Federico Macheda did not know when he was going to make his Manchester United debut. If he had, he probably would not have pictured it unfolding as perfectly as it did.

Macheda's name is etched into Manchester United folklore. A dream debut did not evolve into sustained success, but football is ultimately a game of moments. Macheda's moment was memorable in the extreme.

Manchester United were in the midst of a tense title race with Liverpool during the 2008/09 campaign. Though the fierce rivals had dominated different eras of English football, they had rarely competed directly for the crown. The season offered a rare opportunity for Liverpool to dethrone Manchester United at the summit of the Premier League.

As spring arrived, Ferguson's side had started to wobble in the title race. Liverpool had blown the race wide open with a 4-1 thumping of their title rivals at Old Trafford, before a second successive defeat for the league leaders, this time at Fulham, saw further anxiety creep in.

Aston Villa arrived in Manchester after the international break, but the pause in club football had not ironed out the nerves in Ferguson's side. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for the hosts, but Villa hit back. John Carew levelled for the visitors, before Gabriel Agbonlahor scored a second.

The tension was palpable.

United were without Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Paul Scholes, who were all suspended. Neither Dimitar Berbatov nor Rio Ferdinand were fit enough to feature. Furthermore, Carlos Tevez's effectiveness was potentially reduced by a late return from international action in Bolivia, where Argentina had been thrashed 6-1 at altitude.

Liverpool's last-gasp win at Fulham a day earlier had taken them top, and while United retained a game in hand regardless of the result, momentum was moving towards Merseyside.

Ferguson was short of options, though the Scot was never afraid to roll the dice. Now, was Macheda's time. The 17-year-old had arrived from Lazio 18 months earlier, and a flurry of goals in the reserves had earned him promotion from the bench. Introduced just after the hour, his impact was unforgettable.

Ronaldo's second goal had set up a grandstand finish, as United poured forward in search of a winner. Their siege spectacularly ended deep into stoppage time, as an unknown teenager transformed the narrative.

Ferguson had urged Macheda to play his normal game, and it was one not lacking in confidence. Ryan Giggs' pass found the forward, whose brilliant turn left Luke Young trailing. His second touch wrapped a finish past Brad Friedel as Old Trafford erupted.

"Machedaaaa!" Martin Tyler screeched on commentary. The rasp of his voice telling the tale.

United had won it, courtesy of the unlikeliest of heroes. Some inside the ground had not heard of Macheda before his introduction. Few would forget his name now.

Macheda's moment was arguably one of the defining moments of the title race. The Italian scored another winner at Sunderland a week later, as Manchester United regained their position at the summit and settled their nerves across the run-in. Ferguson's side were eventually crowned Premier League champions by a four-point margin, with Macheda's interventions proving invaluable during a crucial period of the campaign.

It proved to be a false dawn for a long-lasting career in a red shirt. Macheda never established himself as a regular at Old Trafford, despite his remarkable introduction to senior football. His career took in numerous Football League loans, before stints in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

Macheda never became the player his dream debut had promised, but one magical moment was enough to cement his place in Manchester United folklore.