Love, loyalty and rare reward. A fan's life.
And that was the night that explains again why fans keep returning to their teams. The loyalty of the Manchester United faithful has been tested all season. But then comes a night like last night. Their loyalty was again tested but wildly rewarded with an astonishing comeback, the Redmontada.
It is the suffering that deepens the occasional joy however rare or fleeting. All fans can understand the rollercoaster that United fans boarded at Old Trafford last night. It’s the life all fans sign up to. All fans recall games where they want to tear up or delete their season tickets, and then leave after a late victory, dancing and shouting “never in doubt”. Just when the relationship seems broken, they entice you back in.
All clubs manage comebacks: Liverpool’s miracle in Istanbul, Arsenal’s history of “one-nil down, 2-1 up” which became a fanzine title and 10-man Chelsea coming from 2-0 down at the Nou Camp to reach the 2012 Champions League final.
Football is a fickle friend, so quick to disappoint but occasionally delight. We’re like gambling addicts standing in front of a slot machine repeatedly inserting the coin called commitment, hoping for a pay-out. It’s why you keep going, along with the love of the camaraderie and the ritual.
You can’t turn your back on your team. You can’t leave a game early. You never know. You could get “football, bloody hell”, Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous response to United’s comeback in the Nou Camp. You could get another chance to party like it’s 1999. There was a beautiful line from United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim, to TNT Sports after his team led 2-0, trailed 4-2, then won 5-4 with Harry Maguire’s 120th-minute winner. “Some people like to keep shirts after a game,” Amorim said. “I want to keep that sound.”