League Record
| Division | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Points | Finish | English top-flight champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div 1 | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 89 | 55 | 56 | 2nd | Manchester City |
Cups And Honours
| FA Cup | League Cup | Community Shield | Europe / world | Archive honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | Not contested | Shared | European Cup - Winners | Community Shield (shared); European Cup - Winners |
People and Context
Top scorer: George Best (32 goals in all competitions). [3]
Season in focus
United became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 after extra time at Wembley. Bobby Charlton scored twice, with George Best and Brian Kidd adding the other goals; Sir Matt Busby’s victory came a decade after the Munich disaster. Second place in the league was strong, but the European final is the campaign’s historical centre and one of the club’s defining achievements. [3] [4]
A European winner, a league runner-up
United’s 24 league wins and eight draws produced 56 points under the two-points-for-a-win system. Ten defeats and 55 goals conceded belong to the domestic record; they should not be treated as statistics for the European Cup run.
The 1992–93 champions also won 24 of 42 league fixtures, but lost six rather than ten and conceded 31 rather than 55. The shared win total masks quite different records. A league finish also depends on rival teams’ results, which a comparison of United seasons alone cannot capture.
Research feature
How United’s rebuilt side reached and won the 1968 European Cup.