David Moyes at Old Trafford: His horrific record for and against Manchester United

David Moyes returns to the Theatre of Dreams on Monday evening as his Everton side take on a resurgent Manchester United.

But for the Scotsman, it must feel like the Theatre of Nightmares, whatever side of the dugout he is managing from.

David Moyes’ horrific record at Old Trafford as an opposing manager

Moyes has not won ANY of the 17 Premier League matches he has had at Old Trafford as a visiting manager, only being able to pick up four draws when visiting with Everton, Sunderland and West Ham.

Moyes also has poor records against the rest of the league’s biggest clubs

This is a trend that is not limited to Old Trafford. He has not won any of his 20 league matches at Stamford Bridge, and none of his 21 visits to Anfield.

Moyes’ winless run at the home of his side’s biggest rivals a Premier League record for the longest winless run at an away ground. While he has managed to win away at Arsenal, his West Ham side’s 2-0 victory at the Emirates in December 2023 is his only victory in 20 away games against The Gunners.

David Moyes’ away record vs “the big four” in the Premier League
Team	Wins	Games Played
Manchester United	0	17
Liverpool	0	21
Chelsea	0	20
Arsenal	1	20

That means that Moyes has only won one of his 78 Premier League games away to ‘the big four’!

Moyes’ record at Old Trafford while managing Man United is also bad

But what makes his record at Old Trafford different to the rest of the stadiums, is that Moyes had a stage of his career where it was his home ground. He managed the Red Devils between July 2013 and April 2014, but his record still wasn’t great when in the opposite dugout.

In the league, Moyes had a better record away from home (nine wins in 17) than he did at Old Trafford (eight wins in 17).

The Old Trafford blues also continued for Moyes in the cup competitions. United went out in the FA Cup third round to Swansea City and the League Cup Semi-Final to Sunderland in front of their home crowd.

Why does Moyes have such a bad record at Old Trafford?

Moyes’ natural instincts for pragmatism may have been the base for his successful tenures at West Ham and in his first spell at Everton, but it has never been successful at Old Trafford. No matter whether he was managing for or against Manchester United.

Moyes’ inability to win at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign is not a disgrace considering that United won the league in six of the 11 seasons they matched up. But even with their recent tribulations, Moyes’ habit to sit deep has enabled The Red Devils to dominate the ball when they have matched up with their former boss at home. This has often left them trying to chase the game when fatigued after defending deep for the vast majority of the game.

As for his spell at the club, fans were often frustrated that the then reigning league champions weren’t as attack minded during his tenure, especially at home. But you also have to consider that Moyes’ spell in charge has proved to be the start of a disappointing era for the club, not just a bad managerial tenure.

In hindsight, Moyes was doomed from the start. The board’s inadequacy in the transfer market led to the Scotsman inheriting an ageing first-team squad that needed many reinforcements, but ultimately only signed Marouane Fellaini in the summer and Juan Mata in January led to many of his misfortunes, especially his poor record at Old Trafford.