Flashback: The last time Aston Villa beat Manchester United in the league at Villa Park The victory over Ferguson's burgeoning team gave no hint of what was to follow for either team, however, and Little admitted this week he could not believe Villa's wait for a win was so prolonged. "It's a heck of a long time and I didn't realise until you told me," he said. It's not a great stat to have for a team but obviously it will end at some stage. Is it a good time to play them? I'd always be wary of Manchester United and they appear more comfortable on the road. But I do remember that day and to beat United 3-0 in one half is something you don't get to do very often. I remember Alan Hansen's comment at the end grabbing some attention but I'd be lying if at the end of the game I thought they wouldn't win the league. In the second half they were the better side and we were actually thinking we'd done well to get something out of it at the end. While United did respond in the second period, in the first half they were dominated by a rampant and reconstructed team who clicked straight away. Little had opted for a three-man defence, comprising Paul McGrath, Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu, but it was his effervescent attacking players who left United stunned. Dwight Yorke was emerging as one of the Premier League's most feared forwards and together with summer signing Savo Milosevic, United's defence were subjected to constant pressure in a chastening 45 minutes. Ian Taylor, a hero of the Holte End and a regular spectator of his beloved club home and away to this day, gave them a 14th-minute lead after turning in Gary Charles's cross. Taylor said: "For me personally to score the first goal in a new season at Villa Park in front of my friends and family was a dream. It cements your place in Villa folklore. I had only arrived that January so I was still fairly new to it all. To get United on the first day at home was ideal. It was made for getting the fans onside and we were up for it. What made it all the more impressive was that we had a new team. There was a lot of optimism. That optimism only increased in front of a capacity crowd when Yorke and Milosevic combined to tee up Mark Draper for the second on 26 minutes. United were struggling, with a third goal coming nine minutes before the break. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel fouled Milosevic in the area and Yorke converted the penalty. Yorke went on to score 16 more goals that season and insists Little was hugely influential in his rise that subsequently earned him a move to United in 1998. "My career skyrocketed to another level under Brian," he said. Brian came in, saw something in me and gave me the impetus to go and play well. He made it known to everyone that I was his main man. "He said: "That No 10 shirt is yours, go and play and express yourself." He told me I had everything as a player that he was looking for. I was confident anyway but that gave me the belief to show a good level of consistency in my game week after week. I knew I was going to play every week. I went to another level. Ferguson probably peeled the paint off the visitors" dressing room walls at half-time and made a number of tactical changes, including reverting to a straight back four. United dominated the second half, but they had only David Beckham's impressive strike eight minutes from time to show for their improved performance. Hours later, Hansen wrote them off on Match of the Day with the statement that haunts him to this day. "That line pretty much made me, simply because I got it so dramatically wrong!" he said. But despite being so dramatically wrong, if United hadn't won the double that year, you could still say that line now. The United souvenir shop printed the quote on a T-shirt and they sent me a couple, which was great. You can go a while without people mentioning it, but it is never far away. Despite their stumbling start, United went on to win the double that season but Villa were not far behind. Little argues it was only their participation in the two cups that cost his squad a dart at the title. He said: "It was a tremendous season and a great recovery after the troubles we'd had in the previous season when we only stayed up on the final day. We made a lot of changes to the squad in the summer and a few of the older lads had left. We were in contention up until March but even if we finished fourth, beating Leeds in the League Cup final was a very memorable afternoon.