Manchester United opened their Premier League campaign with an away game against
Chelsea on 15 August 2004. United lost 1–0 through an
Eiður Guðjohnsen goal in the 14th minute. The Icelandic striker took advantage of a weak challenge by United goalkeeper
Tim Howard to scramble home the winner after 14 minutes. It was harsh on Alex Ferguson's depleted side, who enjoyed the majority of possession but could not cash in. Summer signing Alan Smith headed wide from a good chance and
Ryan Giggs missed a similar opportunity with 10 minutes left as Chelsea hung on. This result left United hanging just above the relegation zone in 17th place. United got their first win of the season with a 2–1 win against
Norwich City at Old Trafford. Alan Smith scored the winner in the 49th minute on his home debut for the Red Devils with a volley that added to
David Bellion's close-range finish in the 32nd minute that was set up by Smith. Norwich substitute
Paul McVeigh pulled a goal back late on when he shot home from 18 yards out but United held on. After a 1–1 draw against
Blackburn Rovers, which saw Smith score a last-minute equaliser, United's next game was a home game against
Everton. United hit the post three times in the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit the upright with a fizzing drive, as did Smith with a similar effort, and Paul Scholes also saw a shot come back off the post. But United were lucky not to concede a penalty when Mikaël Silvestre blatantly used his arm to clear the ball from a lurking
Duncan Ferguson. In the first half,
Louis Saha missed a great chance when he headed wide. It was the only clear-cut opportunity of the opening 45 minutes, with United lacking the cohesion to break down an Everton side content to sit deep and defend. A third successive draw occurred for United, as they drew 2–2 with
Bolton Wanderers at the
Reebok Stadium. United got an equaliser in injury time through David Bellion, with the ball appearing to come off his arm. Before Bellion's dramatic equaliser, United seemed set to lose after a mix-up between Tim Howard and Mikaël Silvestre allowed
Les Ferdinand to net. Ferdinand's goal came after
Kevin Nolan had equalised for Bolton, heading home after his initial shot was blocked.
Gabriel Heinze gave United a first-half lead on his debut, but it was not the perfect start he may have expected. This result left United in 11th place. On 20 September, United moved up three places in the FA Premier League table to 8th after a 2–1 home win against their rivals,
Liverpool. After Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post early on, Mikaël Silvestre gave United the lead, ghosting in at the far post to head home Ryan Giggs' free kick. Liverpool drew level soon after the break when
Steve Finnan's header was inadvertently turned in by fellow Irishman
John O'Shea. But another header from Silvestre secured three points for United, as the Frenchman powered a header past
Jerzy Dudek to complete his brace and give United the win. Five days later, United travelled to
White Hart Lane to face
Tottenham Hotspur.
Ruud van Nistelrooy's penalty three minutes before the interval ensured the Red Devils won consecutive FA Premier League matches for the first time in the 2004–05 season, went up to fifth in the table, and ended Spurs' unbeaten run. Van Nistelrooy, who had a goal ruled out for offside, converted after
Erik Edman had fouled John O'Shea.
Robbie Keane made a superb block to deny Mikaël Silvestre, and
Paul Robinson saved a David Bellion header as United pushed for a second. After a 1–1 home draw with
Middlesbrough, United went up to fourth place in the Premier League table, the first time they had been in the top four in the 2004–05 season. But United went down two places to 6th after a 0–0 draw away to
Birmingham City.
Steve Bruce's side had chances to win, with United goalkeeper
Roy Carroll denying
Emile Heskey with his legs either side of the interval. United, with
Wayne Rooney on the bench, rarely troubled Birmingham, but Van Nistelrooy missed the game's best opportunity after 36 minutes. He side-footed straight at goalkeeper
Maik Taylor from only six yards as he raced on to
Quinton Fortune's cross. United's next game was a home game against Arsenal. United won 2–0. The match, played on 24 October 2004, is known as the
Battle of the Buffet, and it ended Arsenal 49-match unbeaten run. Van Nistelrooy got the opener when he stroked in a contentious penalty after
Sol Campbell's challenge on Wayne Rooney.
Dennis Bergkamp and
Thierry Henry had Arsenal's best chances but they were denied by good saves from United keeper Roy Carroll. Rooney slotted in from six yards to complete victory on his 19th birthday. The win helped United reduce the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to eight points. It also helped Van Nistelrooy avenge the taunts from Arsenal players after he missed a last-minute spot-kick in the corresponding fixture last season. United went up to 5th with this win. United travelled to
Fratton Park to face
Portsmouth in their next game. It was a shock 2–0 win for Pompey. United paid the price for failing to convert any of their many chances. United had laid siege to the home side's goal early on but Pompey survived and hit back after the break.
David Unsworth put them ahead from the spot after
Rio Ferdinand tugged back
Ricardo Fuller in the area. Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post with a header as United piled on the pressure but
Yakubu finished them off when his shot deflected in off Mikaël Silvestre. It was Pompey's second successive Premier League victory over United at Fratton Park - but it looked unlikely in the early stages. Manchester United played at home to their rivals
Manchester City on 7 November 2004. The game ended 0–0. United were shut out for the second successive Premier League game by a resolute and determined City side, who offered little of an attacking threat. City survived some erratic handling from
David James, while Louis Saha spurned United's best chance, heading wide from six yards. United's Alan Smith was sent off for a second bookable offence. United travelled to
St James' Park to face
Newcastle United in their next FA Premier League game.
Alan Shearer and
Patrick Kluivert went close for Newcastle before Wayne Rooney volleyed home
Darren Fletcher's cross. Shearer eventually levelled the scores with a superb individual goal after dispossessing
Wes Brown. But Van Nistelrooy scored from the spot after
Shay Given fouled Paul Scholes and then Rooney slotted home from close range to seal victory. The result left United in seventh place, nine points behind Arsenal and eleven behind Chelsea. Following a 2–0 win over
Charlton Athletic, in which veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes scored, United travelled to
The Hawthorns to face
West Bromwich Albion on 27 November. The Baggies began confidently, but were rocked by first-half injuries to
Darren Moore and
Cosmin Contra, forcing
Bryan Robson into a double change. United broke through on 53 minutes when Scholes latched onto Giggs' back-heel and lashed home a fierce shot. Van Nistelrooy's close-range header made it 2-0, before Scholes nodded in a third. A week after the win at The Hawthorns, United welcomed
Southampton to Old Trafford. United laboured to break down a stubborn Southampton defence in a goalless first half. But Paul Scholes ended the resistance by heading home from close range early in the second half. Wayne Rooney then finished emphatically from Ryan Giggs' pass before Cristiano Ronaldo volleyed the third. With the win over the Saints, United got a fourth consecutive victory in the FA Premier League. After a 1–1 draw against
Fulham, next up against United were
Crystal Palace, who travelled to Old Trafford to face United on 18 December 2004. Wayne Rooney missed a penalty for United but Paul Scholes fired in an angled shot to put them ahead.
Danny Granville poked in an effort to equalise before United's Alan Smith and rival
Joonas Kolkka traded headers to leave the match poised at 2-2. But
Emmerson Boyce's own goal, a skilful Scholes strike and John O'Shea's shot rounded off the win. United faced Bolton Wanderers at home in their next game, played on
Boxing Day. United won 2–0. Ryan Giggs scored after just 10 minutes showing exemplary technique to steer the ball into the corner of the net. United struggled to build on the platform of their early goal, Paul Scholes making the game safe with a low shot. If Bolton were able to disrupt United's attacking rhythm for long periods, they proved less successful in troubling Roy Carroll, who had to make just one save. Manchester United ended 2004 with a 1–0 away win over
Aston Villa on 28 December. Ryan Giggs' left-foot strike in the 41st minute was enough to separate the teams after an entertaining encounter. Giggs had already forced a great save from
Thomas Sørensen before his goal, although at the other end,
Lee Hendrie and
Liam Ridgewell saw shots saved. Villa pressed after the break and
Gareth Barry came close, but Alan Smith hit the bar in the final minute. United opened 2005 with a 2–0 away win over Middlesbrough on New Year's Day. Darren Fletcher slid the ball in after nine minutes when
Mark Schwarzer was only able to parry a cross from Ryan Giggs. Before the goal, Cristiano Ronaldo had drawn an instinctive save from the Boro keeper as well as hitting the woodwork. Giggs wrapped up the points late on when he pounced on
Eric Djemba-Djemba's pass and got in front of Gareth Southgate before poking the ball past Schwarzer. On 4 January, United hosted Tottenham Hotspur in a goalless draw. Minutes before the final whistle, Spurs should have taken the lead after
Pedro Mendes' effort from the halfway line was spilled into the goal by an out-of-position Roy Carroll. He pushed the ball out, but only after it had crossed the line; however, the officials were unable to tell whether a goal had been scored and allowed play to continue. United almost won in the dying seconds as a Gabriel Heinze free-kick was saved by Paul Robinson. Earlier, Spurs'
Noé Pamarot almost gifted United a goal, sending an attempted clearance against the post. Eleven days after the match with Spurs, Manchester United travelled to
Anfield to face their rivals Liverpool. United won 1–0, thanks to Wayne Rooney's 21st-minute goal. Jerzy Dudek allowed Rooney's tame 25-yard shot to slide in to gift the former Everton striker a goal in front of The Kop. United deserved their victory, despite having Wes Brown sent off for two bookable offences after 64 minutes. Roy Keane hit the bar, while
Fernando Morientes had a quiet debut. After a 3–1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, United travelled to
Highbury to face Arsenal on 1 February. United won 4–2.
Patrick Vieira headed Arsenal ahead from a corner before Ryan Giggs levelled with a deflected shot. Dennis Bergkamp restored Arsenal's lead before two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and a John O'Shea chip ended the Gunners' long unbeaten home record. Mikaël Silvestre was sent off in a fiery game - with Vieira and Roy Keane pulled apart beforehand in the tunnel. The win pushed United up to 2nd in the FA Premier League table, their highest position in the 2004–05 season so far. Manchester United stayed second in the Premier League table with a 2–0 home win over Birmingham City. United began promisingly, with Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick saved by Maik Taylor and Ryan Giggs firing wide.
Walter Pandiani struck the bar with a ferocious volley as the visitors threatened, while Ronaldo's mis-hit cross also came back off the upright. United captain Roy Keane took advantage of poor defending to put United ahead (his 50th goal for the Red Devils), before Wayne Rooney coolly chipped in to seal the victory. For their next game, United travelled crosstown to face rivals Manchester City on 13 February. Wayne Rooney met
Gary Neville's cross to the near post with a low shot, which went in via a deflection off
Richard Dunne, to put United ahead. Seven minutes later, the unfortunate Dunne hooked a volley over David James' head and into his own net.
Steve McManaman wasted City's best chance when he shot wide from three yards in the first half. Following a 2–1 home win over Portsmouth, with Wayne Rooney scoring a brace, United travelled to
Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the next game, played on 5 March. The 10-man Eagles held the Red Devils to a goalless draw.
Vasilios Lakis was sent off for two bookable offences after 63 minutes, but a lacklustre United failed to carve out a winner at Selhurst Park. Palace keeper
Gábor Király saved well from Van Nistelrooy either side of the interval, and the Dutchman also wasted two great chances late on. Substitute Rooney was also denied by Király as Palace somehow held on. After a 1–0 home victory over Fulham, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the only goal in the 21st minute, Manchester United hosted Blackburn Rovers on 2 April. The game ended as a 0–0 draw, with United's hopes of catching Premier League leaders Chelsea virtually disappearing in a frustrating stalemate. Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane hit the post in the first half as United dominated. Rooney and Mikaël Silvestre, who had a header cleared off the line by
Morten Gamst Pedersen, also brought fine saves from Blackburn keeper
Brad Friedel. Paul Scholes also missed a glorious chance for United, while Blackburn rarely threatened, with Pedersen heading their best chance wide. On 9 April, Manchester United travelled to
Carrow Road to face Norwich City. The game ended as a 2–0 win for the Canaries. The game almost certainly ended United's slim title hopes, and kept Norwich's Premier League survival hopes alive.
Dean Ashton headed Norwich ahead from
David Bentley's free-kick and crossed for
Leon McKenzie to volley home.
Craig Fleming and
Jason Shackell were outstanding in a Canaries defence that thwarted United's subdued strikeforce. The closest the Red Devils came was when Wayne Rooney saw his injury-time shot tipped over by Norwich keeper
Robert Green. On 20 April, United travelled to
Goodison Park to face Everton. United lost 1–0. Duncan Ferguson, who scored Everton's winner in their last league victory over United in 1995, headed home after 54 minutes to sink United. Alex Ferguson's men ended the game in shame as Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were sent off after the break. Neville saw red for kicking the ball at a spectator and Scholes for two fouls. Four days after the loss at Everton, Manchester United hosted Newcastle United. The Red Devils won 2–1. Newcastle took a surprise first-half lead when
Darren Ambrose pounced on Tim Howard's poor clearance. Wayne Rooney equalised in the 57th minute with a superb volley hit with the outside of his right foot, drawing gasps from the Old Trafford crowd. With time running out, Wes Brown's winner provided another surprise - it was his first goal in 117 league games. The win allowed Manchester United to close the gap on Arsenal to a point, though
Arsène Wenger's side had a game in hand. For their next game, Manchester United travelled to
The Valley to face Charlton Athletic. United won 4–0. Debutant keeper
Stephan Andersen made a wonder save to deny Alan Smith, but the Dane then spilled a Wayne Rooney shot, allowing Paul Scholes to fire home. Scholes set up the second, passing to Darren Fletcher, who side-footed home.
Talal El Karkouri's mistake allowed Smith to add a third, with a Rooney flick sealing a fine win, while late on Charlton's
Chris Perry was sent off. United hosted West Bromwich Albion in their next game, played on 7 May 2005. The game ended 1–1. Ryan Giggs put United ahead with a free-kick after 20 minutes, fired past injured keeper
Russell Hoult. Hoult, who suffered a groin injury, was replaced by
Tomasz Kuszczak, who made a string of outstanding saves. The Baggies levelled after 61 minutes from
Robert Earnshaw's penalty after John O'Shea fouled
Geoff Horsfield. For their next game, United hosted Chelsea. The game was played on 10 May 2005, and United lost 3–1. Van Nistelrooy's superb finish from close-range gave United an early lead, though thereafter the home side struggled to break down Chelsea.
Tiago produced a wonderful equaliser, surprising Roy Carroll with an arcing shot, while his pass set up Eiður Guðjohnsen, who dinked in the second.
Joe Cole added to United's misery, converting a
Frank Lampard cross. The win put Chelsea on 94 points with one match to go of their 38-game season, surpassing Manchester United's record total of 92 in 1993–94, which was a 42-game campaign. On 15 May 2005, United travelled to the South Coast to face Southampton for their final 2004–05 FA Premier League game. United won 2–1, ending Southampton's 27-year stay in the top-flight. Saints had started so well, a
Graeme Le Saux corner bundled in via the thigh of Manchester United defender John O'Shea. But United responded quickly and O'Shea crossed for Darren Fletcher to head in. Van Nistelrooy pounced to nod home an Alan Smith cross to put United ahead and results elsewhere ensured the Saints finished bottom of the division. The game also meant United finished in third for the second season running. ==FA Cup==