Manchester United 1981-1982
78
Points · Division One 1981-1982
3rd in the Division One after 42 matches
Manchester United finished 3rd in the Division One with 78 points from 42 games in 1981-1982, scoring 59 goals in all competitions. They won 22, drew 12 and lost 11 of their 45 games in all competitions under Ron Atkinson.
Stats
22
Won
12
Drawn
11
Lost
Form
W
W
D
W
W
Season at a Glance
59
Goals Scored
32
Conceded
45
Played
How this season compares
of 123 seasons
1.73
Points per game
65th-best of 123 full seasons
1.31
Goals per game
107th-best of 123 full seasons
0.71
Conceded per game
5th-best of 123 full seasons
49%
Win rate
68th-best of 123 full seasons
In the Division One, United ranked 7th of 22 for goals scored (+0.14 per game vs the league average) and 1st for fewest conceded. That was 5 places higher than 1980-1981 (+30 points).
Cup Runs
Top Scorers
1
Frank Stapleton
44 apps
13
— ast
2
Garry Birtles
36 apps
11
— ast
3
Steve Coppell
38 apps
9
— ast
4
Kevin Moran
33 apps
7
— ast
5
Bryan Robson
35 apps
5
— ast
6
Sammy McIlroy
14 apps
3
— ast
7
Lou Macari
12 apps
2
— ast
8
Scott McGarvey
16 apps
2
— ast
9
Remi Moses
23 apps
2
— ast
10
Norman Whiteside
2 apps
1
— ast
All Results
45 matches
August 1981 0W · 1D · 1L
L
Coventry City A
D1 Macari
1–2
29 Aug 19,329 0-0-1 L1
D
Nottingham Forest H
D1
0–0
31 Aug 51,496 0-1-1 D1
September 1981 3W · 2D · 1L
L
Ipswich Town H
D1 Stapleton
1–2
5 Sep 45,555 0-1-2 L1
D
Aston Villa A
D1 Stapleton
1–1
12 Sep 37,661 0-2-2 D1
W
Swansea City H
D1 Birtles
1–0
19 Sep 47,309 1-2-2 W1
W
Middlesbrough A
D1 Stapleton, Birtles
2–0
22 Sep 19,895 2-2-2 W2
D
Arsenal A
D1
0–0
26 Sep 39,795 2-3-2 D1
W
Leeds United H
D1 Stapleton
1–0
30 Sep 47,019 3-3-2 W1
October 1981 4W · 2D · 2L
W
Wolverhampton Wanderers H
D1 Stapleton, McIlroy 3, Birtles
5–0
3 Oct 46,837 4-3-2 W2
L
Tottenham Hotspur A
LC agg 0-1
0–1
7 Oct 39,333 4-3-3 L1
D
Manchester City A
D1
0–0
10 Oct 52,037 4-4-3 D1
D
Birmingham City H
D1 Coppell
1–1
17 Oct 48,800 4-5-3 D2
W
Middlesbrough H
D1 Moses
1–0
21 Oct 38,342 5-5-3 W1
W
Liverpool A
D1 Moran, Albiston
2–1
24 Oct 41,438 6-5-3 W2
L
Tottenham Hotspur H
LC agg 0-2
0–1
28 Oct 55,890 6-5-4 L1
W
Notts County H
D1 Birtles, Moses
2–1
31 Oct 45,928 7-5-4 W1
November 1981 2W · 0D · 1L
W
Sunderland A
D1 Moran, Robson, Stapleton 2, Birtles
5–1
7 Nov 27,070 8-5-4 W2
L
Tottenham Hotspur A
D1 Birtles
1–3
21 Nov 35,534 8-5-5 L1
W
Brighton H
D1 Birtles, Stapleton
2–0
28 Nov 41,911 9-5-5 W1
December 1981 0W · 0D · 1L
L
Southampton A
D1 Stapleton, Robson
2–3
5 Dec 24,404 9-5-6 L1
January 1982 2W · 1D · 2L
L
Watford A
FAC
0–1
2 Jan 26,104 9-5-7 L2
D
Everton H
D1 Stapleton
1–1
6 Jan 40,451 9-6-7 D1
W
Stoke City A
D1 Coppell, Stapleton (pen), Birtles
3–0
23 Jan 19,793 10-6-7 W1
W
West Ham United H
D1 Macari
1–0
27 Jan 41,291 11-6-7 W2
L
Swansea City A
D1
0–2
30 Jan 24,115 11-6-8 L1
February 1982 2W · 2D · 0L
W
Aston Villa H
D1 Moran 2, Robson, Coppell
4–1
6 Feb 43,184 12-6-8 W1
W
Wolverhampton Wanderers A
D1 Birtles
1–0
13 Feb 22,481 13-6-8 W2
D
Arsenal H
D1
0–0
20 Feb 43,833 13-7-8 D1
D
Manchester City H
D1 Moran
1–1
27 Feb 57,827 13-8-8 D2
March 1982 2W · 1D · 1L
W
Birmingham City A
D1 Birtles
1–0
6 Mar 19,637 14-8-8 W1
L
Coventry City H
D1
0–1
17 Mar 34,499 14-8-9 L1
W
Notts County A
D1 Coppell 2, Stapleton
3–1
20 Mar 17,048 15-8-9 W1
D
Sunderland H
D1
0–0
27 Mar 40,776 15-9-9 D1
April 1982 3W · 2D · 2L
D
Leeds United A
D1
0–0
3 Apr 30,953 15-10-9 D2
L
Liverpool H
D1
0–1
7 Apr 48,371 15-10-10 L1
D
Everton A
D1 Coppell 2, Grimes
3–3
10 Apr 29,306 15-11-10 D1
W
West Bromwich Albion H
D1 Moran
1–0
12 Apr 38,717 16-11-10 W1
W
Tottenham Hotspur H
D1 Coppell (pen), McGarvey
2–0
17 Apr 50,724 17-11-10 W2
L
Ipswich Town A
D1 Gidman
1–2
20 Apr 25,744 17-11-11 L1
W
Brighton A
D1 Wilkins
1–0
24 Apr 20,750 18-11-11 W1
May 1982 4W · 1D · 0L
W
Southampton H
D1 McGarvey
1–0
1 May 40,038 19-11-11 W2
W
Nottingham Forest A
D1 Stapleton
1–0
5 May 18,449 20-11-11 W3
D
West Ham United A
D1 Moran
1–1
8 May 26,337 20-12-11 D1
W
West Bromwich Albion A
D1 Robson, Birtles, Coppell
3–0
12 May 19,707 21-12-11 W1
W
Stoke City H
D1 Robson, Whiteside
2–0
15 May 43,072 22-12-11 W2
Home & Away
| Venue | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% | CS | Avg Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 27 | 10 | +17 | 55% | 13 | 45,085 |
| Away | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 43% | 10 | 27,692 |
Home crowds averaged 45,085, away 27,692. Their biggest crowd was 57,827 v Manchester City, the smallest 17,048 v Notts County.
Season Records
5–0
Biggest win
v Wolverhampton Wanderers · 3 Oct 1981
1–3
Heaviest defeat
v Tottenham Hotspur · 21 Nov 1981
3
Longest win streak
6
Longest unbeaten run
4
Longest winless run
23
Clean sheets
12
Failed to score
1–0
Most common score
10 times
United completed the league double over Brighton, Middlesbrough, Notts County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. They lost both league meetings with Coventry City and Ipswich Town.
When Goals Were Scored
Scored Conceded
1-15
16-30
31-45
46-60
61-75
76+
United's average goal came in the 52', the average one conceded in the 41'. They scored 9 from the 81st minute on and conceded 1. Penalties: 2 scored, 2 conceded.
| Min | Scorer | Opponent | Comp | Before | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11' | Steve Whitton | @ Coventry City | D1 | 0–0 | 29 Aug 1981 |
| 43' | Lou Macari | @ Coventry City | D1 | 0–1 | 29 Aug 1981 |
| 48' | Peter Bodak | @ Coventry City | D1 | 1–1 | 29 Aug 1981 |
| 6' | Alan Brazil | vs Ipswich Town | D1 | 0–0 | 5 Sep 1981 |
| 13' | Frank Stapleton | vs Ipswich Town | D1 | 0–1 | 5 Sep 1981 |
| 27' | John Wark | vs Ipswich Town | D1 | 1–1 | 5 Sep 1981 |
| 16' | Gordon Cowans | @ Aston Villa | D1 | 0–0 | 12 Sep 1981 |
| 42' | Frank Stapleton | @ Aston Villa | D1 | 0–1 | 12 Sep 1981 |
| 37' | Garry Birtles | vs Swansea City | D1 | 0–0 | 19 Sep 1981 |
| 29' | Frank Stapleton | @ Middlesbrough | D1 | 0–0 | 22 Sep 1981 |
| 54' | Garry Birtles | @ Middlesbrough | D1 | 1–0 | 22 Sep 1981 |
| 80' | Frank Stapleton | vs Leeds United | D1 | 0–0 | 30 Sep 1981 |
| 9' | Frank Stapleton | vs Wolverhampton Wanderers | D1 | 0–0 | 3 Oct 1981 |
| 21' | Sammy McIlroy | vs Wolverhampton Wanderers | D1 | 1–0 | 3 Oct 1981 |
| 50' | Sammy McIlroy | vs Wolverhampton Wanderers | D1 | 2–0 | 3 Oct 1981 |
| 76' | Sammy McIlroy | vs Wolverhampton Wanderers | D1 | 3–0 | 3 Oct 1981 |
| 86' | Garry Birtles | vs Wolverhampton Wanderers | D1 | 4–0 | 3 Oct 1981 |
| 65' | Steve Archibald | @ Tottenham Hotspur | LC | 0–0 | 7 Oct 1981 |
| 33' | Frank Worthington pen | vs Birmingham City | D1 | 0–0 | 17 Oct 1981 |
| 64' | Steve Coppell | vs Birmingham City | D1 | 0–1 | 17 Oct 1981 |
| 82' | Remi Moses | vs Middlesbrough | D1 | 0–0 | 21 Oct 1981 |
| 24' | Kevin Moran | @ Liverpool | D1 | 0–0 | 24 Oct 1981 |
| 74' | Terry McDermott pen | @ Liverpool | D1 | 1–0 | 24 Oct 1981 |
| 89' | Arthur Albiston | @ Liverpool | D1 | 1–1 | 24 Oct 1981 |
| 7' | Mickey Hazard | vs Tottenham Hotspur | LC | 0–0 | 28 Oct 1981 |
| 37' | Iain McCulloch | vs Notts County | D1 | 0–0 | 31 Oct 1981 |
| 40' | Garry Birtles | vs Notts County | D1 | 0–1 | 31 Oct 1981 |
| 65' | Remi Moses | vs Notts County | D1 | 1–1 | 31 Oct 1981 |
| 20' | Kevin Moran | @ Sunderland | D1 | 0–0 | 7 Nov 1981 |
| 38' | Stan Cummins | @ Sunderland | D1 | 1–0 | 7 Nov 1981 |
| 53' | Bryan Robson | @ Sunderland | D1 | 1–1 | 7 Nov 1981 |
| 67' | Frank Stapleton | @ Sunderland | D1 | 2–1 | 7 Nov 1981 |
| 71' | Frank Stapleton | @ Sunderland | D1 | 3–1 | 7 Nov 1981 |
| 89' | Garry Birtles | @ Sunderland | D1 | 4–1 | 7 Nov 1981 |
| 6' | Mickey Hazard | @ Tottenham Hotspur | D1 | 0–0 | 21 Nov 1981 |
| 30' | Graham Roberts | @ Tottenham Hotspur | D1 | 0–1 | 21 Nov 1981 |
| 43' | Garry Birtles | @ Tottenham Hotspur | D1 | 0–2 | 21 Nov 1981 |
| 53' | Steve Archibald | @ Tottenham Hotspur | D1 | 1–2 | 21 Nov 1981 |
| 38' | Garry Birtles | vs Brighton | D1 | 0–0 | 28 Nov 1981 |
| 68' | Frank Stapleton | vs Brighton | D1 | 1–0 | 28 Nov 1981 |
| 22' | Steve Moran | @ Southampton | D1 | 0–0 | 5 Dec 1981 |
| 28' | Frank Stapleton | @ Southampton | D1 | 0–1 | 5 Dec 1981 |
| 43' | Kevin Keegan | @ Southampton | D1 | 1–1 | 5 Dec 1981 |
| 52' | Bryan Robson | @ Southampton | D1 | 1–2 | 5 Dec 1981 |
| 90' | David Armstrong | @ Southampton | D1 | 2–2 | 5 Dec 1981 |
| 44' | Jan Lohman | @ Watford | FAC | 0–0 | 2 Jan 1982 |
| 32' | Graeme Sharp | vs Everton | D1 | 0–0 | 6 Jan 1982 |
| 82' | Frank Stapleton | vs Everton | D1 | 0–1 | 6 Jan 1982 |
| 10' | Steve Coppell | @ Stoke City | D1 | 0–0 | 23 Jan 1982 |
| 85' | Frank Stapleton pen | @ Stoke City | D1 | 1–0 | 23 Jan 1982 |
| 88' | Garry Birtles | @ Stoke City | D1 | 2–0 | 23 Jan 1982 |
| 73' | Lou Macari | vs West Ham United | D1 | 0–0 | 27 Jan 1982 |
| 55' | Alan Curtis | @ Swansea City | D1 | 0–0 | 30 Jan 1982 |
| 57' | Robbie James | @ Swansea City | D1 | 0–1 | 30 Jan 1982 |
| 21' | David Geddis | vs Aston Villa | D1 | 0–0 | 6 Feb 1982 |
| 44' | Kevin Moran | vs Aston Villa | D1 | 0–1 | 6 Feb 1982 |
| 62' | Bryan Robson | vs Aston Villa | D1 | 1–1 | 6 Feb 1982 |
| 66' | Steve Coppell | vs Aston Villa | D1 | 2–1 | 6 Feb 1982 |
| 78' | Kevin Moran | vs Aston Villa | D1 | 3–1 | 6 Feb 1982 |
| 31' | Garry Birtles | @ Wolverhampton Wanderers | D1 | 0–0 | 13 Feb 1982 |
| 17' | Kevin Reeves | vs Manchester City | D1 | 0–0 | 27 Feb 1982 |
| 39' | Kevin Moran | vs Manchester City | D1 | 0–1 | 27 Feb 1982 |
| 18' | Garry Birtles | @ Birmingham City | D1 | 0–0 | 6 Mar 1982 |
| 39' | Steve Whitton | vs Coventry City | D1 | 0–0 | 17 Mar 1982 |
| 10' | Steve Coppell | @ Notts County | D1 | 0–0 | 20 Mar 1982 |
| 61' | Steve Coppell | @ Notts County | D1 | 1–0 | 20 Mar 1982 |
| 64' | Frank Stapleton | @ Notts County | D1 | 2–0 | 20 Mar 1982 |
| 70' | Rachid Harkouk | @ Notts County | D1 | 3–0 | 20 Mar 1982 |
| 63' | Craig Johnston | vs Liverpool | D1 | 0–0 | 7 Apr 1982 |
| 32' | Steve Coppell | @ Everton | D1 | 0–0 | 10 Apr 1982 |
| 42' | Graeme Sharp | @ Everton | D1 | 1–0 | 10 Apr 1982 |
| 48' | Steve Coppell | @ Everton | D1 | 1–1 | 10 Apr 1982 |
| 56' | Mike Lyons | @ Everton | D1 | 2–1 | 10 Apr 1982 |
| 57' | Ashley Grimes | @ Everton | D1 | 2–2 | 10 Apr 1982 |
| 65' | Adrian Heath | @ Everton | D1 | 3–2 | 10 Apr 1982 |
| 67' | Kevin Moran | vs West Bromwich Albion | D1 | 0–0 | 12 Apr 1982 |
| 65' | Steve Coppell pen | vs Tottenham Hotspur | D1 | 0–0 | 17 Apr 1982 |
| 87' | Scott McGarvey | vs Tottenham Hotspur | D1 | 1–0 | 17 Apr 1982 |
| 18' | John Gidman | @ Ipswich Town | D1 | 0–0 | 20 Apr 1982 |
| 36' | John Wark | @ Ipswich Town | D1 | 1–0 | 20 Apr 1982 |
| 75' | John Wark | @ Ipswich Town | D1 | 1–1 | 20 Apr 1982 |
| 87' | Ray Wilkins | @ Brighton | D1 | 0–0 | 24 Apr 1982 |
| 61' | Scott McGarvey | vs Southampton | D1 | 0–0 | 1 May 1982 |
| 36' | Frank Stapleton | @ Nottingham Forest | D1 | 0–0 | 5 May 1982 |
| 49' | David Cross | @ West Ham United | D1 | 0–0 | 8 May 1982 |
| 61' | Kevin Moran | @ West Ham United | D1 | 0–1 | 8 May 1982 |
| 25' | Bryan Robson | @ West Bromwich Albion | D1 | 0–0 | 12 May 1982 |
| 36' | Garry Birtles | @ West Bromwich Albion | D1 | 1–0 | 12 May 1982 |
| 77' | Steve Coppell | @ West Bromwich Albion | D1 | 2–0 | 12 May 1982 |
| 44' | Bryan Robson | vs Stoke City | D1 | 0–0 | 15 May 1982 |
| 44' | Norman Whiteside | vs Stoke City | D1 | 1–0 | 15 May 1982 |
Squad
21 players
| Player | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | |
| Arthur Albiston | 42 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 45 | 1 |
| Ray Wilkins | 42 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 45 | 1 |
| Frank Stapleton | 41 | 13 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 44 | 13 |
| Gary Bailey | 39 | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | 42 | – |
| John Gidman | 37 (1) | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 40 (1) | 1 |
| Steve Coppell | 36 (1) | 9 | – | – | 2 | – | 38 (1) | 9 |
| Garry Birtles | 33 (1) | 11 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 36 (1) | 11 |
| Bryan Robson | 32 | 5 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 35 | 5 |
| Kevin Moran | 30 | 7 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 33 | 7 |
| Martin Buchan | 27 | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | 30 | – |
| Mick Duxbury | 24 (5) | – | – | – | 1 (1) | – | 25 (6) | – |
| Remi Moses | 21 (1) | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 23 (1) | 2 |
| Gordon McQueen | 21 | – | – | – | – | – | 21 | – |
| Scott McGarvey | 16 (6) | 2 | – | – | – | – | 16 (6) | 2 |
| Sammy McIlroy | 12 | 3 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 14 | 3 |
| Lou Macari | 11 (1) | 2 | 1 (1) | – | – | – | 12 (2) | 2 |
| Ashley Grimes | 11 (2) | 1 | – | – | – | – | 11 (2) | 1 |
| Paddy Roche | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – |
| Norman Whiteside | 2 (1) | 1 | – | – | – | – | 2 (1) | 1 |
| Alan Davies | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| Jimmy Nicholl | 1 (1) | – | – | – | – | – | 1 (1) | – |
Division One Table
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 80 | 32 | +48 | 87 |
| 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 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 71 |
| 6 | Swansea City | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 58 | 51 | +7 | 69 |
| 7 | Southampton | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 72 | 67 | +5 | 66 |
| 8 | Everton | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 56 | 50 | +6 | 64 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 66 | 57 | +9 | 58 |
| 10 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 49 | 50 | -1 | 58 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 57 |
| 12 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 42 | 48 | -6 | 57 |
| 13 | Brighton | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 43 | 52 | -9 | 52 |
| 14 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 56 | 62 | -6 | 50 |
| 15 | Notts County | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 61 | 69 | -8 | 47 |
| 16 | Birmingham City | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 61 | -8 | 44 |
| 17 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 46 | 57 | -11 | 44 |
| 18 | Stoke City | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 44 | 63 | -19 | 44 |
| 19 | Sunderland | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 38 | 58 | -20 | 44 |
| 20 | Leeds United | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 61 | -22 | 42 |
| 21 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 63 | -31 | 40 |
| 22 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 52 | -18 | 39 |
Points Progression
Division One
Transfers
10 moves
In
- Bryan Robson Central Midfield
- Frank Stapleton Centre-Forward
- Remi Moses Defensive Midfield
- John Gidman Right-Back
- Paul McGrath Centre-Back
Out
- Sammy McIlroy Central Midfield
- Joe Jordan Centre-Forward
- Anto Whelan Centre-Back
Loans
Debuts & Farewells
Debuts this season
- Frank Stapleton 44 apps, 13 goals
- John Gidman 40 apps, 1 goal
- Bryan Robson 35 apps, 5 goals
- Remi Moses 23 apps, 2 goals
- Norman Whiteside 2 apps, 1 goal
- Alan Davies 1 app
Final appearances
- Garry Birtles last of 36 apps
- Sammy McIlroy last of 14 apps
- Paddy Roche last of 3 apps
- Jimmy Nicholl last of 1 app
Quick Quiz
Who was Manchester United's top scorer in 1981-1982?
On this day in 1981-1982