The 2012–13 season was Manchester United‘s 21st season in the Premier League, and their 38th consecutive season in the top flight of English football.
United’s season began on 20 August 2012 with the first game of thePremier League campaign. After narrowly missing out on goal difference the previous season, they won an unprecedented 20th English top-flight title on 22 April 2013 with a win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, in which top scorer Robin Van Persie scored a hat-trick, finishing the season with 26 league goals and 30 goals in all competitions.
United competed in the two domestic cups, the FA Cup and theLeague Cup, where they entered both tournaments in the Third Round courtesy of their league position. Chelsea proved to be United’s nemesis in both competitions, first beating them 5–4 in the Fourth Round of the League Cup on 31 October 2012, followed by a 1–0 win in the FA Cup Sixth Round Replay on 1 April 2013.
In Europe, United were knocked out of the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage after losing 3–2 on aggregate to Real Madrid.
On 8 May 2013, United’s long time manager, Sir Alex Fergusonannounced that he would retire from his position as manager of Manchester United after almost 27 years in charge, making him the longest-serving manager of any English club by this stage. He had won 25 major trophies during that time – more than any other manager in the history of English football, and at 71 was the oldest serving manager currently in the Premier League or Football League.
The next day, Manchester United announced that David Moyes of Everton would take over from Ferguson at the beginning of the 2013–14 season.
Pre-season and friendlies
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result
F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2012 | AmaZulu | A | 1–0 | Macheda 20′ | |
| 21 July 2012 | Ajax Cape Town | A | 1–1 | Bébé 90+2′ | |
| 25 July 2012 | Shanghai Shenhua | N | 1–0 | Kagawa 68′ | 42,725 |
| 5 August 2012 | Vålerenga | A | 0–0 | ||
| 8 August 2012 | Barcelona | N | 0–0
(0–2p) |
47,141 | |
| 11 August 2012 | Hannover 96 | A | 4–3 | Hernández 31′, Rooney (2) 69′, 82′, Kagawa 85′ | 35,800 |
Premier League
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result
F–A |
Scorers | Attendance | League
position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2012 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 38,415 | 16th | |
| 25 August 2012 | Fulham | H | 3–2 | Van Persie 10′, Kagawa 35′, Rafael 41′ | 75,352 | 7th |
| 2 September 2012 | Southampton | A | 3–2 | Van Persie (3) 23′, 87′, 90+2′ | 31,609 | 5th |
| 15 September 2012 | Wigan Athletic | H | 4–0 | Scholes 51′, Hernández 63′, Büttner 66′, Powell 82′ | 75,142 | 2nd |
| 23 September 2012 | Liverpool | A | 2–1 | Rafael 51′, Van Persie 81′ (pen.) | 44,263 | 2nd |
| 29 September 2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–3 | Nani 51′, Kagawa 53′ | 75,566 | 3rd |
| 7 October 2012 | Newcastle United | A | 3–0 | Evans 8′, Evra 15′, Cleverley 71′ | 52,203 | 2nd |
| 20 October 2012 | Stoke City | H | 4–2 | Rooney (2) 27′, 65′, Van Persie 44′, Welbeck 46′ | 75,585 | 2nd |
| 28 October 2012 | Chelsea | A | 3–2 | Luiz 4′ (o.g.), Van Persie 12′, Hernández 75′ | 41,644 | 2nd |
| 3 November 2012 | Arsenal | H | 2–1 | Van Persie 3′, Evra 67′ | 75,492 | 1st |
| 10 November 2012 | Aston Villa | A | 3–2 | Hernández (2) 58′, 87′, Vlaar 63′ (o.g.) | 40,538 | 1st |
| 17 November 2012 | Norwich City | A | 0–1 | 26,840 | 2nd | |
| 24 November 2012 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–1 | Evans 64′, Fletcher 68′, Hernández 72′ | 75,603 | 1st |
| 28 November 2012 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | Van Persie 1′ | 75,572 | 1st |
| 1 December 2012 | Reading | A | 4–3 | Anderson 13′, Rooney (2) 16′ (pen.), 30′, Van Persie34′ | 24,095 | 1st |
| 9 December 2012 | Manchester City | A | 3–2 | Rooney (2) 16′, 29′, Van Persie 90+2′ | 47,166 | 1st |
| 15 December 2012 | Sunderland | H | 3–1 | Van Persie 16′, Cleverley 19′, Rooney 59′ | 75,582 | 1st |
| 23 December 2012 | Swansea City | A | 1–1 | Evra 16′ | 20,650 | 1st |
| 26 December 2012 | Newcastle United | H | 4–3 | Evans 25′, Evra 58′, Van Persie 71′, Hernández 90′ | 75,596 | 1st |
| 29 December 2012 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–0 | McAuley 9′ (o.g.), Van Persie 90′ | 75,595 | 1st |
| 1 January 2013 | Wigan Athletic | A | 4–0 | Hernández (2) 35′, 63′, Van Persie (2) 43′, 88′ | 20,342 | 1st |
| 13 January 2013 | Liverpool | H | 2–1 | Van Persie 19′, Vidić 54′ | 75,501 | 1st |
| 20 January 2013 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | Van Persie 25′ | 35,956 | 1st |
| 30 January 2013 | Southampton | H | 2–1 | Rooney (2) 8′, 27′ | 75,600 | 1st |
| 2 February 2013 | Fulham | A | 1–0 | Rooney 79′ | 25,670 | 1st |
| 10 February 2013 | Everton | H | 2–0 | Giggs 13′, Van Persie 45+1′ | 75,525 | 1st |
| 23 February 2013 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–0 | Rafael 23′, Giggs 80′ | 18,337 | 1st |
| 2 March 2013 | Norwich City | H | 4–0 | Kagawa (3) 45+1′, 76′, 87′, Rooney 90′ | 75,586 | 1st |
| 16 March 2013 | Reading | H | 1–0 | Rooney 21′ | 75,605 | 1st |
| 30 March 2013 | Sunderland | A | 1–0 | Bramble 27′ (o.g.) | 43,760 | 1st |
| 8 April 2013 | Manchester City | H | 1–2 | Kompany 59′ (o.g.) | 75,498 | 1st |
| 14 April 2013 | Stoke City | A | 2–0 | Carrick 4′, Van Persie 66′ (pen.) | 27,191 | 1st |
| 17 April 2013 | West Ham United | A | 2–2 | Valencia 31′, Van Persie 77′ | 34,692 | 1st |
| 22 April 2013 | Aston Villa | H | 3–0 | Van Persie (3) 2′, 13′, 33′ | 75,591 | 1st |
| 28 April 2013 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | Van Persie 44′ (pen.) | 60,112 | 1st |
| 5 May 2013 | Chelsea | H | 0–1 | 75,500 | 1st | |
| 12 May 2013 | Swansea | H | 2–1 | Hernández 39′, Ferdinand 87′ | 75,572 | 1st |
| 19 May 2013 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 5–5 | Kagawa 6′, Olsson 9′ (o.g.), Büttner 30′, Van Persie53′, Hernández 63′ | 26,438 | 1st |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 86 | 43 | +43 | 89 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 66 | 34 | +32 | 78 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 75 | 39 | +36 | 75 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 January 2013 | Round 3 | West Ham United | A | 2–2 | Cleverley 23′, Van Persie 90+1′ | 32,922 |
| 16 January 2013 | Round 3
Replay |
West Ham United | H | 1–0 | Rooney 9′ | 71,081 |
| 26 January 2013 | Round 4 | Fulham | H | 4–1 | Giggs 3′ (pen.), Rooney 50′, Hernández (2) 52′, 66′ | 72,596 |
| 18 February 2013 | Round 5 | Reading | H | 2–1 | Nani 69′, Hernández 72′ | 75,213 |
| 10 March 2013 | Round 6 | Chelsea | H | 2–2 | Hernández 5′, Rooney 11′ | 75,196 |
| 1 April 2013 | Round 6
Replay |
Chelsea | A | 0–1 | 40,704 |
League Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result
F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2012 | Round 3 | Newcastle United | H | 2–1 | Anderson 44′, Cleverley 58′ | 46,358 |
| 31 October 2012 | Round 4 | Chelsea | A | 4–5(a.e.t.) | Giggs (2) 22′, 120′ (pen.), Hernández 43′,Nani 59′ | 41,126 |
UEFA Champions League
Group stage
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result
F–A |
Scorers | Attendance | Group
position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 September 2012 | Galatasaray | H | 1–0 | Carrick 7′ | 74,653 | 2nd |
| 2 October 2012 | CFR Cluj | A | 2–1 | Van Persie (2) 29′, 49′ | 16,259 | 1st |
| 23 October 2012 | Braga | H | 3–2 | Hernández (2) 25′, 75′, Evans 62′ | 73,195 | 1st |
| 7 November 2012 | Braga | A | 3–1 | Van Persie 80′, Rooney 85′ (pen.), Hernández90+2′ | 15,388 | 1st |
| 20 November 2012 | Galatasaray | A | 0–1 | 50,278 | 1st | |
| 5 December 2012 | CFR Cluj | H | 0–1 | 71,521 | 1st |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 12 |
| Galatasaray | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 10 |
| CFR Cluj | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 10 |
| Braga | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 11 | −6 | 3 |
Knockout phase
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result
F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 February 2013 | Round of 16
First leg |
Real Madrid | A | 1–1 | Welbeck 20′ | 85,454 |
| 5 March 2013 | Round of 16
Second leg |
Real Madrid | H | 1–2 | Ramos 48′ (o.g.) | 74,959 |
Squad statistics
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | Discipline | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||
| 1 | GK | David de Gea | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Rafael | 27(1) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6(1) | 0 | 38(2) | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | Patrice Evra | 34 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 42 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Phil Jones | 13(4) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20(4) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Rio Ferdinand | 26(2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 31(3) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Jonny Evans | 21(2) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 28(2) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Antonio Valencia | 24(6) | 1 | 3(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(2) | 0 | 29(11) | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Anderson | 9(8) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3(1) | 0 | 17(9) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Dimitar Berbatov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Wayne Rooney | 22(5) | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5(1) | 1 | 31(6) | 16 | 7 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Ryan Giggs | 12(10) | 2 | 2(2) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3(2) | 0 | 18(14) | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | Chris Smalling | 10(5) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17(5) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | Anders Lindegaard | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | Javier Hernández | 9(13) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5(1) | 3 | 22(14) | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Nemanja Vidić | 18(1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22(1) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Michael Carrick | 34(2) | 1 | 3(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 42(4) | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Nani | 7(4) | 1 | 4(1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3(1) | 0 | 15(6) | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | MF | Ashley Young | 17(2) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 18(5) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | Danny Welbeck | 13(14) | 1 | 3(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5(2) | 1 | 23(17) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | Robin van Persie | 35(3) | 26 | 0(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5(1) | 3 | 40(8) | 30 | 7 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | Ángelo Henríquez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Paul Scholes | 8(8) | 1 | 1(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 10(11) | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | Tom Cleverley | 18(4) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 28(4) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Darren Fletcher | 2(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3(2) | 0 | 7(3) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Nick Powell | 0(2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Shinji Kagawa | 17(3) | 6 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22(4) | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | Federico Macheda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | Alexander Büttner | 4(1) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | Scott Wootton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | Bébé | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | Larnell Cole | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | Jesse Lingard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | DF | Marnick Vermijl | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | Robbie Brady | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | DF | Michael Keane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | DF | Tom Thorpe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | GK | Ben Amos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | FW | Joshua King | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | DF | Tyler Blackett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | MF | Adnan Januzaj | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | MF | Davide Petrucci | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | MF | Ryan Tunnicliffe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | FW | Will Keane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | DF | Frédéric Veseli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | GK | Sam Johnstone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | DF | Fábio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | FW | Wilfried Zaha | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | — | Own goals | – | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | – | 7 | – | – |