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A top-of-the-table clash between Leicester and Manchester United might seem like a once-in-a-lifetime experience but it happened only 15 years ago .

Eight games into the new season, the Sydney Olympics had just finished, All Saints were No.1 and Peter Taylor's Leicester were at the summit of the Premier League , peering down cockily at Sir Alex Ferguson 's United and Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, the league's top two for the previous three years. In his recent retort to John Terry, Robbie Savage forgot to mention he played at such a 'high level' he briefly basked in the giddy and heady heights at the peak of English football.

Leicester were a point ahead of United when The Reds arrived at Filbert Street in October 2000, thanks to Thierry Henry's masterful dink-and-flick at Highbury two weeks earlier. By United's formidable standards, they had experienced a patchy start, dismissing Newcastle, Bradford, Sunderland and Everton, but underperforming at newly-promoted Ipswich and relinquishing two-goal leads to draw with West Ham and Chelsea. The defeat at Arsenal was their second in succession after Ferguson underestimated PSV in Eindhoven and United were on a run of four winless games.

Savage is not renowned for his modesty in retirement and nor was former Leicester striker Alan Birchenall. Clownish comperes are obligatory at stadiums these days, but public announcer Birchenall's mickey-taking got under United's skin.

Taylor and Tim Flowers were presented with the Manager and Player of the Month awards prior to kick-off - an ominous sign for the superstitious who believe in the accolade's curse - and Birchenall was about to be silenced by Ferguson's cocksure champions.

United were as leaky as an unhappy dressing room but they were formidable in front of goal: 26 goals in 12 games. Teddy Sheringham had already hit five - as many as he scored in the Treble Campaign and one shy of his 1999-2000 tally - and had just re-established himself a first-teamer for the first time since his maiden 1997-98 season with United. The man whose place he had taken, Dwight Yorke, was granted a rare start in the absence of the injured Andy Cole.

"No David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole, Paul Scholes, Jaap Stam and Gary Neville. No problem," ESPN's Joe Melling wrote. United started Quinton Fortune and Ronny Johnsen, two men more familiar with the treatment table than a football pitch. Giggs and Scholes were rested at a time when there were two Champions League group stages in a season.

Neville and Beckham were both sidelined but watched on at Filbert Street - from the away end - and witnessed an expert tribute to their crossing prowess.

Denis Irwin, in his penultimate season with United, cut inside on 37 minutes to drift a wonderful ball in which Sheringham helped on its way past goalkeeper Tim Flowers, aided by Yorke's distracting run that flummoxed Matt Elliott.

Leicester attempted a post-interval rally but were undone by a swift United counter-attack. Fortune, mindful he had about as much chance of remaining in the team as Jesse Lingard has if he does not improve his finishing, embarked on a 60-yard dash before laying the ball off to Irwin. A marvellous striker of the ball, the Irishman's shot was parried by Flowers and converted by the predatory Sheringham.

"Teddy Sheringham is in great form and deserved his goals today," Ferguson beamed afterwards. "He's been playing great stuff for us and I think the England recall has helped him."

Leicester were beginning to look like a team with Ade Akinbyi up front, Savage in midfield and Callum Davidson in defence. Taylor introduced Richard Cresswell, Steve Guppy and Frank Sinclair in an effort to engineer a comeback. Ferguson sent on Giggs.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, on right midfield duty, clinically finished Leicester off from a Yorke assist with another 90th minute goal for a 3-0 win.

United did not look back. It was the first of eight successive league wins, a run that coincided with Roy Keane's prawn sandwich tirade, and 21 goals were scored. At the start of December, United were eight points clear.

Ferguson won his seventh title in April and Leicester finished 13th. They were relegated a year later.