The 1957–58 season was Manchester United’s 56th season in the Football League, and their 13th consecutive season in the top division of English football.
The season marked the biggest tragedy in the club’s history as eight players, three club officials and ten other passengers died as a result of their injuries in the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 on their way back from a European Cup quarter-final away to Red Star Belgrade. Centre-half Mark Jones, captain Roger Byrne, full-back Geoff Bent, winger David Pegg, right-half Eddie Colman, inside-right Bill Whelan and centre-forward Tommy Taylor were all killed instantly. Left-half Duncan Edwards was in hospital for two weeks before he too died on 21 February.
Winger Johnny Berry and centre-half Jackie Blanchflower were both injured to such an extent that they never played again, while several of the surviving players were unavailable for a considerable amount of time as they recovered from their injuries.
Manager Matt Busby was badly injured, and his assistant Jimmy Murphy (who was not on that fateful flight) took charge of the first team until the end of the season as Busby recovered from his injuries. Club secretary and former manager Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley were all killed in the crash, which claimed a total of 23 lives.
Despite the decimation of their squad, a makeshift United side still managed to reach the FA Cup final that season, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup. However, their league form suffered after the crash and their title challenge faded as they finished ninth in the final table.
With the United squad decimated by death and injuries in the aftermath of the Munich tragedy, a number of younger players broke through into the first team. These included winger Shay Brennan and forward Mark Pearson. Another notable new member of the side was goalkeeper Harry Gregg, signed in December 1957 a few weeks before the Munich crash, and who was hailed a hero for his rescue efforts in the crash.
United’s top scorer for the season was Dennis Viollet, who found the net 23 times in all competitions and 16 times in the league despite being out of action for some two months as he recovered from injuries sustained in the Munich crash.
Pathé News Footage of Munich Disaster
FA Charity Shield
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 October 1957 | Aston Villa | H | 4 – 0 | T. Taylor (3), Berry | 27,293 |
First Division
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 August 1957 | Leicester City | A | 3 – 0 | Whelan (3) | 40,214 |
| 28 August 1957 | Everton | H | 3 – 0 | T. Taylor, Viollet, own goal | 59,103 |
| 31 August 1957 | Manchester City | H | 4 – 1 | Berry, Edwards, T. Taylor, Viollet | 63,347 |
| 4 September 1957 | Everton | A | 3 – 3 | Berry, Viollet, Whelan | 72,077 |
| 7 September 1957 | Leeds United | H | 5 – 0 | Berry (2), T. Taylor (2), Viollet | 50,842 |
| 9 September 1957 | Blackpool | A | 4 – 1 | Viollet (2), Whelan (2) | 34,181 |
| 14 September 1957 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0 – 4 | 48,003 | |
| 18 September 1957 | Blackpool | H | 1 – 2 | Edwards | 40,763 |
| 21 September 1957 | Arsenal | H | 4 – 2 | Whelan (2), Pegg, T. Taylor | 47,142 |
| 28 September 1957 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1 – 3 | Doherty | 48,825 |
| 5 October 1957 | Aston Villa | H | 4 – 1 | T. Taylor, Pegg, own goal | 43,102 |
| 12 October 1957 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2 – 1 | Viollet, Whelan | 47,654 |
| 19 October 1957 | Portsmouth | H | 0 – 3 | 38,253 | |
| 26 October 1957 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3 – 4 | T. Taylor, Whelan | 52,160 |
| 2 November 1957 | Burnley | H | 1 – 0 | T. Taylor | 49,449 |
| 9 November 1957 | Preston North End | A | 1 – 1 | Whelan | 39,063 |
| 16 November 1957 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2 – 1 | Webster (2) | 40,366 |
| 23 November 1957 | Newcastle United | A | 2 – 1 | Edwards, T. Taylor | 53,890 |
| 30 November 1957 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 3 – 4 | Pegg (2), Whelan | 43,077 |
| 7 December 1957 | Birmingham City | H | 3 – 3 | Viollet (2), T. Taylor | 35,791 |
| 14 December 1957 | Chelsea | H | 0 – 1 | 36,853 | |
| 21 December 1957 | Leicester City | H | 4 – 0 | Viollet (2), Charlton, Scanlon | 41,631 |
| 25 December 1957 | Luton Town | H | 3 – 0 | Charlton, Edwards, T. Taylor | 39,444 |
| 26 December 1957 | Luton Town | A | 2 – 2 | Scanlon, T. Taylor | 26,458 |
| 28 December 1957 | Manchester City | A | 2 – 2 | Charlton, Viollet | 70,483 |
| 11 January 1958 | Leeds United | A | 1 – 1 | Viollet | 39,401 |
| 18 January 1958 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 7 – 2 | Charlton (3), Viollet (2), Edwards, Scanlon | 41,141 |
| 1 February 1958 | Arsenal | A | 5 – 4 | T. Taylor (2), Charlton, Edwards, Viollet | 63,578 |
| 22 February 1958 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1 – 1 | Dawson | 66,124 |
| 8 March 1958 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 0 – 4 | 63,278 | |
| 15 March 1958 | Burnley | A | 0 – 3 | 37,247 | |
| 29 March 1958 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0 – 1 | 35,608 | |
| 31 March 1958 | Aston Villa | A | 2 – 3 | Dawson, Webster | 16,631 |
| 4 April 1958 | Sunderland | H | 2 – 2 | Charlton, Dawson | 47,421 |
| 5 April 1958 | Preston North End | H | 0 – 0 | 47,816 | |
| 7 April 1958 | Sunderland | A | 2 – 1 | Webster (2) | 51,302 |
| 12 April 1958 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0 – 1 | 59,836 | |
| 16 April 1958 | Portsmouth | A | 3 – 3 | Dawson, E. Taylor, Webster | 39,975 |
| 19 April 1958 | Birmingham City | H | 0 – 2 | 38,991 | |
| 21 April 1958 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0 – 4 | 33,267 | |
| 23 April 1958 | Newcastle United | H | 1 – 1 | Dawson | 28,393 |
| 26 April 1958 | Chelsea | A | 1 – 2 | E. Taylor | 45,011 |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Luton Town | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 69 | 63 | 44 |
| 9 | Manchester United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 85 | 75 | 43 |
| 10 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 69 | 63 | 42 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
FA Cup
Man Utd v Sheff Wed blank team sheet, 1958
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January 1958 | Round 3 | Workington | A | 3 – 1 | Viollet | 21,000 |
| 25 January 1958 | Round 4 | Ipswich Town | H | 2 – 0 | Charlton | 53,550 |
| 19 February 1958 | Round 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 3 – 0 | Brennan (2), Dawson | 59,848 |
| 1 March 1958 | Round 6 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2 – 2 | Dawson, E. Taylor | 58,250 |
| 5 March 1958 | Round 6Replay | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1 – 0 | Webster | 60,000 |
| 22 March 1958 | Semi-final | Fulham | N | 2 – 2 | Charlton | 69,745 |
| 26 March 1958 | Semi-finalReplay | Fulham | N | 5 – 3 | Dawson (3), Brennan, Charlton | 38,000 |
| 3 May 1958 | Final | Bolton Wanderers | N | 0 – 2 | 100,000 |
European Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 1957 | Preliminary roundFirst leg | Shamrock Rovers | A | 6 – 0 | T. Taylor (2), Whelan (2), Berry, Pegg | 45,000 |
| 2 October 1957 | Preliminary roundSecond leg | Shamrock Rovers | H | 3 – 2 | Viollet (2), Pegg | 33,754 |
| 20 November 1957 | First roundFirst leg | Dukla Prague | H | 3 – 0 | Pegg, T. Taylor, Webster | 60,000 |
| 4 December 1957 | First roundSecond leg | Dukla Prague | A | 0 – 1 | 35,000 | |
| 14 January 1958 | Quarter-finalFirst leg | Red Star Belgrade | H | 2 – 1 | Charlton, Colman | 60,000 |
| 5 February 1958 | Quarter-finalSecond leg | Red Star Belgrade | A | 3 – 3 | Charlton (2), Viollet | 55,000 |
| 8 May 1958 | Semi-finalFirst leg | Milan | H | 2 – 1 | E. Taylor, Viollet | 44,880 |
| 14 May 1958 | Semi-finalSecond leg | Milan | A | 0 – 4 | 80,000 |
Squad statistics
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | European Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK | David Gaskell | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| GK | Harry Gregg | 19 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| GK | Ray Wood | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| FB | Shay Brennan | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| FB | Roger Byrne | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| FB | Bill Foulkes | 42 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 0 |
| FB | Ian Greaves | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| FB | Bobby Harrop | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| FB | Tommy Heron | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Peter Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | Jackie Blanchflower | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| HB | Eddie Colman | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| HB | Ronnie Cope | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| HB | Stan Crowther | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| HB | Duncan Edwards | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 6 |
| HB | Freddie Goodwin | 16 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| HB | Mark Jones | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| HB | Wilf McGuinness | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| FW | Johnny Berry | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 6 |
| FW | Bobby Charlton | 21 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 16 |
| FW | Alex Dawson | 12 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 10 |
| FW | John Doherty | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | Kenny Morgans | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| FW | Mark Pearson | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| FW | David Pegg | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7 |
| FW | Albert Scanlon | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| FW | Ernie Taylor | 11 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 |
| FW | Tommy Taylor | 25 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 22 |
| FW | Dennis Viollet | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 23 |
| FW | Colin Webster | 20 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 8 |
| FW | Billy Whelan | 20 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 14 |