Sir Alex Ferguson was denied a winning send-off into retirement as West Bromwich Albion came back from three goals down to snatch a draw in a quite staggering 10-goal thriller yesterday at The Hawthorns.

Only once in Premier League history has more goals been scored in a game, and never have both sides found the net five times.

Maybe it was destiny that, after so many milestones, Ferguson's career should end in a manner that is unlikely to be forgotten either.

Not that the Scot looked hugely impressed as he chomped on his chewing gum, knowing his side could easily have lost when Markus Rosenburg spurned a late chance.

In the end though, not even four minutes of "Fergie Time" could yield a winner as referee Michael Oliver called time on the greatest career English football has ever known.

It was typical of Ferguson that his last team selection should be made with an eye on the future he will be watching unfold from the Old Trafford directors' box.

Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra might have a combined total of 40 Premier League title medals and shared in some of Ferguson's greatest days, but they were all named on the bench. With them was 18-year-old Belgian Adnan Junzaj, the latest youngster to roll off the United production line.

With Wayne Rooney granted an absence due to the impending birth of his second child, Ferguson had been saved a potentially tricky selection dilemma. In Rooney's place the manager chose Javier Hernandez, who chased a long ball down to the corner flag and quickly crossed to Shinji Kagawa, who had no bother in putting the visitors ahead.

On their next attack, United struck again. This time Antonio Valencia found space out wide before drilling a low shot across the six-yard box which the hapless Jonas Olsson turned into his own net.

The start was in keeping with West Brom's lamentable end of season form, and when Alexander Buttner strode on to Tom Cleverley's pass and drove his first goal since September into the bottom corner, plenty of home fans headed for the concourses.

In addition to late goals, the other aspect of United's DNA Ferguson knows only too well is that they always seem to make life difficult for themselves. And so, when James Morrison pulled one back just before the interval and Romelu Lukaku struck immediately afterwards, it was as much in keeping with the Scot's reign as Ferdinand's 87th strike seven days ago against Swansea.

Order was quickly restored though as Valencia crossed for Robin van Persie to set the seal on a second successive Golden Boot title, the difference being that this year, the Dutchman has a team prize to go alongside it. By now the game had seen the introduction of Giggs, for his 941st appearance under Ferguson, and the veteran Welshman quickly crossed for Hernandez to touch home.

Amazingly though, West Brom refused to surrender.

First Lukaku, then Youssouf Mulumbu scored to give the scoreboard as surreal a look as the number of years Ferguson has been manager.

That old competitive instinct resurfaced as the Scot demanded to know how long was left. Not long enough was the answer as Lukaku scored the final goal to take some of the sheen off Ferguson's day.