League Record
| Division | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Points | Finish | English top-flight champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div 1 | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 85 | 75 | 43 | 9th | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Cups And Honours
| FA Cup | League Cup | Community Shield | Europe / world | Archive honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runners-up | Not contested | Winners | European Cup - SF | Community Shield (winners) |
People and Context
Top scorer: Dennis Viollet (23 goals in all competitions). [3]
Season in focus
The season was irrevocably changed by the Munich air disaster in February, which killed eight United players and 23 people in total connected with the travelling party. Jimmy Murphy assembled a side that reached the FA Cup final, where Bolton won 2–0, and United also reached the European Cup semi-finals. League position became secondary to the club’s survival; this is the central human tragedy in its history. [3] [4]
What the full-season totals can tell us
The league record combines matches before and after Munich. Its 85 goals scored and ninth-place finish cannot isolate the performance of the team that began the campaign, or that of the players brought together afterwards.
The FA Cup final and European Cup semi-final show how far United continued in those competitions. They cannot measure the human cost of the disaster. The Munich history covers the loss of life and the club’s response in greater detail.