Former Players Haunt Manchester United in Domestic Cup Exit
As Manchester United fans exited Old Trafford yesterday, their club faced an unprecedented early exit from both domestic cups for the first time since the 1981-82 season. Many supporters lamented the pivotal role played by a former striker in their team's misfortune.
Danny Welbeck's goal in Brighton's 2-1 FA Cup third round victory on Sunday marked his eighth career goal against Manchester United across all competitions, equating his best record against any opponent. Former teammate Phil Jones remarked that United fans would "take him back in a heartbeat."
BBC Sport examines Premier League players who have caused significant challenges for their former clubs. To be included, players must have both played for and scored against their former team since the 1992-93 season, focusing solely on league matches.
Andy Cole (11 goals vs. Newcastle United)
Cole scored on his first attempt in his inaugural match against Newcastle after Manchester United acquired the England striker for a then-Premier League record fee of £7 million in January 1995. He went on to score 11 goals in 18 top-flight matches against Newcastle for Manchester United, Blackburn, and Manchester City, including a remarkable four-goal performance in a 5-1 victory at Old Trafford during the 1999-00 season, contributing to his fourth of five league title wins. Cole ranks fifth on the league's all-time scoring list with 187 goals.
Chris Wood (8 goals vs. Leicester City)
New Zealand captain Wood had a limited role at Leicester City in the 2014-15 season, scoring only once before moving to Leeds United, while Leicester, inspired by Jamie Vardy, celebrated a historic title win under Claudio Ranieri. Since then, Wood's old-school center-forward style has led to significant success against the club he aided in winning the Championship title in 2013-14, netting eight times in 13 matches against Leicester while playing for Burnley, Newcastle, and his current team, Nottingham Forest.
Alan Shearer (7 goals vs. Blackburn Rovers)
The Premier League's all-time leading scorer with 260 goals, England's Shearer won his only trophy with Blackburn Rovers, scoring a record-equalling 34 goals during the 1994-95 season as Kenny Dalglish's side edged Manchester United for the title. However, he showed no mercy to his former teammates after transferring to St James' Park in July 1996 for another record fee of £15 million, scoring seven times in 12 appearances against Blackburn. Notably, he scored 14 goals in 22 Premier League matches against Southampton, although all his league appearances for the Saints occurred in the old First Division.
Frank Lampard (7 goals vs. West Ham United)
Harry Redknapp's public defense of a young Frank Lampard during his early days at West Ham has become legendary. Even Redknapp could not have predicted Lampard's prolific goalscoring career; he ranks seventh on the league's all-time list with 177 goals, the only midfielder in the top 10. After a successful stint in east London, Lampard moved to Chelsea in June 2001, where he won 13 major trophies, including three league titles. He scored seven goals in 19 appearances against West Ham, where his father, Frank Lampard Sr., is a revered figure.
Nicolas Anelka (7 goals vs. Arsenal)
The enigmatic Frenchman helped Arsenal secure a league and FA Cup double in his first full season in English football in 1997-98 and finished as their top scorer the following season before transferring to Real Madrid. Anelka later returned to the Premier League on loan to Liverpool and went on to score seven goals in 15 matches against the Gunners while playing for Manchester City, Bolton, and Chelsea, where he added another league title and two FA Cups to his accolades.
Louis Saha (6 goals vs. Fulham; 6 goals vs. Newcastle United)
The only player to appear twice on this list, Saha had a knack for troubling his former clubs. He netted six goals in 13 matches against Newcastle, where he had a loan spell in 1998-99, and scored the same number against Fulham, where he was the First Division's top scorer as the Cottagers clinched the title in 2000-01. His goals against Fulham came during stints at Manchester United, where he won two league titles and a Champions League, and Everton.
Danny Welbeck (6 goals vs. Manchester United)
Before his FA Cup heroics on Sunday, Welbeck was already the former United player who had inflicted the most damage in the Premier League. The Manchester-born Carrington graduate has scored six league goals against the club he helped to secure the title during their last championship win in 2012-13. Two of those goals were for Arsenal and four for Brighton, placing him ahead of Wilfried Zaha (three) and others with two goals each.
Harry Kane (6 goals vs. Norwich City)
Ranked second only to Shearer on the all-time Premier League list, Kane has scored all 213 of his top-flight goals for Tottenham. Despite a brief loan at Norwich City in 2012-13, where he did not score in five matches due to injuries, he made a significant impact against them for Spurs, scoring six goals in just five games, including two braces during the 2015-16 season. After returning from Norwich, Kane went back on loan to Leicester City, where he scored twice. He has since recorded 18 goals in 16 top-flight matches against Leicester.
Jermain Defoe (6 goals vs. West Ham United)
Defoe, who ranks 10th on the all-time Premier League list with 162 goals, began his career under Harry Redknapp at West Ham before moving to Tottenham in February 2004. The prolific striker made sure to remind Hammers fans what they were missing by scoring all six of his goals against West Ham during his two permanent spells at White Hart Lane, where he won the League Cup in 2007-08, a trophy that remained Tottenham's last major honor until they achieved Europa League success last season.