League Division One · Matchday 18
Southampton v Manchester United
3–2
Manchester United lost 2–3 to Southampton at The Dell on Saturday 5th December 1981 in the League Division One. Frank Stapleton (28') and Bryan Robson (52') scored for United.
Timeline
Running score
- Kick Off
- 22' Steve Moran 1–0
- 28' Frank Stapleton 1–1
- 43' Kevin Keegan 2–1
- Half Time
- 52' Bryan Robson 2–2
- 90' David Armstrong 3–2
- Full Time 3–2
Match Facts
Starting XI
Player
7 Bryan Robson 52'
Substitutes
No substitutes recorded
Managers
MUFC
Ron Atkinson
Manchester United
OPP
Lawrie McMenemy
Southampton
United vs Southampton History
Meeting 52 of 135
135
Played
70
Won
38
Drawn
27
Lost
239
Goals For
147
Goals Against
All-time record, from the first meeting on Saturday 13th February 1897. After this match United had played Southampton 52 times: 22W 15D 15L.
3 Nov 1979 W 1–0 D1 29 Nov 1980 D 1–1 D1 7 Mar 1981 L 0–1 D1
5 Dec 1981 L 2–3 This match
1 May 1982 W 1–0 D1 18 Sep 1982 W 1–0 D1 1 Dec 1982 W 2–0 LC | All-time | P | W | D | L | F | A | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 65 | 41 | 15 | 9 | 134 | 64 | 63.1 |
| Away | 67 | 27 | 23 | 17 | 101 | 80 | 40.3 |
| Neutral | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 66.7 |
Match results, lineups and goalscorers compiled from mufcinfo.com; advanced match statistics (xG, shots, possession) via FBref and FotMob where available. Last updated 29 September 2026. How we compile this data →