The 1981–82 season was Manchester United‘s 79th season in the Football League, and their 7th consecutive season in the top division of English football.
It was their first season under the management of Ron Atkinson, and in early October he brought midfielder Bryan Robson to Old Trafford from his former club West Bromwich Albion for a British record fee of £1.5million. He also signed fellow Albion midfielder Remi Moses for £500,000.
United finished the season third in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Late in the season came the debut of teenage forward Norman Whiteside, who at just 17 was selected for the Northern Ireland squad at the FIFA World Cup. He also scored for United on the last day of the league season in only his second senior appearance for the club.
First Division
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result
F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 August 1981 | Coventry City | A | 1 – 2 | Macari | 19,329 |
31 August 1981 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0 – 0 | 51,496 | |
5 September 1981 | Ipswich Town | H | 1 – 2 | Stapleton | 45,555 |
12 September 1981 | Aston Villa | A | 1 – 1 | Stapleton | 37,661 |
19 September 1981 | Swansea City | H | 1 – 0 | Birtles | 47,309 |
22 September 1981 | Middlesbrough | A | 2 – 0 | Stapleton, Birtles | 19,895 |
26 September 1981 | Arsenal | A | 0 – 0 | 39,795 | |
30 September 1981 | Leeds United | H | 1 – 0 | Stapleton | 47,019 |
3 October 1981 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 5 – 0 | Stapleton, McIlroy (3),Birtles | 46,837 |
10 October 1981 | Manchester City | A | 0 – 0 | 52,037 | |
17 October 1981 | Birmingham City | H | 1 – 1 | Coppell | 48,800 |
21 October 1981 | Middlesbrough | H | 1 – 0 | Moses | 38,342 |
24 October 1981 | Liverpool | A | 2 – 1 | Moran, Albiston | 41,438 |
31 October 1981 | Notts County | H | 2 – 1 | Birtles, Moses | 45,928 |
7 November 1981 | Sunderland | A | 5 – 1 | Moran, Robson,Stapleton (2), Birtles | 27,070 |
21 November 1981 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1 – 3 | Birtles | 35,534 |
28 November 1981 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2 – 0 | Birtles, Stapleton | 41,911 |
5 December 1981 | Southampton | A | 2 – 3 | Stapleton, Robson | 24,404 |
6 January 1982 | Everton | H | 1 – 1 | Stapleton | 40,451 |
23 January 1982 | Stoke City | A | 3 – 0 | Coppell, Stapleton (pen.),Birtles | 19,793 |
27 January 1982 | West Ham United | H | 1 – 0 | Macari | 41,291 |
30 January 1982 | Swansea City | A | 0 – 2 | 24,115 | |
6 February 1982 | Aston Villa | H | 4 – 1 | Moran (2), Robson,Coppell | 43,184 |
13 February 1982 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1 – 0 | Birtles | 22,481 |
20 February 1982 | Arsenal | H | 0 – 0 | 43,833 | |
27 February 1982 | Manchester City | H | 1 – 1 | Moran | 57,830 |
6 March 1982 | Birmingham City | A | 1 – 0 | Birtles | 19,637 |
17 March 1982 | Coventry City | H | 0 – 1 | 34,499 | |
20 March 1982 | Notts County | A | 3 – 1 | Coppell (2), Stapleton | 17,048 |
27 March 1982 | Sunderland | H | 0 – 0 | 40,776 | |
3 April 1982 | Leeds United | A | 0 – 0 | 30,953 | |
7 April 1982 | Liverpool | H | 0 – 1 | 48,371 | |
10 April 1982 | Everton | A | 3 – 3 | Coppell (2), Grimes | 29,306 |
12 April 1982 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1 – 0 | Moran | 38,717 |
17 April 1982 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2 – 0 | Coppell (pen.), McGarvey | 50,724 |
20 April 1982 | Ipswich Town | A | 1 – 2 | Gidman | 25,744 |
24 April 1982 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1 – 0 | Wilkins | 20,750 |
1 May 1982 | Southampton | H | 1 – 0 | McGarvey | 40,038 |
5 May 1982 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1 – 0 | Stapleton | 18,449 |
8 May 1982 | West Ham United | A | 1 – 1 | Moran | 26,337 |
12 May 1982 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3 – 0 | Robson, Birtles, Coppell | 19,707 |
15 May 1982 | Stoke City | H | 2 – 0 | Robson, Whiteside | 43,072 |
Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 26 | 5 | 11 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 83 |
3 | Manchester United | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 78 |
4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 71 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
FA Cup
Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result
F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 January 1982 | Round 3 | Watford | A | 0 – 1 | 26,104 |
League Cup
Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result
F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 October 1981 | Round 2
First leg |
Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0 – 1 | 39,333 | |
28 October 1981 | Round 2
Second leg |
Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0 – 1 | 55,890 |
Squad statistics
Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | Milk Cup | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
GK | Gary Bailey | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
GK | Paddy Roche | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
DF | Arthur Albiston | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
DF | Martin Buchan | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
DF | Mike Duxbury | 19(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 19(6) | 0 |
DF | John Gidman | 36(1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39(1) | 1 |
DF | Gordon McQueen | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
DF | Kevin Moran | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 7 |
DF | Jimmy Nicholl | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 |
MF | Steve Coppell | 35(1) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37(1) | 9 |
MF | Alan Davies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
MF | Ashley Grimes | 9(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9(1) | 1 |
MF | Lou Macari | 10(1) | 2 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10(2) | 2 |
MF | Sammy McIlroy | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
MF | Remi Moses | 20(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22(1) | 2 |
MF | Bryan Robson | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 5 |
MF | Ray Wilkins | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
FW | Garry Birtles | 32(1) | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35(1) | 11 |
FW | Scott McGarvey | 10(6) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10(6) | 2 |
FW | Frank Stapleton | 41 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 13 |
FW | Norman Whiteside | 1(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 1 |