Two down, five to go… on Sudnay Man Utd defeated Spurs 4-1 on penalties, after 120 minutes of goalless football, to win the Carling Cup. In addition to the World Club Cup they won earlier in the season, that sets them up for an unprecedented quintruple of World Club Cup, Carling Cup, FA Cup, Premiership, and Champions League. Winning all of those would truly be a magnificent feat.
Alex Ferguson has played down talk of winning all five, rightly observing that a deflected goal or individual mistake could cost them the upcoming game against Fulham and dump them out of the FA Cup. But I just can’t see that happening… United just have that aura about them, that air of invincibility – and it would take a brave man to bet against them. Or for them, for that matter – the most likely scenario is a treble or quadruple. The problem is, that will almost be deemed a disappointment – by setting their sights so high United have set themselves up for glorious failure, or unwarranted disappointment. Winning three or four (even the two they have at the moment) trophies is a successful season, and if they end up with two, three or four, their achievements should still be recognised and lauded.
[...] Can United Really Win the Quintruple? [...]