League Division One · Matchday 15
Sunderland v Manchester United
1–5
Manchester United beat Sunderland 5–1 at Roker Park on Saturday 7th November 1981 in the League Division One. Kevin Moran (20'), Bryan Robson (53'), Frank Stapleton (67', 71') and Garry Birtles (89') scored for United.
Timeline
Running score
- Kick Off
- 7' Mick Duxbury for Gidman
- 20' Kevin Moran 0–1
- 38' Stan Cummins 1–1
- Half Time
- 53' Bryan Robson 1–2
- 67' Frank Stapleton 1–3
- 71' Frank Stapleton 1–4
- 89' Garry Birtles 1–5
- Full Time 1–5
Match Facts
Starting XI
Substitutes
Mick Duxbury
7' for Gidman
Managers
MUFC
Ron Atkinson
Manchester United
OPP
Alan Durban
Sunderland
United vs Sunderland History
Meeting 97 of 147
147
Played
67
Won
38
Drawn
42
Lost
254
Goals For
208
Goals Against
All-time record, from the first meeting on Saturday 4th March 1893. After this match United had played Sunderland 97 times: 37W 25D 35L.
11 Apr 1977 L 1–2 D1 30 Aug 1980 D 1–1 D1 28 Jan 1981 L 0–2 D1
7 Nov 1981 W 5–1 This match
27 Mar 1982 D 0–0 D1 27 Dec 1982 D 0–0 D1 4 Apr 1983 D 0–0 D1 | All-time | P | W | D | L | F | A | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 73 | 43 | 18 | 12 | 150 | 77 | 58.9 |
| Away | 73 | 23 | 20 | 30 | 99 | 130 | 31.5 |
| Neutral | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 100.0 |
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 →