THE last time Wanderers beat a Man United side on home soil, bell-bottom flairs were all the rage - and we will never get a better opportunity to do it again.

It is nearly a quarter of a century since Neil Whatmore scored at home to give Bolton the lead against United, so we enjoyed N'Gotty's header like no other goal at the Reebok.

The result cannot take away from the fact that Wanderers outplayed United in every department. Our midfield of Okocha, Mendy, Djorkaeff and Gardner completely over-shadowed their well renowned counterparts. Okocha's unbelievable mid-air back-flick across the park to Charlton epitomised Wanderers' stranglehold on United's most important area of attack. It is a great pity we couldn't make it pay, but Barthez probably had his best game for United, he certainly saw more of the ball than he'd ever done before. Mendy was the energy of the midfield - when are the super powers going to sign this lad? There is no other member of the club who can currently replace him, and that showed after his substitution.

Mendy also showed a great deal of compassion when Keane was receiving a well deserved yellow card for his foul on the player, remonstrating with the referee in Keane's defence - an act most Wanderers supporters would find totally beyond them. The main reason being that United have the biggest egos in football, epitomised by a quote once coming out of Ferguson: "You can be motoring into work and you see a bunch of lads laughing in the street. The first instinct flashes through your mind: you can't be laughing, Manchester United lost last night".

Well, they didn't lose, but Arsenal's demolition of City will certainly make them feel like they have.

Men of the match: Okocha and Barthez.