Ferguson's 26-year reign stretches beyond those of all coaches in the history of the NBA or NHL. In baseball and the NFL, meanwhile, only four men have stuck around a single team longer: The Philadelphia Athletics' Connie Mack, the New York (baseball) Giants' John McGraw, the Dallas Cowboys' Tom Landry, and the Green Bay Packers' Curly Lambeau.
United piled on the pressure in the early stages but Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici kept them at bay with smart saves from Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young.
"He has earned the respect of our players, having played against us when he was in Green Bay and against us when he was in Philadelphia, " coach Tom Coughlin said.