2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, Utah Jazz
After being presented the trophy Bryant led his team to their second victory with 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Having a 6–0 record in the playoffs, the Lakers traveled to Utah to play the third and fourth games of the series. However their streak would come to a sudden halt. The Jazz won both Games 3 and 4 to even up the series with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, who bounced back after having two terrible games at L.A., leading the team. Game 4 went to overtime which the Lakers lost for the first time this season.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, Utah Jazz
The series would head back to Los Angeles tied 2–2. The Lakers came back with authority as they took Game 5 with Bryant, Gasol, and Odom scoring 20-plus points each. The Jazz looked to force a Game 7 but the Lakers closed out the series in Game 6 in Utah to end the series 4–2.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, Utah Jazz
Their victory on the road against the Jazz marked not only an impressive road win against a team with the best home record in the league, but also the second victory a road team had notched against a home team in the entire 2007–2008 playoff Conference Semifinals, as home teams had won at a 22–2 pace.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers went on to face the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals. The two teams combined to win seven of the last nine NBA Championships. The Lakers were able to overcome a 20-point deficit in game 1 and win behind Kobe Bryant's 27 points, with 25 being scored in the second half. Game 2 was a cruise for the Lakers as they made a 9–0 run before halftime and built the lead to 30. For the third straight series the Lakers started off 2–0.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, San Antonio Spurs
This also marked Ariza playing for the first time since breaking a bone in his right foot in January. The Spurs easily took game 3 in San Antonio with Manu Ginóbili carrying the Spurs after two terrible games in L.A. The Lakers barely escaped Game 4 with a narrow win after Brent Barry missed a last second three-pointer due to a "missed foul call" on Derek Fisher, even though Bryant, Gregg Popovich, and Phil Jackson all agreed that it was not a foul.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, San Antonio Spurs
The NBA head office, however, admitted the next day that a foul should have been called, which would have given one of the league's top free throw shooters a chance to tie the game. Heading home up 3–1 in the series, the Lakers trailed in the first quarter by 17 but were able to cut the lead to six by halftime. Again, Bryant stepped up by scoring 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and the Lakers surged ahead to take a 100–92 victory behind their home crowd for a chance to win championship no. 15. They also improved to 4–0 against San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Playoffs summary, Boston Celtics
The Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals again as the no. 1 seed. The last time this happened to the team was during 2000, where they beat the Indiana Pacers 4–2. The Lakers looked to renew their rivalry with the Boston Celtics as the two matched up for the 11th time in the NBA Finals. The Celtics own an 8–2 record all-time against the Lakers in the NBA Finals, but were defeated by Los Angeles the last two times they met in 1985 and 1987. Entering the finals, the Celtics and the Lakers held the record for most Finals appearances (Celtics 19, Lakers 28) including the 2008 Finals, and most championships (Celtics 16, Lakers 14). The Celtics went on to win the Finals 4–2 for their 17th NBA championship.


2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season, Transactions
The Lakers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.


2007–08 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team
The 2007–08 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by first-year head coach Errol Rogers; they played their double-header home games at the Cajundome with other games at the Earl K. Long Gymnasium, which is located on campus. They were members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 8–22, 4–14 in Sun Belt play to finish dead-last (seventh place) in the West Division. They were eliminated in the first round of the Sun Belt Women's Tournament.


2007–08 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team, Previous season
The Ragin' Cajuns finished the 2006–07 season 26–9, –14 in Sun Belt play to finish in as Sun Belt West Divisional Champions. They were invited to the oost-season conference tournament, where they made it to the championship before losing by 10 points to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders women's basketball. They would go on to be invited to the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament where they would lose to Marquette by the score of 58–87. This was the only time a Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team has made it to March Madness.


2007–08 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team, Previous season
This would also be J. Kelly Hall's last season at the helm of the program, as he was hired by the Cincinnati Bearcats following the season. Hall's tenure was arguably the most successful in Cajuns' history, including two divisional titles, the winningest season in program history, as well as winning seasons in each of his years.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by 7th year head coach Rick Pitino, played their home games at Freedom Hall and were a member of the Big East Conference. The team finished their season with an overall record of 27–9 (14–5 in the Big East) (.750 overall, .737 in the Big East).


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The Cardinals entered the season as a co-favorite to win the 2007–08 Big East men's basketball title and was ranked sixth in the preseason Associated Press Poll. The Cardinals lost four graduating seniors from the previous season and graduated three after the season ended.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, Regular season
The Cardinals entered the season as a co-favorite to win the 2007–08 Big East men's basketball title. The Associated Press also ranked the Cardinals sixth in their preseason poll.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, Regular season
The Cardinals won the first three games of the season before losing to BYU 78–76 on November 23, 2007. Going into the new year, the team was 9–3 and had played all but one game at Freedom Hall. During the month of January, the team went 6–3 overall and 4–4 against Big East competition. Their first game in Big East competition was on New Years Day, 2008 against Cincinnati, where the team lost 58–57. Between January 28 and March 8, 2008, the team went on a nine-game winning streak and did not lose during the month of February.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, Regular season
The team finished the regular season with a loss to Big East rival Georgetown, losing 55–52. The team finished the regular season with an overall record of 24–7 (.774). Against Big East competition, the team compiled a 14–4 (.778) record and finished second in the conference. In three of the four losses to Big East rivals, the Cardinals lost by three or fewer points.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, Postseason
The Cardinals made appearances in both the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. They finished the season ranked sixth in the Coaches Poll and thirteenth in the AP Poll. At the conclusion of the season, the team graduated three seniors.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, Postseason, Big East Tournament
The team made an early exit from the Big East Tournament with a 76–69 overtime loss to Pitt. Pitt would go on to defeat Georgetown in the championship game and win the tournament.


2007–08 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, Postseason, NCAA Tournament
For the third time in four years, the Cardinals qualified for the NCAA Tournament and were seeded third in the East bracket. They started off the tournament by defeating 14th-seeded Boise State 75–61. They also beat 6th-seeded Oklahoma 78–48 and 2nd-seeded Tennessee 79–60 before getting eliminated by 1st-seeded North Carolina (lost 83–73) in the Elite Eight. The team finished the season with an overall record of 27–9 (14–4 in the Big East).


2007–08 Luge World Cup
The 2007–08 Luge World Cup was a multi race series over a season for luge. The season started on 16 November 2007 and ended on 17 February 2008. The World Cup is organised by the FIL.


2007–08 Luton Town F.C. season
During the 2007–08 English football season, Luton Town competed in League One.


2007–08 Luton Town F.C. season, Season summary
After a poor start to the 2007–08 season, the club entered administration on 22 November 2007; Pinkney stated he would fund the club's overheads, while ten points were deducted. Meanwhile, the FA probe on transfer irregularities dragged on, described by Pinkney as "a storm in a teacup". Blackwell was sacked by the administrator on 15 January 2008, to be replaced by former player Mick Harford. The club subsequently entered the custody of the Luton Town Football Club 2020 consortium. Luton were relegated to League Two on 12 April, following a 2–1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion; Luton finished the season in bottom place.


2007–08 Luton Town F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2007–08 Luton Town F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2007–08 Luxembourg National Division
The 2007–08 Luxembourg National Division was the 94th season of top level association football in Luxembourg. The competition ran from August 2007 to 31 May 2008. F91 Dudelange won their fourth consecutive title.


2007–08 Luxembourg National Division, Format
As in 2006–07, the 2007–08 season involved a round-robin among the fourteen teams. Thus, each team played 26 games over the course of the calendar.


2007–08 Luxembourg National Division, Format
The bottom two teams were relegated automatically; these teams were CS Pétange and FC Victoria Rosport. The third-bottom (twelfth-placed) team was required to take part in a play-off with the third-placed team from the Division of Honour for the place in the National Division the following season. In the event, FC Wiltz 71 finished third-bottom, and lost the play-off to Sporting Steinfort.


2007–08 Luxembourg National Division, European qualification
Luxembourg was assigned one spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, for the league champions, F91 Dudelange. It has also been assigned two spots in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, for the runners-up, Racing FC Union Luxembourg, and the Luxembourg Cup winners. If, as happened two seasons previously, the league champions and runners-up had both reach the cup final, the second UEFA Cup spot would have gone to the team placed third in the league. However, in the event, neither of the top two clubs reached the semi-finals, and the cup-winners spot went to CS Grevenmacher. Jeunesse Esch have not applied to play in the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2008, so Etzella Ettelbruck have qualified in Jeunesse's place.


2007–08 Luxembourg National Division, Relegation play-off
As a result of their victory, Sporting Steinfort were promoted to the National Division for the 2008-09 season, and FC Wiltz 71 relegated to the Division of Honour.


2007–08 MJHL season
The 2007–08 season was the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's (MJHL) 91st season of operation.


2007–08 Macedonian First Football League
The 2007–08 Macedonian First League was the 16th season of the Macedonian First Football League, the highest football league of Macedonia. The first matches of the season were played on 5 August 2007. Pobeda were the defending champions, having won their second title. The 2007-08 champions were Rabotnichki who won their third title.


2007–08 Macedonian First Football League, Promotion and relegation
1 Bashkimi was withdraw from the First League due to financial reasons.


2007–08 Macedonian First Football League, Results
Every team will play three times against each other team for a total of 33 matches. The first 22 matchdays will consist of a regular double round-robin schedule. The league standings at this point will then be used to determine the games for the last 11 matchdays.


2007–08 Macedonian Football Cup
The 2007–08 Macedonian Football Cup was the 16th season of Macedonia's football knockout competition. FK Vardar were the defending champions, having won their fifth title. The 2007–08 champions were FK Rabotnichki Kometal who won their first title.


2007–08 Macedonian Football Cup, First round
The draw was held on 5 September 2007 in Skopje. Matches were played on 19 September 2007.


2007–08 Macedonian Football Cup, Second round
The draw was held on 17 October 2007 in Skopje. The first legs were played on 23 and 24 October and second on 6 and 7 November 2007.


2007–08 Macedonian Football Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw was held on 17 November 2007 in Skopje. The first legs were played on 28 November and the second were played on 12 December 2007.


2007–08 Macedonian Football Cup, Semi-finals
The draw was held on 12 January 2008 in Skopje. The first legs were played on 9 April and the second were played on 7 May 2008.


2007–08 Macedonian Second Football League
The 2007–08 Macedonian Second Football League was the sixteenth season since its establishment. It began on 4 August 2007 and ended on 1 June 2008.


2007–08 Magnolia Beverage Masters season
The 2007–08 Magnolia Beverage Masters season was the 33rd season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2007–08 Magnolia Beverage Masters season, Key dates
August 19: The 2007 PBA Draft took place at Market! Market! in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.


2007–08 Magyar Kupa
The 2007–08 Magyar Kupa (English: Hungarian Cup) is the 68th season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup football competition.


2007–08 Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey season
In the 2007-08 Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey season, the Black Bears had 4 wins, 27 losses and 3 ties. The team’s Hockey East record was 3 wins, 15 losses, and 3 ties.


2007–08 Major Indoor Soccer League season, League Standings, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


2007–08 Malaysia Premier League
The 2007–08 Liga Premier (English: 2007–08 Premier League), also known as the TM Liga Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the fifth season of the Liga Premier, the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia.


2007–08 Malaysia Premier League
The season was held from 17 December 2007 and concluded in 3 May 2008. A total of 13 clubs compete in a single group format. Harimau Muda, a feeder team project for the Malaysia national football team, joined the league as preparation for the national competition.


2007–08 Malaysia Premier League
The Liga Premier champions for 2007–08 was Kuala Muda Naza. The club were promoted to 2009 Liga Super along with runners-up PLUS and third-place Kelantan.


2007–08 Malaysia Super League
The 2007–08 Liga Super (English: 2007–08 Super League) also known as the TM Liga Super for sponsorship reasons is the fifth season of the Liga Super, the top-tier professional football league in Malaysia.


2007–08 Malaysia Super League
The season was held from 18 November 2007 and concluded in 13 August 2008.


2007–08 Malian Première Division
The 2007–08 Malian Première Division was the 43rd season of Malian top flight football. It took place over 26 rounds between 15 December 2007 and 1 September 2008, with fourteen clubs. The champion qualified for the 2009 CAF Champions League and the bottom two clubs were relegated to the lower division. Stade Malien started the season as the holders for the third time in a row, however Djoliba AC won their 20th title and qualified for the 2009 CAF Champions League. At the time in the number of titles, Djoliba had 20 titles and formed one of the most of any amateur championships in the world, overall it may be around the top ten range of any clubs who had 20+ championship titles in the world at the time.


2007–08 Malian Première Division
The season featured 183 matches, a total of 373 goals were scored.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy
The 2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy (known as U*BET FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons) was the 70th season since its establishment. It featured 20 teams from Maltese Premier League and First Division. The competition started on 3 November 2007 and ended on 24 May 2008 with the final, which Birkirkara F.C. won 2–1 against Hamrun Spartans.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy
Hibernians were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Valletta.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results
When the draw was conducted four teams received a bye to the Quarterfinals. Hibernians received a bye because they won the 2006–07 Maltese FA Trophy. Other three teams who received a bye directly to the Quarterfinals were Birkirkara, Marsaxlokk and Sliema Wanderers, for being three best-placed teams in previous year's Premier League.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, First Round
In the First Round entered Premier League teams placed 4th to 10th and 10 First Division teams. The matches were played on 3, 4, 10 and 11 November 2007.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, Second Round
In this round entered winners from the previous round. The matches were played on 1 and 2 March 2008


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, Quarterfinals
In this round entered the winners from the previous round and the four teams that had received a bye. The matches were played on 12 and 13 April 2008.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, Quarterfinals
Dingli Swallows was the only team from the First Division. They played against Hamrun Spartans and lost 3-1. The other three ties were all contested between Premier League teams. They all finished 2-1 in favour of Valletta, Floriana and Birkirkara who beat Hibernians, Sliema Wanderers and Marsaxlokk respectively. Hibernians were the defending champions.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, Semifinals
The winners from the Quarterfinals entered the Semifinals. The matches were played on 19 and 20 May 2008.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, Semifinals
Both semifinals finished 4-2 in favour of Hamrun Spartans, who beat Floriana, and Birkirkara, who beat Valletta.


2007–08 Maltese FA Trophy, Results, Final
The Final was played on 24 May and was contested between Birkirkara and Hamrun Spartans. Michael Galea opened the scoring for Birkirkara but Hamrun Spartans levelled matters through Ryan Fenech but Michael Galea scored his 2nd to give Birkirkara the trophy.


2007–08 Maltese First Division
The Maltese First Division 2007–08 (known as BOV First Division 2007–08 for sponsorship reasons) started on October 9, 2007 and ended on May 23, 2008. Marsa F.C. and St. George's F.C. were the teams which were relegated from the 2006–07 Maltese Premier League. Dingli Swallows and Mellieha were the promoted teams from the 2006–07 Maltese Second Division. Tarxien Rainbows finished as champions and were promoted to the 2008–09 Maltese Premier League. They were joined with Qormi, who won a play-off with Mosta 4-3 on penalties, following a 0-0 draw. The play-off was necessary because the two teams finished level on points. Mellieha and Marsa were relegated to the 2008–09 Maltese Second Division. Mellieha had just been promoted but went straight down. Marsa suffered two straight relegations, having been relegated from the Premier League.


2007–08 Maltese First Division, Teams
The Maltese First Division 2007-08 was made up of these teams:


2007–08 Maltese First Division knock-out
The Maltese First Division knock-out 2007–08 (known as Maltco Lotteries First Division Knock-out 2007–08 due to sponsorship reasons) was a competition for Maltese football clubs from the First Division. The winners were Dingli and the runners-up were Vittoriosa.


2007–08 Maltese First Division knock-out
The competition began on 18 November 2007 and ended on 1 June 2008 with the final.


2007–08 Maltese First Division knock-out
The competition began with a preliminary round. Four teams played in the preliminary round. The two winners of the preliminary round advanced to the quarterfinals with the rest teams from the 1st Division. The four winners from the quarterfinals, which were Dingli, Mosta, Tarxien and Vittoriosa, advanced to the semifinals.


2007–08 Maltese Premier League
The 2007–08 Maltese Premier League (known as the BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 28th season of the Maltese Premier League, and the 93rd season of top-level league football in Malta. Valletta won their nineteenth league title overcoming last season's champions, Marsaxlokk.


2007–08 Maltese Premier League, Teams
The following teams were promoted from the First Division at the start of the season:


2007–08 Maltese Premier League, Teams
From the previous Premier League season, the following teams were relegated to the First Division:


2007–08 Maltese Premier League, Second round, Championship Pool
The teams placed in the first six positions in the league table qualified for the Championship Pool, and the points obtained during the first round were halved (and rounded up) before the start of second round. As a result, the teams started with the following points before the second round: Valletta 18 points, Marsaxlokk 16, Sliema Wanderers 16, Floriana 14, Birkirkara 13 and Ħamrun Spartans 13.


2007–08 Maltese Premier League, Second round, Relegation Pool
The teams which finished in the last four league positions were placed in the Relegation Pool and at the end of the round the two lowest-placed teams were relegated to the First Division. The points obtained during the first round were halved (and rounded up) before the start of second round. As a result, the teams started with the following points before the second round: Hibernians 12 points, Msida Saint-Joseph 10, Pietà Hotspurs 7, Mqabba 3.


2007–08 Maltese Second Division
The Maltese Second Division 2007–08 (known as BOV Second Division 2007-08 due to sponsorship reasons) started on 21 September 2007 and ended on 18 May 2008. San Gwann and Naxxar Lions were relegated from 2006–07 Maltese First Division. The promoted teams from 2006–07 Maltese Third Division were Mgarr United, Sirens and Zurrieq. The league was won by San Gwann. They finished on 47 points, level with Balzan Youths and Rabat Ajax. They were declared champions for their superior goal difference. Balzan Youths and Rabat Ajax had to play a promotion play-off for the team to get promoted.


2007–08 Maltese Second Division
The play-off was won 3-0 by Rabat Ajax. At the other end Sirens and Zurrieq were relegated while Mgarr United had to play the relegation playoffs with four teams from the Third Division. Zurrieq were relegated because they had a 5-point deduction by the Malta Football Association. They had three points deducted after failing to present the signed balance sheet. Zurrieq had another two points deducted after being found guilty of casing the incidents which led the BOV Second Division match against Luxol on April 27 to be abandoned. Referee Chris Francalanza abandoned the match on 69 minutes after he was hit by a Zurrieq player. If they were deducted no points it would have been Mgarr United relegated. Mgarr managed to win the relegation playoffs and secure their second division status for the first time.


2007–08 Maltese Second and Third Division Knock-Out
The 2007–08 Second and Third Division Knock-Out (known as quick Keno Second and Third Division Knock-Out for sponsorship reasons) was a knockout tournament for Maltese football clubs playing in the Second and Third Division. The final was contested by defending champions, Balzan Youths and Melita, the latter winning 5–1.


2007–08 Maltese Third Division
The Maltese Third Division 2007–08 (known as BOV 3rd Division due to sponsorship reasons) was the 8th season and started on 21 September 2007 and finished on 18 May. For the first time the Division was divided into two sections:A and B.Section A consisted of 10 teams and Section B of 9.The winners of Section A were Zebbug Rangers and those of Section B were Gozo FC.Both were promoted to the 2nd Division. The overall champions were Gozo FC who beat Zebbug 3-1.The match was abandoned on 57 minutes.


2007–08 Maltese Third Division
The teams who finished 2nd and 3rd in each Section were to play in a Promotion/Relegation Playoff with the 10th finishing place team of Second Division. These were Attard, Xghajra from Section A and Gzira and Gharghur from Section B.The 10th finishing team from Second Division were Mgarr.Mgarr won the play-off Final and therefore each team stayed in its respective Division.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season
The 2007–08 season was Manchester City Football Club's sixth consecutive season playing in the Premier League, the top division of English football, and its 11th season since the Premier League was first created, with Manchester City as one of its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, it was the team's 116th season playing in a division of English football, most of which have been spent in the top flight.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
The season started with a new owner in Thaksin Shinawatra and his newly appointed manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson. After spending three of the four previous Premier League seasons finishing in low mid-table positions (i.e., two to four places above the relegation zone), the Manchester City team was badly in need of an influx of new blood if it was to avoid a similar fate, or worse, in the upcoming season. Consequently, the newly infused funds from the club's wealthy Thai owner came at quite a fortuitous time for the team, and Eriksson was very active in the summer transfer market as he spent approximately £30 million adding eight relatively high-profile players to the City first team squad.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
As a consequence of this mini spending spree Manchester City started the new season strongly and spent a large portion of it occupying one of the top five positions in the Premier League table. Unfortunately, the strong results of the first two-thirds of the season were not sustained in the final third and the team ultimately slipped down the rankings to finish the season in ninth place.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
This loss of form in the final months also led to Shinawatra summarily sacking Eriksson, a decision that was received with mixed emotions by the Manchester City supporters since both characters had achieved the status of "white knights" in their eyes for their respective financial and managerial contributions to the transformation of the club. Two days after his end-of-season dismissal, on 2 June 2008 Eriksson was replaced by Mark Hughes.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
This season also saw Manchester City gain entry into the next season's UEFA Cup competition by finishing sixth in the English "Fair Play" rankings (with the five teams ranked above City having already qualified for European competition).


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Team kit, Kit description
The start of the 2007–08 Premier League campaign saw a number of changes for Manchester City, the most notable being the hiring of former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, while a somewhat less prominent change for the club saw the termination of Reebok as the team's kit supplier (for the four previous seasons) with the French sportswear manufacturer, Le Coq Sportif, now resuming this role once again. The shirt sponsor continued to be Thomas Cook, although the travel company had undergone a name change during the close season after its announced merger with MyTravel Group in June 2007, with the newly merged company now being called Thomas Cook Group.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Team kit, Kit description
The switch to a new kit supplier resulted in three new team kits for this season. The new home kit consisted of a return to a full sky blue shirt, but now with vertical white pin stripes on the body (but not the sleeves and shoulders) together with matching solid sky blue socks and the traditional all white shorts. The shirt sported a Le Coq Sportif logo on the upper portion of both sleeves with the Manchester City crest in the centre of the chest above the Thomas Cook logo, while the City crest was also repeated at the base of the right leg on the shorts.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Team kit, Kit description
The new away kit – a striking solid purple colour but sporting the same vertical white pin stripes on the body of the shirt as the home kit plus all the same kit supplier, sponsorship and club crest logos – was possibly a throwback to the classic maroon and thin white striped shirts that had been the club's one-time strip created for its appearance at Wembley in the 1956 FA Cup Final against Birmingham City. In comparison to the new home and away kits, the new third kit consisted of a relatively conservative all white shirt and socks with solid sky blue shorts, with the white shirt sporting a thin sky blue diagonal sash across the front of the left shoulder.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Team kit, Kit description
New goalkeeper strips – a two-tone green (solid light green shirt plus solid dark green shorts and socks), an all-grey change and a yellow third with purple shorts and socks, were introduced for this season.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Team kit, Kit description
On 10 February 2008, during the club's local derby game against Manchester United, the City team played in a one-off special kit to mark the 50-year memorial of the Munich air disaster. This kit was devoid of the pinstripes, contained no kit supplier or sponsorship logos and had a black ribbon on the right shoulder bearing "1958–2008", with "Manchester remembers" written underneath.


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Historical league performance
Prior to this season, the history of Manchester City's performance in the English football league hierarchy since the creation of the Premier League in 1992 is summarised by the following timeline chart – which commences with the last season (1991–92) of the old Football League First Division (from which the Premier League was formed).


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Competitive games, Premier League, Results summary
Last updated: 11 May 2008 (end of season). Source: Premier League results 2007–08


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Competitive games, Premier League, Points breakdown
Points against "Big Four" teams: 7 Points against promoted teams: 13


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Competitive games, Premier League, Biggest & smallest
Biggest home wins: 4–2 vs. Bolton Wanderers, 15 December 2007 000000000003–1 vs. Middlesbrough, 7 October 2007 & vs. Portsmouth, 20 April 2008 000000000000& vs. Newcastle United, 29 September 2007 Biggest home defeats: 1–3 vs. Arsenal, 2 February 2008 00000000000000000000–2 vs. Everton, 25 February 2008 & vs. Chelsea, 5 April 2008 Biggest away wins: 0–2 vs. West Ham, 11 Aug. 2007 & vs. Newcastle Utd., 2 Jan. 2008 Biggest away defeat: 8–1 vs. Middlesbrough, 11 May 2008 Biggest home attendance: 47,321 vs. Liverpool, 30 December 2007 Smallest home attendance: 38,261 vs. Wigan Athletic, 1 March 2008 Biggest away attendance: 75,970 vs. Manchester United, 10 February 2008 Smallest away attendance: 18,614 vs. Wigan Athletic, 1 December 2007


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Playing statistics
Information current as of 11 May 2008 (end of season)


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Playing statistics
Last updated: 16 January 2011. Source: (for players and positions) 00(for squad numbers) 00(for actual stats.) All match Reports in Competitive games section above


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Goal scorers, FA Cup
Information current as of 11 May 2008 (end of season)


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Awards, Premier League awards
Awarded monthly to the player and manager that were chosen by a panel assembled by the Premier League's sponsor


2007–08 Manchester City F.C. season, Awards, Thomas Cook Player of the Month awards
Awarded to the player in each category that receives the most votes in a poll conducted each month on the MCFC OWS


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
The 2007–08 season was Manchester United's 16th season in the Premier League, and their 33rd consecutive season in the top division of English football. The season was regarded as a success; despite the team's slow start in the league, they won their 10th Premier League title (their 17th top division title overall, just one behind Liverpool's then record of 18) and beat Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final to claim the European Double.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
Although they won the 2007 FA Community Shield against Chelsea, the club was not as successful in the domestic cup competitions, losing to eventual FA Cup winners Portsmouth in the Sixth Round, and losing to Coventry City in the Third Round of the League Cup.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
In February 2008, the club commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, as a result of which eight Manchester United players and three members of the coaching staff lost their lives. The club held a memorial service at Old Trafford on 6 February 2008, renaming the tunnel under the South Stand as the "Munich Tunnel". This was followed on 10 February by the Manchester derby. Manchester United took to the field in a retro kit reminiscent of the kit worn by the 1958 team, abandoning squad numbers in favour of a 1–11 numbering system.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
Manchester United's players were also successful on an individual level in the 2007–08 season, with three players in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, while Cristiano Ronaldo picked up six individual awards, including the Premier League Golden Boot for his 31 league goals.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Pre-season and friendlies
United began their pre-season in July 2007 with a tour of the Far East where they played Urawa Red Diamonds, FC Seoul, Shenzen FC and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical; they went undefeated throughout the entire tour, winning three matches and drawing one. Their next game took place back at Old Trafford, against Internazionale, followed by trips to Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United, managed by Alex Ferguson's son Darren. The next two matches were played simultaneously with first team coach Jimmy Ryan taking one squad to Scotland to play Dunfermline, while assistant manager Carlos Queiroz took another group to play Glentoran in Northern Ireland.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Pre-season and friendlies
In January 2008, Manchester United played Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia in a testimonial match for Sami Al-Jaber as part of a mid-season training camp, hosted by the Saudi royal family. United lost the match 3–2.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Community Shield
In August, League champions United contested the Community Shield against Chelsea, the winners of the previous season's FA Cup. The game finished 1–1 after 90 minutes, United winning the game on penalties.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, August–December
Manchester United started the season by drawing their opening two games against Reading and Portsmouth. United lost Wayne Rooney to a foot injury picked up against Reading and Cristiano Ronaldo to suspension after he was sent off for appearing to headbutt Portsmouth's Richard Hughes. A derby defeat to Manchester City saw the club slip into 17th place in the table. Results elsewhere pushed them into the relegation zone for the first time in years.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, August–December
The following week at home to Tottenham Hotspur, Nani scored his first competitive goal for the club to give United their first win of the season. Two more 1–0 victories followed, first against Sunderland, where Louis Saha scored in his first game back from injury, and then away to Everton through a Nemanja Vidić header. Next up were Chelsea, fellow members of the Big Four who had parted company with manager José Mourinho only two days earlier, following a run of poor form, appointing his assistant Avram Grant in his place. Chelsea's poor form continued into their next match, and the Reds claimed a 2–0 victory, goals from Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha coming at the end of each half.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, August–December
After eight games of the season, United had conceded just two goals, three less than at the same point in the previous season. However, the team was having trouble in front of goal, only scoring seven goals in the same eight games. This changed on 6 October, however, when United beat Wigan Athletic 4–0, followed by their 7th and 8th consecutive league wins, both 4–1, against Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, the latter being their fourth consecutive game in which they have scored four goals, the first time in 100 years they had done so.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, August–December
United then travelled to London where they played Arsenal, in a very media-hyped game, which ended 2–2 after a William Gallas equaliser for the Gunners in the last minute of stoppage time. Despite the Arsenal draw, United got back on track by beating Blackburn 2–0 the following week, as Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals in two minutes to secure the win.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, August–December
United's ten-game unbeaten streak in the league came to an end when they travelled to the Reebok Stadium to play Bolton Wanderers, who beat them 1–0 with an early Nicolas Anelka goal. United returned to winning ways immediately, winning their next five games, including one against arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield, in which Carlos Tevez scored the only goal for a 1–0 win. United then completed a double over Merseyside teams in consecutive weeks with a 2–1 victory over Everton, both goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, before completing a double over Sunderland in the Boxing Day fixture, winning 4–0. The Sunderland game saw Ronaldo score his ninth goal in his last seven Premier League appearances, to extend his lead at the top of the Premier League scoring table, while United welcomed Park Ji-sung back to the team following a nine-month lay-off with cruciate ligament damage.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, August–December
With Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick unavailable due to a viral infection, Carlos Tevez was given the opportunity to start the game on his return to his old club, West Ham United, on 29 December. United took the lead on 14 minutes thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo header. Ronaldo had a chance to double the lead with a penalty in the 66th minute, but he blasted the free shot wide of the goal. West Ham capitalised on the error and, 10 minutes later, Rio Ferdinand's brother, Anton, headed home the equaliser. Then, just five minutes later, Matthew Upson scored the winner for the Hammers to complete a trio of headed goals on the day. The loss, combined with Arsenal's 4–1 defeat of Everton later in the day, meant that United finished 2007 in second place, with 18 games still to play.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
The following game was a hard-fought 1–0 win over Birmingham City with the only goal coming from Carlos Tevez. Sir Alex Ferguson caused a minor controversy after the match, when he claimed that the atmosphere at Old Trafford was like a funeral. He later attempted to repair the damage when praising the away support when United went to Villa Park in the FA Cup Third Round on 5 January. The games against West Ham and Birmingham saw Ferguson endure a two-match touchline suspension, given following his complaints to the referee in the defeat at Bolton Wanderers.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
The next game was against manager-less Newcastle United and was played immediately after Arsenal had been held to a 1–1 draw by Birmingham City. United went into the game knowing that a win would put them top of the league on goal difference, but after dominating the first 45 minutes the score was still 0–0. However, in the second half, the goals started flowing; Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 49th minute with a free kick under the jumping wall. Carlos Tevez doubled the tally six minutes later, before Ronaldo scored again to make it three in the 70th minute.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Rio Ferdinand scored a rare goal in the 85th minute, volleying home from a narrow angle. Youngster Danny Simpson had a couple of chances, but he was denied by some good goalkeeping by Shay Given. Then, in the last two minutes, Ronaldo scored his third for his first ever Manchester United hat-trick, and Tevez made it six in injury time. Newcastle's captain, former Red Alan Smith, earned himself a red card for his protests following the sixth goal.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Wayne Rooney got himself on the scoresheet for the first time in three Premier League games the following weekend, scoring the opener in a 2–0 win over Reading. After a goalless first half, Rooney opened the scoring in the 77th minute, before Cristiano Ronaldo notched up his 23rd goal of the season to equal his tally for the previous season. The following game pitted United against Portsmouth at Old Trafford. With Arsenal having beaten Newcastle 3–0 the previous day, the onus was on United to pick up a win and go back to the top of the table.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
They started well, going 2–0 up within the first 15 minutes, but, despite what Sir Alex Ferguson claimed was one of the best performances of the season, they were unable to score again, and the game finished 2–0. Both goals were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, who added the brace to the two he scored against Tottenham in the FA Cup the previous weekend, to take his total for the season to 27 goals in all competitions.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
The next game for the Reds was away to Tottenham. With Arsenal playing and winning again earlier in the day, a win was essential for United to go back to the top of the league. However, Tottenham did their North London rivals a massive favour by going ahead in the 21st minute. They should have gone two up soon after, but a poor shot from Berbatov was saved by Edwin van der Sar.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Spurs defended well for the remainder of the game, but conceded a volleyed goal from Tevez, who had been largely anonymous for the entire game, in the last minute. The result meant that United were two points behind Arsenal at the top of the league, but still four ahead of Chelsea, who drew 1–1 with Portsmouth. Seven United players were booked in the game at Tottenham, meaning that the club was handed a £25,000 fine by the Football Association. This was the standard fine for any team that has six or more players booked during a game. However, had the same occurred again in the season, the fine would have been increased to £50,000.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
The week following the Tottenham game was spent in remembrance of the Munich air disaster, the 50th anniversary of which fell on 6 February 2008.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
United's home game against Manchester City on 10 February was preceded by a minute's silence in memory of those who died at Munich, and both teams wore special kits for the occasion; United wore a kit similar in design to the kit worn by the 1958 team, devoid of sponsors' logos and the club crest, while Manchester City also wore a kit without a sponsor's logo and with a black ribbon embroidered on the right shoulder.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
However, on a day intended to be all about the red half of Manchester, the team in blue took the lead after just 24 minutes. They then went 2–0 up just before half time, with debutant Benjani heading for goal. The Reds came out much stronger after the break, but were unable to score until the final minute, when Michael Carrick shot home from 18 yards. The next day, Arsenal beat Blackburn 2–0 to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
However, the Gunners lead was cut back to three points two weeks later. Arsenal drew 2–2 with Birmingham in the Saturday's early kick-off, providing United with the opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table. They took the chance with great gusto, beating Newcastle 5–1, the second time in the season that a fixture between the two clubs had produced six goals. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for the Red Devils, before Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the lead just before half-time.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
He then extended the lead to 3–0 11 minutes into the second half with his 29th goal of the season. Newcastle clawed one back ten minutes from time, but United replied immediately through Rooney, and Louis Saha finished the game off in the final minute with what turned out to be the French player's final goal for the club before being sold to Everton in the summer.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
The Premier League's top three kicked off simultaneously on 1 March. United were first off the mark, as Owen Hargreaves scored his first competitive goal in a Manchester United shirt to put the Reds 1–0 up against Fulham. Chelsea then went 3–0 up against West Ham in the space of five minutes, before Arsenal went 1–0 down to Aston Villa via a Philippe Senderos own goal. United were next to score, Park Ji-sung doubling their lead. Chelsea got a fourth goal in the 64th minute of their match, before a Simon Davies own goal stretched United's lead to three goals.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
However, just when it looked like United would be returning to the top of the table for the first time in a month, Arsenal snatched a late equaliser to remain a point clear at the top. With 10 games left in the season, United's goal difference seven goals better than Arsenal's, and Chelsea still only six points off the top two, this set up what was billed as one of the closest title races in recent years.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Following their exit from the FA Cup the previous weekend, a trip to Pride Park to play bottom-placed Derby County on 15 March looked to be the perfect opportunity for the Red Devils to bounce back and show their title credentials. However, the game did not prove as simple as one would have expected, as United had to work hard for their narrow 1–0 victory. As was the case with many of Manchester United's games in the 2007–08 season, luck was not on their side in the opening exchanges of the game.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
United goalkeeper Ben Foster, making his debut due to the unavailability of Van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak, then staked his claim to the number 1 jersey with a pair of fine saves from Derby striker Kenny Miller. Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be the thorn in Derby's side on a number of occasions, testing former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll with a curling effort hit with the outside of his foot and a 40-yard free kick. The breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute, Ronaldo scoring a deserved goal from a Wayne Rooney cross. With Arsenal only managing a draw against ten-man Middlesbrough in the day's late kick-off, United's win put them on top of the table on goal difference with a game in hand.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
That game in hand was played four days later, with United playing host to Bolton Wanderers on 19 March. Man Utd started the game at their usual fast pace, and it took just nine minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo, the team's captain for the day, to find the back of the net after Carlos Tevez's poorly hit bicycle kick was saved. That goal brought Ronaldo level with George Best's record of 32 goals from midfield in a season, but only ten minutes later, the record was broken.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Fouled about 10 yards outside the penalty area, Ronaldo set himself up for one of his trademark free kicks; one dipping shot later, the score was 2–0. The tone of the game changed from that point on, as United began to relax into a groove, but, as has happened so many times this season, despite the threat of a high-scoring game, no more goals were to come.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Both teams posed threats to the other's goal, with Bolton managing to get the ball into the Manchester United net twice in the second half, only to have the goals ruled out for various reasons, while both Nani and Carlos Tevez wasted as many chances between them as the rest of the United team put together. Nevertheless, the win put United three points clear at the top of the table with eight games left to play.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
With matches between Manchester United and Liverpool and Chelsea and Arsenal scheduled, 23 March 2008 was dubbed "Grand Slam Sunday" by Sky Sports. Manchester United kicked off the day's action, knowing that they could put pressure on both Arsenal and Chelsea by winning. However, the Red Devils took a while to get into their stride and Liverpool controlled the first ten minutes. Still, it was United who created the first chance of the game, although Wayne Rooney was unable to beat Pepe Reina after Anderson's through-ball.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
A few minutes later, Javier Mascherano was booked for a reckless challenge on Paul Scholes. The Argentinian was unimpressed, and continued to contest referee Steve Bennett's decisions as the game went on. The first goal of the game came in the 34th minute, through the most unlikely of goalscorers. After robbing Steven Gerrard of the ball two-thirds of the way up the field, Wes Brown continued his run into the Liverpool box, and found himself on the end of Wayne Rooney's cross, heading past a less than confident Reina.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Then, a few minutes before half-time, Liverpool were awarded a free-kick just inside the United half. Believing that Paul Scholes deserved a yellow card for the challenge, Fernando Torres remonstrated with referee Bennett, for which he earned himself a yellow card. Incensed by his teammate's punishment, Mascherano rushed in to make his own protest. The referee, though, was not very receptive to Mascherano's protest, and gave him a second yellow card for dissent, sending him off.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
With Liverpool down to ten men, Manchester United were now able to control the tempo of the game as they wished. The Red Devils pushed forward in search of a second goal, and Liverpool continued to weather the storm, but, with 10 minutes to go, United finally found the goal they were looking for. Nani, just on as a substitute, took a corner from the left hand side, which Cristiano Ronaldo headed in from seven yards; his first goal against Liverpool.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Then, two minutes later, Nani combined well with Wayne Rooney, playing a one-two with the striker, before firing the ball home from 20 yards to make the final score 3–0. The win put United six points ahead of Arsenal with seven games left to play, and meant the Gunners had to win their match against Chelsea later that afternoon. Chelsea, however, came from behind to pull off a 2–1 victory. This propelled Chelsea into second place, five points behind Manchester United.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Man Utd's game against Aston Villa was the late kick-off on 29 March, which allowed Arsenal to pull back United's lead in the league to just three points with a 3–2 win over Bolton. This meant that the Red Devils would have to win to restore their six-point lead over Arsenal; and win they did, as they put four goals past Martin O'Neill's side. Villa were first to threaten either goal, but it took just 16 minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo to get the opener, back-heeling the ball through Martin Laursen's legs and past Scott Carson in the Villa goal.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, January–March
Ronaldo then turned provider for the second goal on 33 minutes, Carlos Tevez heading home the Portuguese's cross at the back post. The loudest cheers of the game, though, did not come until after half-time, as Wayne Rooney, who had not scored at Old Trafford since October, bagged a brace. Ronaldo supplied the first, back-heeling the ball to the England striker, who rounded Carson before passing the ball into the net. Ronaldo then provided the assist for Rooney's second, nutmegging an Aston Villa defender to play Rooney in. Heartened by his first goal in six games, Rooney finished the move with a cool shot, beating Carson on his near post. Rooney almost made it a hat-trick a few minutes later, but he was deemed to be marginally offside at the time of Owen Hargreaves' cross.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
United were chosen to play on the Sunday of the following weekend, allowing the two chasing teams, Arsenal and Chelsea, to close the gap at the top. Arsenal played first, but could only draw with Liverpool, while Chelsea managed a 2–0 victory over Manchester City in the 3 o'clock kickoff. That closed the gap at the top to two points, putting pressure on United to pick up points against Middlesbrough, who are often regarded as one of their "bogey teams" in recent years.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
The Red Devils started well, and were 1–0 up within 10 minutes after Ronaldo stabbed home Michael Carrick's square ball across the six-yard box. United continued to make chances, and looked to be coasting to a comfortable victory until Afonso Alves netted his first goal in English football after 35 minutes. The Brazilian bagged his second ten minutes into the second half, and things looked desperate for United. Worse still, after 70 minutes, with United already missing Nemanja Vidić through injury, Rio Ferdinand looked to have picked up an injury himself and was replaced by Gerard Piqué.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
It was Piqué's fellow substitute, Park Ji-sung, who fashioned the equaliser, though, as he checked back inside Andrew Taylor before squaring the ball to Wayne Rooney, whose deflected shot found its way past Mark Schwarzer in the Middlesbrough goal. United continued to press forward in search of the winner to take the gap at the top of the table back to five points, but almost gave away a goal in the process. Van der Sar capped a solid display by blocking Tuncay's late effort.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
The Red Devils' next game was against Arsenal the following Sunday, in a six-pointer that would either rule Arsenal out of the title race or bring them right back into it. A United win would put them six points ahead of their nearest league rivals, Chelsea, and nine ahead of Arsenal, and with Chelsea playing the following day, a win was essential to put pressure on the Blues. Arsenal started the match well, and looked to take the game to United through sheer brute force, attacking with pace and power.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Indeed, they created the best chances of the half, United's best opportunity falling to Wayne Rooney, who refused to go down under the challenge of Kolo Touré, before seeing his shot saved by the foot of Jens Lehmann in a one-on-one situation. The first half finished goalless, but it was not long into the second half before the crowd saw the first goal of the game. It was a controversial goal, however, as it seemed that Emmanuel Adebayor had played Cesc Fàbregas' cross into the net with his left arm.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Nevertheless, referee Howard Webb gave the goal, seeing nothing wrong with it. Just five minutes later, though, United hit back. Michael Carrick played the ball into the Arsenal penalty area, where it was handled by William Gallas, and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. As expected, Cristiano Ronaldo took responsibility for the penalty, and coolly swept it into the left side of the net. However, he was made to take the kick again as Park Ji-sung was deemed to be encroaching on the penalty area before the kick.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Ronaldo was just as successful with his second attempt, burying the ball in the bottom left-hand corner. In an attempt to force the issue by going for the winner, Alex Ferguson brought on Carlos Tevez and Anderson in place of Park and Scholes. The Reds were cutting it fine, as Van der Sar was forced to make two reflex saves from his own defenders, Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand. Tevez then sent a warning shot across the Arsenal bow, shooting narrowly wide from 25 yards.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Then, with 20 minutes to go, Patrice Evra was brought down just outside the Arsenal box. With the Arsenal defence expecting a typical Ronaldo free-kick, they were caught off guard when Owen Hargreaves played an immaculate free-kick over the wall, dipping into the bottom left corner of the goal, leaving Lehmann rooted to his goal line. United continued to press, not giving Arsenal an inch, and though Van der Sar was called on to save a header from Nicklas Bendtner, the Red Devils managed to hold onto their lead and extend their lead at the top of the table.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Chelsea, now the only team with a realistic chance of stopping United winning the title failed to reduce the lead to three points the following day, only managing a 1–1 draw at home to Wigan Athletic. They followed this up with a 1–0 win over Everton the following Thursday, reducing the lead to two points with just three games remaining, although United now had a game in hand.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
On 19 April, Blackburn Rovers welcomed Manchester United to Ewood Park, where the Red Devils had only managed to win once in their last eight visits. With Chelsea having beaten Everton two days earlier, United went into the game only two points of ahead of the Blues, which meant that defeat against Blackburn would give Chelsea the opportunity to leapfrog United in the teams' meeting the following weekend. Despite a promising start, United fell behind in the 21st minute thanks to a Roque Santa Cruz goal – his 16th of the season.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
United had dominated large parts of the match, but were unable to make a breakthrough. Finally, with just two minutes left in normal time, Carlos Tevez headed home from Paul Scholes' flick-on to salvage a crucial point for United in the championship race. If United were to beat Chelsea in their next match, they would then require just one point from their remaining two games to secure the title. If they failed to win at Stamford Bridge, however, they would need to win both of their remaining games.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
And fail to win they did, losing 2–1 to a Chelsea side that had had an extra day to recuperate from their Champions League tie against Liverpool in mid-week. Coming off the back of a poor display in Barcelona, United were looking to cement their claim to the Premier League title, which would have been all but won with a win over Chelsea. However, with several players rested with Barcelona on Tuesday in mind, and Nemanja Vidić having to be substituted early on after a knee to the face, the odds never looked in United's favour.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Owen Hargreaves took Vidić's place in defence, with Wes Brown switching from right-back to centre-back. Joe Cole had the first real chance, but could only smash the ball into the woodwork from 18 yards after he regained the ball from a poor clearance. United held out for 45 minutes, but finally went behind on the stroke of half-time to a Michael Ballack header, after the German had lost his marker to find room at the back post. After the break, United came out a new team, taking the game to Chelsea.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
After 57 minutes, United conceded a free kick just inside Chelsea's half, but a poor back pass from Ricardo Carvalho allowed Wayne Rooney to pounce on the ball and place a shot beyond Petr Čech into the corner of the net, his first career goal against Chelsea. However, he appeared to have injured himself during his celebration and was soon substituted, making way for Cristiano Ronaldo. The game went quiet for the last 20 minutes, until a Michael Essien cross was handled by Michael Carrick just inside the United penalty area with four minutes left to play.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot, and Ballack stepped up to convert and give Chelsea the win. United went all out for a much needed equaliser, but the closest they came were two shots blocked on the line by Ashley Cole and Andriy Shevchenko. The result brought Chelsea level on points with United with two games to go, United holding on to top spot by virtue of their +53 goal difference. This now meant that United would have to win both of their remaining games to secure the title, provided that Chelsea did not drop any more points.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
The first of United's last two games was at home to West Ham United at midday on Saturday, 3 May. Needing the win, United got off to a great start, as Ronaldo put them ahead in the third minute with a deflected shot. 20 minutes later, he got his second of the game and 30th league goal of the season. West Ham failed to deal with Owen Hargreaves' left-footed cross, which dropped onto Ronaldo's thigh and bounced over the line.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Former West Ham player Carlos Tevez made it 3–0 in the 26th minute, rifling a 25-yard shot over Robert Green in the Hammers goal. However, Dean Ashton pulled one back for West Ham with an audacious bicycle kick after Wes Brown's clearing header only went straight upwards. Just before half-time, as West Ham were looking to be settling into a rhythm, an altercation between Lucas Neill and Nani resulted in the Portuguese international headbutting the Australian, before going to ground himself, only to find a red card waiting for him when he got back to his feet.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
This left United a man down, with a whole half left to play. Nevertheless, despite the man advantage, West Ham were unable to capitalise, and ended up going 4–1 down in the 59th minute. Michael Carrick picked the ball up in midfield off a poor West Ham clearance, before letting rip from 30 yards. His shot took a large deflection off Lucas Neill, wrong-footing Robert Green, and the ball nestled in the bottom-left corner of the net.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Darren Fletcher also came close to scoring late in the game, after coming on as a substitute, but his shot deflected back off the inside of the post. The match finished 4–1 to United, but Chelsea's win against Newcastle United two days later kept the two teams level on points, meaning that the title race would go to the last day of the season for the first time since 1999.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Manchester United went to Wigan on the final day of the season, knowing that they needed only to equal or better Chelsea's result against Bolton in order to be Premier League champions, due to their superior goal difference. Wayne Rooney was named in the United starting lineup despite concerns over his fitness, while Nemanja Vidić made a return to the side for the first time since his concussion against Chelsea. Wigan started the game with an aggressive mentality, closing down the United players at every opportunity.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Paul Scholes was booked early on for a tackle from behind on Wilson Palacios, but the Latics then had a penalty shout turned down in the 24th minute, when a Jason Koumas shot appeared to deflect off Rio Ferdinand's outstretched upper arm. Wigan's anguish was then compounded when referee Steve Bennett awarded United a penalty for Emmerson Boyce's foul on Wayne Rooney. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty, which he converted, equalling Alan Shearer's record for the most goals in a 38-game season with 31 goals.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
Soon after, Scholes was fortunate not to be sent off when he cynically brought down Wilson Palacios. Steve Bennett chose to keep his cards in his pocket. In the second half, United continued to test the Wigan goal, but goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was up to the task, producing a number of good saves. Paul Scholes was brought down in the box by Titus Bramble early in the half, but the referee was not positioned well enough to be able to give it.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League, April–May
With 25 minutes to go, Alex Ferguson brought on Owen Hargreaves to shore up the defence, and Ryan Giggs, who equalled Bobby Charlton's club appearance record with his 758th appearance in a United shirt. Fittingly, it was Giggs who got United's second goal of the game, slotting the ball past Kirkland after Wayne Rooney played him in with a slide-rule pass. A last-minute equaliser by Bolton against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge ensured that United's championship did not have to be decided by goal difference, and it left the Red Devils as the champions of England for the 17th time, just one short of Liverpool's record of 18 titles.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
The draw for the FA Cup Third Round paired United with Aston Villa for the fourth time in seven years. The match was played at Villa Park on 5 January 2008, United winning 2–0 with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. United were given a home draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the Fourth Round and won the game 3–1. After going a goal down to a Robbie Keane strike, United drew level with Carlos Tevez, before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the other two goals; one a penalty after Michael Dawson was sent off for a deliberate handball.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
The Fifth Round draw was held on 28 January 2008, with United facing the possibility of drawing one of five other Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. As it was, United drew Arsenal, pitting the current top two teams in the Premier League against each other in the only all-Premier League tie of the round. The match was played on 16 February 2008, with United running out as 4–0 winners, the goals coming from Rooney, Darren Fletcher (2), and Nani.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
The draw for the Sixth Round took place on 18 February 2008, and drew United at home against Portsmouth. The tie, which was the only all-Premier League tie of the round, was played on 8 March 2008. United went into the game with the prospect of another Treble still on the cards, and started the match full of confidence. However, when the referee, Martin Atkinson, failed to award the Red Devils a penalty in the seventh minute after Sylvain Distin clearly bodychecked Cristiano Ronaldo, it was clear that it was not to be United's day. United continued to produce the better of the chances in the first half – Portsmouth's best effort was a swerving 25-yarder from Pedro Mendes that tested Van der Sar to the extent that the Dutch keeper injured himself and had to be substituted at half-time.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
United's chances continued to flow thick and fast. Michael Carrick rounded the goalkeeper only to be tackled on the line by Distin, whilst Patrice Evra had a shot turned onto the post by David James before things went from bad to worse for the Manchester side. With 12 minutes to play, Portsmouth counter-attacked down the right hand side, forcing a two-on-two situation. The ball was squared to Milan Baroš, who was felled by Kuszczak in the box. The referee had no hesitation in sending Kuszczak off, despite both Rooney and Anderson having gotten back behind the ball before the foul.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
Nevertheless, referee Atkinson's decision meant that United had no recognised goalkeeper available for the remaining time. Wayne Rooney offered his services, but that would have left United without a recognised centre-forward, so Rio Ferdinand was given the responsibility of attempting to save the penalty. However, although he dived the right way, Ferdinand was unable to get a hand to the ball, and Sulley Muntari gave Portsmouth the lead. United fought hard to get their deserved equaliser, but even Ronaldo's free kick was off-target, and United were knocked out of the FA Cup.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
United played their only League Cup game of the season when they lost 2–0 at home to Coventry City, both goals scored by Michael Mifsud. Two players – Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson – made their first team debuts in the match, while a further six players made their first starts of the season.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
United were drawn into a group with Sporting CP, the previous club of Cristiano Ronaldo and new signing Nani, Dynamo Kyiv, and Roma, who suffered a huge 7–1 loss to the Red Devils in the 2006–07 season. United started their Champions League campaign with a 1–0 win against Sporting, which they followed up with another 1–0 win, this time against Roma. United's winning streak in Europe continued when they won their match against Dynamo Kyiv 4–2 in Ukraine, with goals coming from Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo (2). United sealed their place in the knockout stage with a 4–0 win in the return game against Dynamo Kyiv, with goals from Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Gerard Piqué got his first ever senior goal for the club.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
The team went into the next game against Sporting knowing that a win would secure top spot for them. However, they went 1–0 down after just 21 minutes through an unexpected goal from Abel Ferreira. It took United another 40 minutes to get an equaliser, as Carlos Tevez scored a scrappy goal in the 61st minute. Just when it looked like United were about to settle for a draw, they won a free kick in the 92nd minute. Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo, who lashed the free kick into the far top corner of the net to win the match 2–1.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
That left the final game in the group without consequence, and so Sir Alex took a youthful squad with him to Rome, including six players yet to make their senior debuts for the club. Although none of the six made the starting line-up, it was another of United's youth players, Piqué, who scored the opening goal in the 34th minute. However, the Reds were denied maximum points from the group stage by a 71st-minute goal from Mancini. Nevertheless, the 16 points they did pick up in the six games was the most of any team in the group stage.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The first knockout round draw took place on 21 December, and paired Manchester United with Lyon of France. The last (and only) time United were paired with Lyon was in the group stage of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, in which the away tie finished as a 2–2 draw, while United won the home leg 2–1. The away leg was played on 20 February, and saw Lyon go 1–0 up in the 54th minute, through a Karim Benzema shot that went in off the post. Carlos Tevez rectified the situation in the 87th minute, pulling United level to make sure that the Red Devils were in half-decent shape for the return leg on 4 March.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Manchester United started the second leg brightly, probing the Lyon defence for gaps, but to no avail as Lyon gradually fought their way back into the game, knowing they had to score at least once to qualify for the quarter-finals. However, as half-time approached, Wes Brown made an overlapping run, before delivering a cross that found its way to Anderson on the edge of the area. The Brazilian side-footed the ball goalwards, and the ball broke to Cristiano Ronaldo who fired the ball home from an ever-narrowing angle. However, no more goals were to come, Lyon's Kader Keïta coming the closest as he hit the post in the 74th minute. Nevertheless, United qualified for the quarter-finals, the first leg to be played on either 1 April or 2 April.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the Champions League was held on 14 March 2008. Despite English teams making up half of the numbers in the draw, United were drawn with A.S. Roma. This tie will see the fifth and sixth times that the Red Devils have played against their Italian rivals in the last 12 months; the previous four matches resulted in two wins, a draw and a loss, including United's Champions League record 7–1 win in the 2006–07 quarter-final. The winner of this quarter-final would meet either Schalke or Barcelona in the semi-finals, before facing Arsenal, Liverpool, Fenerbahçe or Chelsea in the final, setting up the prospect of an all-English final.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The first leg of United's quarter-final against Roma was played at the Stadio Olimpico on 1 April 2008. Ryan Giggs started the match on the bench, which meant that Rio Ferdinand was handed the captaincy and Park Ji-sung was given his first Champions League appearance of the season, while Michael Carrick was able to take his position in the midfield three despite having missed the team's training session the day before. The match started fairly evenly, but it was Roma who had the first meaningful attempt on goal, with Christian Panucci heading just over from a corner.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
On the half-hour, United's defence suffered a major setback as Nemanja Vidić fell awkwardly after jumping for a header. His place in central defence was taken by John O'Shea. Nevertheless, with just five minutes of the half remaining, the ball broke to Paul Scholes on the right hand side of the Roma penalty area. With his options limited, he played a ball at head-height into the centre of the penalty area, where Cristiano Ronaldo, who had just run full speed from near the centre circle, was ready to power a header past Roma keeper Doni.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Buoyed by the cushion of the away goal, United started the second half confidently, prising a desperate Roma side apart with crisp passing along the floor. On the hour mark, in response to a header on goal by Mirko Vučinić that brought about a world class save from Edwin van der Sar, Alex Ferguson called for his team to adopt a more conservative formation, bringing on Owen Hargreaves to replace Anderson.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United seemed more comfortable playing in a 4–4–2 formation, and the change paid immediate dividends, as Rooney pounced on Doni's mishandling of Park's header to poke the ball home for 2–0. The Reds continued to threaten, but were forced to defend well to prevent Roma from taking any goals with them to Old Trafford. The match finished 2–0, putting United in a comfortable position going into the second leg on 9 April.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United went into the second leg with a couple of injury concerns in the centre of their defence. Nemanja Vidić was still carrying an injury from the first leg, while Rio Ferdinand had a suspected foot injury that he picked up in the Reds' match against Middlesbrough at the weekend. Nevertheless, Ferdinand was deemed to be fit enough to start the match, and lined up alongside Gerard Piqué in the centre of defence.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Mikaël Silvestre also found a place in the starting lineup, making his first start for nearly seven months, following a knee ligament injury, and Gary Neville also made a return to the first team squad, being selected on the bench. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were left on the bench, as Alex Ferguson obviously had an eye on the following weekend's match against Arsenal. Manchester United started the match brightly, creating numerous opportunities in the first few minutes.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
However, on the half-hour, the referee Tom Henning Øvrebø awarded the visiting side a penalty for a trip on Mancini by Wes Brown, which Daniele De Rossi stepped up to take. Live action replays however showed no contact between Brown and Mancini. The Italian midfielder blazed the ball over the crossbar, wasting what would end up being Roma's best chance of getting back into the tie.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Roma started the second half strongly, creating a couple of chances in the first 15 minutes of the second half, including a Rodrigo Taddei effort that forced a last-ditch block from Mikaël Silvestre. Still, United weathered the early storm and, with 20 minutes of the match to go, put the tie beyond reasonable doubt through Carlos Tevez. The Argentinian powered past a pair of Roma defenders, before playing the ball to Owen Hargreaves on the right wing. Tevez continued his run into the box, before finishing with a glancing header off Hargreaves' inch-perfect cross.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The day was made complete in the 81st minute, when Alex Ferguson brought Anderson off to be replaced by Gary Neville, who immediately took over the captaincy, albeit in central midfield, rather than his preferred right-back slot. Neville's every touch was greeted with cheers from the United fans, who had had to wait 13 months for their captain to take to the field again after a succession of injuries.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Park Ji-sung had an effort saved late on, but the match was concluded soon after, and United could now look forward to their semi-final first leg away to Barcelona on 23 April. Barcelona were the only team other than United to remain unbeaten in the Champions League up to the semi-finals this season. The win over Roma was the 11th consecutive home victory in the Champions League for United, setting a new record for the competition.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Both teams went into the semi-final first leg with identical records in this season's Champions League, each having won eight games and drawn two, while scoring 18 goals and conceding five. United were awarded a penalty three minutes into the game, after Gabriel Milito handled Cristiano Ronaldo's header from a corner. Ronaldo himself stepped up to take the kick, but, despite sending Víctor Valdés the wrong way, smacked his shot against the post. The missed penalty seemed to give Barcelona the extra impetus they needed, and they began to take control of the game.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Just before the half-hour, Ronaldo made a break into the Barça penalty area, only to be bodychecked by Rafael Márquez, who made no attempt to get to the ball. Rightfully expecting another penalty to be awarded, the look of dismay on Ronaldo's face was justified when he saw referee Massimo Busacca wave play on. Márquez fouled Ronaldo again just before half time, this time about 25 yards from goal.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Márquez was shown a yellow card for his trouble, which meant he was ineligible for the second leg on 29 April, but Ronaldo saw his resulting free kick go just a yard wide of the far post. A number of saves from Van der Sar and a Michael Carrick block kept Barcelona at bay, while Carrick himself came close to scoring at the other end, rippling the side-netting after making space for himself on the left side of the penalty area. The match finished as a scoreless draw, with Barcelona having had the better of the possession, but with the second leg being played at Old Trafford, United had every reason to be confident.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
During the second leg, Old Trafford hosted a very emotive night in which the home crowd vociferously supported United as they worked to achieve a place in the final. Following a shaky start (including Paul Scholes fouling Lionel Messi on the very edge of the penalty area within the first 45 seconds), United took the lead courtesy of an outstanding goal by Paul Scholes in the 14th minute. Despite surrendering huge swathes of possession to Barcelona, United nearly extended their lead shortly before half time, Nani heading wide from a good cross from Park Ji-sung.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The second half of the match saw a challenging Barcelona that simply failed to get a vital away goal, mostly thanks to a very good defensive work by the Red Devils, the game ending 1–0. The win increased the number of consecutive home wins in the Champions League to a record 12, the previous record having stood at 10, and qualified United for their third European Cup final. With Chelsea beating Liverpool in the other semi-final, it set up the European Cup's first ever all-English final, to be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 21 May 2008.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United had the run of the play in the first half of the final, dominating Chelsea in terms of possession, and took the lead in the 26th minute through a Cristiano Ronaldo header off a Wes Brown cross. However, in the last minute of the first half, a ball into the United box was deflected to Frank Lampard, who capitalised on a slip by Van der Sar to equalise for the Londoners. The second half was much more even, but no further goals were scored and the match went to extra time.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Midway through the second half of extra time, a large incident involving Carlos Tevez and John Terry kicked off. In the ensuing melée, the referee spotted a slap on Nemanja Vidić by Didier Drogba, and had no hesitation in sending the Ivorian international off. Despite the man advantage, United were unable to find a winner and the match went to penalties. Both teams converted their first two penalties, but then the most unlikely of players missed his – Cristiano Ronaldo, who stepped up with his usual self-confidence, could only stare on as Petr Čech saved his shot.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Just when the match looked lost, John Terry stepped up for the Blues, only for his standing foot to give way as he struck his shot and the ball hit the post. This took the match to sudden death penalties, though only two further rounds were required. Ryan Giggs scored United's seventh penalty, meaning that Nicolas Anelka had to score in order to keep Chelsea in the game. His shot, however, was poorly struck, and at the perfect height for United's Dutch goalkeeper to save, granting United their third European Cup title.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's first departure of the 2007–08 season was Kieran Richardson, who signed for Sunderland on 16 July for an undisclosed fee. Fifteen days later, Giuseppe Rossi also left the club, signing for Villarreal. On 3 August, Alan Smith departed for Newcastle United, and almost three weeks later, Gabriel Heinze left for Real Madrid. Five days later, club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær retired at the age of 34.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
Coming in during the summer transfer window were Owen Hargreaves, who left Bayern Munich on 1 July. The following day, Anderson and Nani signed for a combined £30 million. On the same day that Anderson and Nani arrived, Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak came in from West Bromwich Albion, having already spent the previous season with Manchester United on loan.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
During the winter transfer window, Adam Eckersley, Ryan Shawcross, and Phil Bardsley departed, while in May, Kieran Lee and Gerard Piqué left the club.


2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's winter arrivals were Angolan forward Manucho and Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Possebon. Italian youngster Davide Petrucci arrived in June from Roma.


2007–08 Mansfield Town F.C. season
During the 2007–08 English football season, Mansfield Town Football Club competed in Football League Two where they finished in 23rd position with 42 points and were relegated to the Conference Premier.


2007–08 Marist Red Foxes women's basketball team
The 2007–08 Marist Red Foxes women's basketball team represented Marist College during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Red Foxes, led by sixth year head coach Brian Giorgis, play their home games at the McCann Center and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season ranked No. 22 and went 32–3, 18–0 in MAAC play to finish in first place to win the MAAC regular season title for the fifth consecutive time.


2007–08 Marist Red Foxes women's basketball team
In the MAAC Women's Basketball Tournament, they defeated #8 seed Canisius in the quarterfinals, #5 seed Saint Peter's in the semifinals, and #2 seed Iona in the championship game to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Tournament. It was their third consecutive MAAC Tournament championship. As a #7 seed, they defeated #10 seed DePaul 76–57 in the First Round before falling to #2 seed and No. 6 LSU 49–68 in the Second Round.


2007–08 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team represented Marquette University in the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Eagles, led by ninth-year head coach Tom Crean, played their home games at the Bradley Center as members of the Big East Conference. They beat Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, then lost to Stanford.


2007–08 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in the 2007–08 college basketball season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team was led by 19th-year head coach Gary Williams. Maryland finished with a 19–15 record, and did not qualify for the NCAA tournament. The Terrapins were eliminated in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.


2007–08 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.


2007–08 Meistriliiga (ice hockey) season
The 2007–08 Meistriliiga season was the 18th season of the Meistriliiga, the top level of ice hockey in Estonia. Six teams participated in the league, and Tartu Välk 494 won the championship.


2007–08 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
Looking to capitalise on their successful 2006–07 campaign, Melbourne made some strong off-season signings including Costa Rican international Carlos Hernández to cover the hole left by the departure of Fred to MLS club D.C. United. Again with the league's largest crowds and a record membership of over 20,000, Melbourne were undefeated after 7 rounds but the season slipped away with some poor home performances and a mounting injury list. A late season rally gave Melbourne a hope of making the finals up to the second last round but they finished 5th, 4 points out of the finals.


2007–08 Melbourne Victory FC season, Players, First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season
The 2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season was their 13th season in the National Basketball Association and seventh in Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies failed to qualify for the Playoffs for the second straight season. They finished 14th in the Western Conference with an awful record of 22-60, being only marginally better than the 20-62 Seattle SuperSonics.


2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season
In February, Pau Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for his younger brother, Marc who would play the following season.


2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season, Transactions
On July 27, the Memphis Grizzlies signed unrestricted free agent Darko Miličić. This is the third team Darko has played for in the past 4 years.


2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season, Transactions
The Grizzlies biggest transaction this season has been trading their All Star center, Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade gave the Lakers some strength in the front court and gave the Grizzlies some draft picks and prospects and it opened up room in their Salary Cap


2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season, Transactions, Trades
On February 1, 2008, the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, traded away their All-Star center Pau Gasol and a future second round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers, for center Kwame Brown, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton, Aaron Mckie, the draft rights to Pau's brother, Marc Gasol, along with two future first round draft picks. It's been the first time ever in league history that a player has been traded for their brother.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2007–08 college basketball season, the 87th season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by eighth-year head coach John Calipari, and they played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was the most successful in Tigers' history reaching the NCAA Championship game for the second time and setting numerous school records. It is also one of the most successful in college basketball history, setting the record for most wins in a season at 38–2.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
However, all wins were vacated in 2009 after an investigation into the eligibility of Derrick Rose and the Tigers officially finished the season 0–1.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team, Season summary, Non-conference play
The Tigers began the season ranked No. 3 as a result of a strong recruiting class led by Derrick Rose and returning veteran stars Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey. To start non-conference play, the Tigers defeated powerhouses Oklahoma and Connecticut in the 2K College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. On the same court in the Jimmy V Classic, they won an overtime thriller over USC led by O. J. Mayo. On December 22, they defeated No. 5 Georgetown by 14 and No. 17 Arizona the next week. On January 21, the undefeated Tigers were ranked No. 1 by both major polls after a loss by number-one North Carolina. The Tigers started the season 26–0, the best start to a season in Memphis history.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team, Season summary, Conference play
Entering conference play, the Tigers were predicted to match the previous years undefeated run in the conference. Memphis started the season 26–0, the best in history. However, the record start was tested in a mid-season, non-conference bout against in-state rival No. 2 Tennessee. In a highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup covered by ESPN Gameday, the Volunteers beat the top-ranked Tigers at home 62–66. The Tigers finished Conference USA play undefeated for the second straight year, and won the conference tournament for the third straight year. Memphis finished the season with a 38-1 record and became the Conference USA regular season champions.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
In the NCAA Tournament Memphis received the No. 1 seed in the South. \In opening rounds in Little Rock, they defeated No. 16-seeded Texas–Arlington and 8-seed Mississippi State. They moved on to regionals in Houston where they defeated No. 5 seed Michigan State. In the regional final, they knocked off a No. 2-seeded Texas team playing near to its home in Austin. In the Final Four, Memphis beat UCLA and proceeded to the national championship game. The Tigers fell in overtime to Kansas, 68–75 after a game-tying three-pointer at the regulation buzzer by Kansas star Mario Chalmers.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
Chris Douglas-Roberts was named a first-team All-American, and prospective number-one draft pick Derrick Rose was named to the third team. The Tigers finished the season 38–2 (16–0), as Conference USA regular season and tournament champions. The 38 wins broke a record shared by the 1986 Duke Blue Devils, 1987 UNLV Runnin' Rebels, and 2005 Illinois Fighting Illini for the most wins in NCAA Division I history. It would be matched later by the 2012 and 2015 Kentucky Wildcats.


2007–08 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA investigation
The NCAA determined in 2009 that Derrick Rose had forfeited his eligibility because the Educational Testing Service voided Rose's SAT Reasoning Test score that made him eligible to play at Memphis. Additionally, the NCAA determined that even without the questions about Rose's SAT score, Rose would have lost his eligibility in December 2007 due to his brother being allowed to travel with the team for free. All 38 wins and one NCAA tournament loss were subsequently vacated by the NCAA for rules violations, leaving the team with an official record of 0–1. The NCAA also made Memphis remove banners commemorating the 2008 season. This included a banner commemorating three seniors who finished the season with the most wins by any player in NCAA history with 137 from 2005 to 2009. Memphis also forfeited all NCAA tournament revenues.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals
The 2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals took place in Vantaa, Finland, from 9 to 13 January 2008. Allmänna Idrottsklubben Innebandyförening, better known simply as AIK, won the EuroFloorball Cup for the second year in a row after narrowly defeating Warberg IC 2–1 in sudden victory overtime.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals
The 2007–08 EuroFloorball Cup marked the first year in which the new name for the tournament was used (previously known as the European Cup). The tournament also marked its 15th year, which was a huge achievement for the International Floorball Federation.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals
In addition to that, AIK's EuroFloorball Cup victory was the 13th for a Swedish floorball club, and 3rd in a row.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualification format
Since the top 4 nations at the 2006–07 EuroFloorball Cup were from Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, the top team in that country automatically advances straight into the final round. In addition to that, the reigning champions receive automatic qualification into the final round as well. 5 teams in total receive automatic qualification.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualification format
Since 5 of the 8 spots are filled, the other 3 need to be decided using regional qualification. In Group C, the runners-up to the top team in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic play for a spot in the finals. In the 2007–08 EuroFloorball Cup, both the top team in Sweden and the runners-up automatically qualified for the tournament, and therefore Group C consisted of 3 teams instead of 4. In Groups A and B, the teams are split into regions: West Europe and East Europe. The winning team in each group advances to the finals, making the total number of teams eight.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualification format, Qualifying venues
Group A qualifications for Western Europe took place in Bærum, Norway, from 29 August to 2 September 2007. Group B qualifications for Eastern Europe took place in Ciampino, Italy, from 5 to 9 September 2007. Group C qualifications took place in Liberec, Czech Republic, from 7 to 9 September 2007.


2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying
The 2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Qualifying rounds took place over 29 August – 9 September 2007 in three different host nations. The winner of each group advanced to the 2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, where they had a chance to win the EuroFloorball Cup for 2007–08. A total of 15 teams played in the qualifying round, all from different countries.