andrew Cole won United the title, the former Tottenham frontman went on to net in the FA Cup and Champions League finals to write his name into United folklore.
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Liverpool’s situation is a little different to that faced by United in 1999. They already have two trophies under their belt, having added the FA Cup to their Carabao Cup victory, but they also know a win on the final day still might not be enough.
When the Reds won the title in 2019-20, it was all wrapped up well before the final day. Still, rather than expecting a situation with greater intensity, Sheringham suggests the pressure on Jurgen Klopp’s men may have eased.
“I don't think the pressure's on this one,” he added. “it's different if the [points] were even, but it's not really in their hands. If City win their game, that's it, it's over and done with, so the pressure's not there in the same way our game was.”
Liverpool go into the final game unbeaten in 18 games, and with 15 victories from their last 17 league assignments. They’re back at Anfield for their final match, with Wolves the visitors, but Sheringham recognises the role which one of their former players could play with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa up against City at the same time.
“They've [Liverpool] still got to do their job just in case City slip up,” Sheringham said. "Funnier things have happened.
“You've got Aston Villa, you've got Steven Gerrard in charge of Aston Villa, he could become even more of a hero to Liverpool fans if he f***s Man City up on the last day of the season. It's all there for him, the story's there ready to be written.”
