Manchester United 1967 squad picture
The 1967–68 season was one of the most successful seasons in Manchester United’s history, as the team beat Benfica 4–1 in the final of the 1967–68 European Cup to become the first English team to win the competition. The team was led by manager Matt Busby. Despite the European Cup success, United finished second in the First Division, two points behind local rival Manchester City after losing the last game of the season against Sunderland.
The 1967–68 season was a breakout year for midfielder George Best, who led the team with 28 goals in the First Division and 32 goals overall en route to winning the European Footballer of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards. Four other players scored double-digit goals during the campaign: Bobby Charlton (20), Brian Kidd (17), Denis Law (11), and John Aston, Jr. (10).
FA Charity Shield
On 12 August 1967, United and Tottenham Hotspur kicked off the season, playing for the 1967 FA Charity Shield at Old Trafford. Bobby Charlton scored two goals for United, while Denis Law scored their third. The match finished at 3–3, which meant that the two clubs shared the Shield, each holding it for six months.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 August 1967 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 3 – 3 | Charlton (2), Law | 54,106 |
Football League First Division
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 August 1967 | Everton | A | 1 – 3 | Charlton | 61,452 |
| 23 August 1967 | Leeds United | H | 1 – 0 | Charlton | 53,016 |
| 26 August 1967 | Leicester City | H | 1 – 1 | Foulkes | 51,256 |
| 2 September 1967 | West Ham United | A | 3 – 1 | Kidd, Ryan, Charlton | 36,562 |
| 6 September 1967 | Sunderland | A | 1 – 1 | Kidd | 51,527 |
| 9 September 1967 | Burnley | H | 2 – 2 | Burns, Crerand | 55,809 |
| 16 September 1967 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1 – 1 | Best | 47,274 |
| 23 September 1967 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 3 – 1 | Best (2), Law | 58,779 |
| 30 September 1967 | Manchester City | A | 2 – 1 | Charlton (2) | 62,942 |
| 7 October 1967 | Arsenal | H | 1 – 0 | Aston | 60,197 |
| 14 October 1967 | Sheffield United | A | 3 – 0 | Aston, Kidd, Law | 29,170 |
| 25 October 1967 | Coventry City | H | 4 – 0 | Aston (2), Best, Charlton | 54,253 |
| 28 October 1967 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1 – 3 | Best | 49,946 |
| 4 November 1967 | Stoke City | H | 1 – 0 | Charlton | 51,041 |
| 8 November 1967 | Leeds United | A | 0 – 1 | 43,999 | |
| 11 November 1967 | Liverpool | A | 2 – 0 | Best (2) | 54,515 |
| 18 November 1967 | Southampton | H | 3 – 2 | Aston, Charlton, Kidd | 48,732 |
| 25 November 1967 | Chelsea | A | 1 – 1 | Kidd | 54,712 |
| 2 December 1967 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2 – 1 | Best (2) | 52,568 |
| 9 December 1967 | Newcastle United | A | 2 – 2 | Dunne, Kidd | 48,639 |
| 16 December 1967 | Everton | H | 3 – 1 | Aston, Law, Sadler | 60,736 |
| 23 December 1967 | Leicester City | A | 2 – 2 | Charlton, Law | 40,104 |
| 26 December 1967 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 4 – 0 | Best (2), Charlton, Kidd | 63,450 |
| 30 December 1967 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3 – 2 | Aston, Charlton, Kidd | 53,940 |
| 6 January 1968 | West Ham United | H | 3 – 1 | Aston, Best, Charlton | 54,468 |
| 20 January 1968 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 4 – 2 | Best (2), Charlton, Kidd | 55,254 |
| 3 February 1968 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2 – 1 | Best, Charlton | 57,790 |
| 17 February 1968 | Burnley | A | 1 – 2 | Best | 31,965 |
| 24 February 1968 | Arsenal | H | 2 – 0 | Best (2), | 46,417 |
| 2 March 1968 | Chelsea | H | 1 – 3 | Kidd | 62,978 |
| 16 March 1968 | Coventry City | A | 0 – 2 | 47,110 | |
| 23 March 1968 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3 – 0 | Brennan, Burns, Herd | 61,978 |
| 27 March 1968 | Manchester City | H | 1 – 3 | Best | 63,004 |
| 30 March 1968 | Stoke City | A | 4 – 2 | Aston, Best, Gowling, Ryan | 30,141 |
| 6 April 1968 | Liverpool | H | 1 – 2 | Best | 63,059 |
| 12 April 1968 | Fulham | A | 4 – 0 | Best (2), Kidd, Law | 40,152 |
| 13 April 1968 | Southampton | A | 2 – 2 | Best, Charlton | 30,079 |
| 15 April 1968 | Fulham | H | 3 – 0 | Aston, Best, Charlton | 60,465 |
| 20 April 1968 | Sheffield United | H | 1 – 0 | Law | 55,033 |
| 27 April 1968 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3 – 6 | Law (2), Kidd | 43,412 |
| 4 May 1968 | Newcastle United | H | 6 – 0 | Best (3), Kidd (2), Sadler | 59,976 |
| 11 May 1968 | Sunderland | H | 1 – 2 | Best | 62,963 |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 42 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 86 | 43 | 58 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 89 | 55 | 56 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 71 | 40 | 55 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 January 1968 | Third Round | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2 – 2 | Best, Charlton | 63,500 |
| 31 January 1968 | Third RoundReplay | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0 – 1 | 57,200 |
European Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 September 1967 | First RoundFirst leg | Hibernians | H | 4 – 0 | Law (2), Sadler (2) | 43,912 |
| 27 September 1967 | First RoundSecond leg | Hibernians | A | 0 – 0 | 25,000 | |
| 15 November 1967 | Second RoundFirst leg | FK Sarajevo | A | 0 – 0 | 45,000 | |
| 29 November 1967 | Second RoundSecond leg | FK Sarajevo | H | 2 – 1 | Aston, Best | 62,801 |
| 27 February 1968 | Quarter-finalFirst leg | Górnik Zabrze | H | 2 – 0 | Kidd | 63,456 |
| 13 March 1968 | Quarter-finalSecond leg | Górnik Zabrze | A | 0 – 1 | 105,000 | |
| 24 April 1968 | Semi-finalFirst leg | Real Madrid | H | 1 – 0 | Best | 63,500 |
| 15 May 1968 | Semi-finalSecond leg | Real Madrid | A | 3 – 3 | Foulkes, Sadler, Zoco (o.g.) | 125,000 |
| 29 May 1968 | Final | Benfica | N | 4 – 1(a.e.t.) | Charlton (2), Best, Kidd | 100,000 |
European Cup Final 1968 Highlights
Squad statistics
| Pos. | Name | First Division | FA Cup | European Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK | Jimmy Rimmer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | Alex Stepney | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 0 |
| FB | Shay Brennan | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| FB | Francis Burns | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
| FB | Tony Dunne | 37 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| FB | Frank Kopel | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 |
| HB | Pat Crerand | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 1 |
| HB | John Fitzpatrick | 14(3) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18(3) | 0 |
| HB | Bill Foulkes | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| HB | David Sadler | 40(1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 51(1) | 6 |
| HB | Nobby Stiles | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| FW | John Aston, Jr. | 34(3) | 11 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43(3) | 11 |
| FW | George Best | 41 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 32 |
| FW | Bobby Charlton | 41 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 53 | 20 |
| FW | Alan Gowling | 4(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4(1) | 1 |
| FW | David Herd | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| FW | Brian Kidd | 38 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 17 |
| FW | Denis Law | 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 10 |
| FW | Jimmy Ryan | 7(1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8(1) | 2 |
| – | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | – | 3 |