A West Bromwich Albion victory at Manchester United?

Why not?

Remember when everyone mocked Albion’s chances at Arsenal, when they sneered at their trip to Everton when they chuckled at the prospect of a win against Chelsea last weekend?

The Baggies have even managed to win at Stoke this season for goodness sake.

To put it into perspective, Albion have stamped on hoodoos dating back to 1983 (Arsenal away), 1979 (Everton A, Chelsea H, Villa A), 1981 (Liverpool H), 1982 (Stoke A), 1977 (Newcastle A) and 1985 (Villa H).

So why can’t Albion go and beat Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend?

Their last victory came in THAT 5-3 win back in 1978.

Gareth McAuley is confident the Baggies can cause an upset this Sunday when they make the trek up the M6.

“Can we win? Why not? We will take great confidence from that win against Chelsea and we’re on the crest of a wave so we’ve got to keep going,” said the Albion centre-half, who scored the winner against the Londoners – a result which resulted in Andre Villas-Boas’ dismissal.

“Manchester United is a tough place to go at any time but we’re going there confident and if we stick to the game plan, make it hard for them and do the hard work and the graft, who knows what will happen? We keep on breaking these records this season and that’s another one that we can aim for.”

So where has Albion’s change in fortune come from? Having better players, undoubtedly a better manager and maybe a little of fortune along the way.

McAuley continued: “We’ve not really been doing that much different, we’ve just been getting breaks.

“A lot of the time we weren’t really getting breaks in games at crucial times and it was costing us points throughout the season.

“But we knew if we kept on going things would turn around.

“The big win at Wolves gave the whole place and the whole area a big left and the atmosphere here in the last two games has been fantastic. I know we have to deliver but that atmosphere drives you on and keeps you going when everyone is right behind you.

“It’s a great result on Saturday and hopefully, although it’s a tough ask this week, we can go there and make things difficult for Manchester United.

“Buoyant is probably the word. We’re on the crest of a wave and confidence is high and we just want to keep on that now. It was a great performance from the team and it was nice to get the clean sheet but to get three points against a team like Chelsea was special.”

For McAuley this has been a memorable campaign.

Signed on a free transfer from Ipswich last summer, the centre-half has been excellent.

He said: “I have really enjoyed it. I’ve got good players around me and I’ve got a good partnership going with Jonas Olsson and we want to develop that further.

“I have settled into the club and the area very quickly and that’s always important when you move clubs. It’s a step up but it’s a challenge and one that I have wanted for a long time.

“I didn’t start the season off too well and got sick but I’ve put that behind me.”