Ever since a Division Two triumph in November 1974, Hull City have endured a miserable record against Manchester United.
Indeed, since that 2-0 victory, which was achieved thanks to goals from Ken Wagstaff and Malcolm Lord, the Tigers embarked on a 10-match losing run against the Red Devils that was only ended by a drab 0-0 draw at the end of last season.
There have been some heavy defeats along the way, none more so than when Brian Horton took his second-tiered Hull team to Old Trafford for a League Cup round-three tie 28 years ago today.
Alex Ferguson's hosts went into the contest on the back of a sequence of three games without a run, but their confidence received a boost when centre-back Paul McGrath broke the deadlock before the break.
The visitors went in search of an equalising goal after the restart, but their failure to fire beyond Gary Walsh was duly punished as United ran riot in the closing stages.
Poor defending gifted Peter Davenport his first goal of the campaign when he fired in a low shot, before an unmarked Norman Whiteside stooped to turn in Gordon Strachan's cross from the right flank.
Three became four when Davenport flicked the ball into the path of Strachan, who raced through on goal. All the space looked to be in the far corner of the net, but United's Scottish playmaker squeezed his shot inside the opposite corner.
The final goal - United's fifth of the night - was scored by Brian McClair when the former Celtic and Motherwell forward drove in from the edge of the penalty area.
Soon after the referee called time on Hull's misery, which had been played out in front of just 25,041 people at Old Trafford. It was a crowd that would turn out to be the lowest that witnessed a United home game all season.
The two sides met on Humberside a fortnight later for the second leg, during which another goal from McClair secured a 1-0 win for United and a 6-0 aggregate victory.
Liam Apicella
