The 1962–63 season was Manchester United's 61st consecutive season in the Football League, and their 18th consecutive season in the top division of English football. They finished a disappointing 19th in the league, narrowly avoiding relegation, but also finished the season as FA Cup winners with a 3–1 win over Leicester City in the final. It was a successful first season at the club for record signing Denis Law, who scored 23 goals in the league and 29 in all competitions. The FA Cup win was United's first major trophy for six years and the first trophy they had won since the Munich air disaster.[1]
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 1962 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–2 | Herd, Law | 51,685 |
| 22 August 1962 | Everton | A | 1–3 | Moir | 69,501 |
| 25 August 1962 | Arsenal | A | 3–1 | Herd (2), Chisnall | 62,308 |
| 29 August 1962 | Everton | H | 0–1 | 63,437 | |
| 1 September 1962 | Birmingham City | H | 2–0 | Giles, Herd | 39,847 |
| 5 September 1962 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–3 | 44,859 | |
| 8 September 1962 | Leyton Orient | A | 0–1 | 24,901 | |
| 12 September 1962 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | Herd (2), Cantwell | 37,721 |
| 15 September 1962 | Manchester City | H | 2–3 | Law (2) | 49,193 |
| 22 September 1962 | Burnley | H | 2–5 | Law, Stiles | 45,954 |
| 29 September 1962 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–1 | 40,520 | |
| 6 October 1962 | Blackpool | A | 2–2 | Herd (2) | 33,242 |
| 13 October 1962 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0–3 | 42,252 | |
| 24 October 1962 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–6 | Herd, Quixall | 51,314 |
| 27 October 1962 | West Ham United | H | 3–1 | Quixall (2), Law | 29,204 |
| 3 November 1962 | Ipswich Town | A | 5–3 | Law (4), Herd | 18,483 |
| 10 November 1962 | Liverpool | H | 3–3 | Giles, Herd, Quixall | 43,810 |
| 17 November 1962 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–2 | Law (2), Herd | 27,305 |
| 24 November 1962 | Aston Villa | H | 2–2 | Quixall (2) | 36,852 |
| 1 December 1962 | Sheffield United | A | 1–1 | Charlton | 25,173 |
| 8 December 1962 | Nottingham Forest | H | 5–1 | Herd (2), Charlton, Giles, Law | 27,496 |
| 15 December 1962 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–3 | 18,113 | |
| 26 December 1962 | Fulham | A | 1–0 | Charlton | 23,928 |
| 23 February 1963 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | Herd | 43,121 |
| 2 March 1963 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–2 | Charlton, Law | 27,924 |
| 9 March 1963 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–2 | 53,416 | |
| 18 March 1963 | West Ham United | A | 1–3 | Herd | 28,950 |
| 23 March 1963 | Ipswich Town | H | 0–1 | 32,792 | |
| 1 April 1963 | Fulham | H | 0–2 | 28,124 | |
| 9 April 1963 | Aston Villa | A | 2–1 | Charlton, Stiles | 26,867 |
| 13 April 1963 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 51,529 | |
| 15 April 1963 | Leicester City | H | 2–2 | Charlton, Herd | 50,005 |
| 16 April 1963 | Leicester City | A | 3–4 | Law (3) | 37,002 |
| 20 April 1963 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | Law | 31,179 |
| 22 April 1963 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | Herd, Law | 36,147 |
| 1 May 1963 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–3 | Setters | 31,878 |
| 4 May 1963 | Burnley | A | 1–0 | Law | 30,266 |
| 6 May 1963 | Arsenal | H | 2–3 | Law (2) | 35,999 |
| 10 May 1963 | Birmingham City | A | 1–2 | Law | 21,814 |
| 15 May 1963 | Manchester City | A | 1–1 | Quixall | 52,424 |
| 18 May 1963 | Leyton Orient | H | 3–1 | Charlton, Law, own goal | 32,759 |
| 20 May 1963 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2–3 | Giles, Herd | 16,130 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 59 | 78 | 0.756 | 35 | |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 15 | 5 | 22 | 55 | 75 | 0.733 | 35 | |
| 19 | Manchester United | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 67 | 81 | 0.827 | 34 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 20 | Birmingham City | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 63 | 90 | 0.700 | 33 | |
| 21 | Manchester City (R) | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 58 | 102 | 0.569 | 31 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 March 1963 | Round 3 | Huddersfield Town | H | 5–0 | Law (3), Giles, Quixall | 47,703 |
| 11 March 1963 | Round 4 | Aston Villa | H | 1–0 | Quixall | 52,265 |
| 16 March 1963 | Round 5 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | Law, Quixall | 48,298 |
| 30 March 1963 | Round 6 | Coventry City | A | 3–1 | Charlton (2), Quixall | 44,000 |
| 27 April 1963 | Semi-final | Southampton | N | 1–0 | Law | 65,000 |
| 25 May 1963 | Final | Leicester City | N | 3–1 | Herd (2), Law | 100,000 |
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK |  David Gaskell
|
18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| GK |  Harry Gregg
|
24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| FB |  Shay Brennan
|
37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| FB | Noel Cantwell
|
25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| FB | Tony Dunne
|
25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| HB |  Paddy Crerand
|
19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| HB | Bill Foulkes
|
41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| HB | Frank Haydock
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | Nobby Lawton
|
12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| HB | Jimmy Nicholson
|
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| HB | Maurice Setters
|
27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| HB | Nobby Stiles
|
31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| FW | Bobby Charlton
|
28 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 9 |
| FW | Phil Chisnall
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| FW | Johnny Giles
|
36 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 42 | 5 |
| FW | David Herd
|
37 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 43 | 21 |
| FW | Denis Law
|
38 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 44 | 29 |
| FW | Sammy McMillan
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| FW | Ian Moir
|
9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| FW | Mark Pearson
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Albert Quixall
|
31 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 11 |
| FW | Dennis Walker
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| – | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 1 |
