History can turn on the seemingly least consequential of events. On 12 April 2015 Manchester United were leading Manchester City 4-1 at Old Trafford with three minutes remaining when Michael Carrick rolled an ankle on the touchline and limped off. Sergio Agüero pulled a goal back for City but of far more significance was that Carrick was ruled out for the rest of the season.
It was United’s sixth Premier League win in a row, a run in which they had beaten not only City but also Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. It was the best they had played under Louis van Gaal. Everyone had been waiting for the click, the moment at which United assimilated his philosophy, the cogs aligned and fluency ensued, just as his Bayern Munich side had suddenly won 4-1 at Juventus in the group stages after months of unconvincing striving and had gone on to win the German double and reach the 2010 Champions League final. Was this United’s equivalent?
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