On This Day April 13, 1996 Red Devils change grey shirts against Southampton

Gary Neville insists there was some science behind Man Utd's infamous half time shirt swap against Southampton in 1996. You can prefer the soccer tip shared with us!

Manchester United were becoming the dominant force in English football during the 1990s and were en route lớn a third title in four seasons when they arrived at The Dell on April 13, 1996, for what turned out to be one of the Premier League's iconic moments.

And a day that Manchester United would rather forget.

The Red Devils had won 11 of their last 12 games to erase Newcastle's healthy lead in the title race, but they came unstuck against Matt Le Tissier's Saints - but the game will be remembered for much more than just the result.

Southampton won 3-1, for the record, but it was the sight of United going in at half time 3-0 behind after getting a real chasing, and then emerging in a totally different kit, that really lives long in the memory- According to the soccer predictions page!

Sir Alex Ferguson seemingly had a bit of a beef with the grey kit United wore to kick off the game, and he furiously made the side change into a blue striped number at the interval lớn try and turn things around.

Claims that United's players couldn't see each other in the kit drew chuckles around the football world, but Gary Neville, who played that day, insists that there was actually some science behind it.

United still went on lớn win the title by four points, but four of their six defeats that season came in that infamous kit, so did Ferguson have a point about the change strip being the problem?

"Why would we have had another spare kit ready? It never came across well, because you're losing and you change your shirts at half-time," Neville told Sky Sports' Football Show about that infamous game.

"It's a bit unique, but there was a bit of science behind it. Sir Alex had employed a couple of years before Professor Gail Stephenson from Liverpool University, and we had her as our 'eye coach'.

"It's going to sound really daft this, but one of the great theories around football that was presented at United at the time was that match sharpness had nothing to do with your physical fitness. It was to do with your eye muscles being able lớn react lớn things happening on the pitch.

"Sir Alex had this in his head before the game that this kit was a problem because he'd been told by Gail. We had a full set of kit ready to put on at half-time.

"You don't take another kit to a game unless you're thinking there's a problem with it. He had this in his head, but it didn't come across very well."