The 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.
Contents
First Division
Brian Clough, 37, won the first major trophy of his managerial career by guiding Derby County to their first ever league championship. They overcame Leeds United, Liverpool and Manchester City to win a four-horse race, with only a single point separating them. It was so close that when Manchester City won their last game of the season—against Derby—they were top of the league by a point but had no chance of actually being champions, as Derby and Liverpool were still to play each other, and both had a superior goal average.
There were later bribery allegations from The Sun newspaper regarding Leeds manager Don Revie, who stood accused of attempting to bribe Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the season in an attempt to win the league title. Captain Billy Bremner won a high court battle to clear his name of the allegations, with evidence provided by Wolves striker Derek Dougan. Although Leeds failed to win the league, they did win the FA Cup for the first time of their history.
Stoke City finally got their hands on some silverware after a century of trying, by winning the League Cup.
Manchester United started the season well under new manager Frank O'Farrell and topped the league for a while, but then lost seven league games in a row and finished eighth in the final table. Troubled winger George Best was dropped from the team towards the end of the season after failing to turn up for training, the latest controversy to surround the hugely popular Northern Irish star, whose excellent early season form had fuelled United's title hopes.
Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town lost their First Division status. By the end of the decade, Forest had made an explosive comeback to the top flight under Brian Clough. 1971–72 was Huddersfield's last season in the top flight to date, and within a few seasons they would be in the Fourth Division – most of their existence since 1972 has been spent in the league's third tier, with seventeen seasons being spent in the second and six in the bottom.
Second Division
Norwich City won the Second Division and were promoted along with Birmingham City. This marked the first time that Norwich City reached the top flight in their history, less than 70 years after the club was founded. Charlton Athletic and Watford were relegated.
Third Division
Aston Villa ended their two-year spell in the Third Division by gaining promotion as champions, and by the end of the decade would be firmly re-established as a First Division club. Brighton & Hove Albion followed Villa into the Second Division, but would not reach the heady heights that the midlanders would experience. Mansfield Town, Barnsley, Torquay United and Bradford City were relegated.
Fourth Division
Grimsby Town, Southend United, Brentford and Scunthorpe United were promoted from the Fourth Division. Barrow were voted out of the Football League and replaced by Hereford United, who a short time earlier had achieved a shock FA Cup victory over Newcastle United.
Ernie Tagg sacked himself as manager of Crewe Alexandra because he felt that a younger manager should take charge of the club.
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points |}
FA Cup
Leeds United won the FA Cup for the first time in their history by beating the previous year's winners, Arsenal, 1–0 in the final at Wembley. Allan Clarke scored the winning goal.
1971–72 marked the centenary of the FA Cup. Non-League Hereford United of the Southern League provided one of the shocks of the season by knocking out Newcastle United 2–1 after extra time in the 3rd Round Replay.
League Cup
Stoke City won the 1972 Football League Cup Final to claim the only major trophy in their history.
European competitions
The 1972 UEFA Cup Final was the final of the first ever UEFA Cup and was contested by two English teams, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs won 2–1 in the first leg at the Molineux on 3 May. The second leg, played on 17 May at White Hart Lane, ended 1–1. The 3–2 aggregate win by Tottenham Hotspur gave them the second European trophy in their history
Diary of the season
25 July 1971: On-tour Chelsea beat Swedish Second Division side Halmstad 6-0, Tommy Baldwin scoring a hat-trick.
1 August 1971: Halifax Town beat Manchester United 2-1 in the Watney Cup...Benfica beat Arsenal 2-0 in a friendly in Lisbon.
4 August 1971: Arsenal gain their revenge on Benfica, thrashing them 6-2 at Highbury. The Portuguese attack referee Norman Burtenshaw who in turn reports the entire team to UEFA...Chelsea draw 1-1 with Bruges in Belgium.
7 August 1971: The Charity Shield is contested without reigning League champions and Cup winners Arsenal, who are on a pre-season tour abroad. Second Division champions Leicester City beat FA Cup runners-up Liverpool with a Steve Whitworth goal....West Bromwich Albion and Colchester United draw 4-4 in the Watney Cup final but the Fourth Division side win on penalties, 18-year-old Phil Bloss scoring from the spot to make sure of the trophy.
9 August 1971: Rangers beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in a friendly in Glasgow.
14 August 1971: The League season opens with double-winners Arsenal beating European Cup-Winners' Cup holders Chelsea 3-0 at Highbury...Kevin Keegan makes his League debut for Liverpool, scoring their first goal in a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
17 August 1971: Norman Hunter is booked as Sheffield United beat Leeds United 3-0 at Bramall Lane.
18 August 1971: George Best is sent off against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a match that Manchester United win 3-2.
20 August 1971: Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1 in a 'home' match at Anfield to go top of the First Division. Their ground at Old Trafford is closed for two weeks following a knife-throwing incident in a match against Newcastle United in February.
21 August 1971: Peter Osgood - currently on the transfer-list for "lack of effort" - plays for Chelsea who draw 2-2 with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge...Sheffield United win 1-0 at Everton to move to the top of the First Division...Malcolm Macdonald scores a hat-trick as Newcastle beat Liverpool 3-2 and Ian Bowyer also scores three for Orient in a 4-1 win over Cardiff City.
23 August 1971: West Ham United gain their first point of the season in a goalless draw with Ipswich Town at Upton Park...Manchester United beat WBA 3-1 at Stoke, the second of their rearranged 'home' matches.
24 August 1971: Sheffield United win 1-0 at Highbury to complete successive wins over the League champions of the past three seasons - Leeds, Everton and Arsenal. It's the Gunners' first home League defeat since January 1970...Chelsea are still without a win, beaten 2-0 at Everton.
25 August 1971: Leeds draw 1-1 with Tottenham at Hull, their second draw from two 'home' games. Their stadium at Elland Road is currently closed through an FA ban imposed after incidents last April...Three players are booked at St James' Park in a 0-0 draw between Newcastle and Huddersfield Town - Jimmy Lawson and Frank Worthington (Huddersfield) and Terry Hibbitt (Newcastle)...Notts County beat Orient 3-1 in a League Cup replay.
28 August 1971: Arsenal lose 1-0 at home to Stoke City - their third successive defeat...West Ham and Chelsea both gain their first wins and Sheffield United still lead the First Division...At Selhurst Park, play is held up for five minutes over a disputed Crystal Palace goal. Steve Kember sportingly admits that the ball had not gone in the net and the match against Nottingham Forest ends 1-1...Bernard Purdie of Chester scores the only hat-trick of the day, getting four goals in a 5-1 home win over Gillingham...40 more players are booked.
30 August 1971: Coventry City lose 4-0 to West Ham at Upton Park.
31 August 1971: 13 more players are booked, including PFA chairman Derek Dougan in Wolverhampton Wanderers' home match against Crystal Palace...Sheffield United move three points clear at the top of the First Division with a 3-1 home win over Huddersfield...Manchester United suffer their first League defeat - 1-0 at Everton...In the League Cup, last season's finalists Aston Villa finally beat Wrexham 4-3 in a first round second replay at the Hawthorns...Bournemouth move to the top of the Third Division with a 1-0 home win over Blackburn Rovers.
1 September 1971: Chelsea gain their first home win of the season, beating WBA 1-0...Leeds beat Newcastle 5-1 at Hillsborough...Another 16 players are booked in League matches and Nigel Edwards of Chester is sent off in a 0-0 draw at Aldershot...Tottenham beat Torino 1-0 in Turin in the first leg of the Anglo-Italian League Cup final, Martin Chivers scoring the goal.
4 September 1971: 50 more players are booked - total for the season is now 292...Sheffield United are still top of the First Division following a 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest...Arsenal beat WBA 1-0 at the Hawthorns...Birmingham City beat Charlton Athletic 4-1 at St Andrew's with three goals from striker Bob Latchford...Notts County top the Third Division, winning 2-1 at Walsall with both goals coming from Tony Hateley....Bristol Rovers hit seven at home to Bradford City.
7 September 1971: League Cup second round shocks - Charlton 3 Leicester 1, Coventry 0 Burnley 1 and Huddersfield 0 Bolton Wanderers 2.
8 September 1971: Holders Tottenham win 1-0 at WBA in the second round of the League Cup...West Ham are held to a 1-1 draw at Upton Park by Cardiff.
11 September 1971: Arsenal beat Leeds 2-0 at Highbury but Sheffield United, who draw 2-2 at home to Tottenham, still lead the First Division. Other Division leaders: Bristol City, Notts County and Grimsby Town...Leicester gain their first away win of the season - 2-1 at Ipswich...Ted MacDougall scores a hat-trick in Bournemouth's 4-1 home win over Rochdale.
14 September 1971: Tottenham open Britain's assault on European trophies with a 6-1 away win over Keflavík (Iceland) in the UEFA Cup, Alan Gilzean scoring a hat-trick.
15 September 1971: An active night in European competitions. In the European Cup, Arsenal win 3-1 in Norway against Strømsgodset...Peter Osgood scores a hat-trick for Chelsea who crush Jeunesse Hautcharage 8-0 in Luxembourg in the Cup Winners' Cup. Liverpool are beaten 2-1 by Servette in Switzerland and Cardiff draw 1-1 with Dynamo (East Berlin) in Germany, conceding the equaliser in the last minute...In the UEFA Cup, Leeds win 2-0 away to Lierse (Belgium), Southampton beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at the Dell and Wolves beat Académica (Portugal) at Molineux.
17 September 1971: Southend United beat Grimsby 3-1, Billy Best scoring a hat-trick.
18 September 1971: Sheffield United keep their place at the top of the First Division with a 1-0 win at Leicester, Alan Woodward scoring the only goal of the game direct from a corner in the last minute...George Best scores a hat-trick in Manchester United's 4-2 win over West Ham.
22 September 1971: West Ham win 2-1 at Cardiff in a League Cup replay, Geoff Hurst scoring two late goals...In the second leg of the Anglo-Italian League Cup final, Tottenham beat Torino 2-0 with goals by Chivers and Gilzean and win 3-0 on aggregate...In a match played for permanent possession of the old Fairs Cup, Barcelona beat Leeds 2-1 in the Camp Nou.
25 September 1971: Sheffield United are still top of the First Division with a three-point lead after a 1-0 home win over Chelsea...Crystal Palace, with three new players in the side, beat Everton 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
28 September 1971: Tottenham beat Keflavík 9-0 at White Hart Lane in the second leg of their UEFA Cup tie to win 15-1 on aggregate. Martin Chivers nets a hat-trick...Norwich City open a three-point lead at the top of Division Two, beating Preston North End 2-0 at Deepdale...Carl Gilbert scores all of Rotherham United's goals in their 4-0 defeat of Swansea City. Other hat-trick men include Arthur Bellamy in Burnley's 6-1 thumping of Orient, Bob Latchford for Birmingham against Watford and Bobby Owen for Carlisle United against Charlton.
29 September 1971: Chelsea beat Jeunesse Hautcharage 13-0 in their return Cup Winners' Cup match at Stamford Bridge, winning the tie 21-0 on aggregate to set a new record score for competitive European club matches. Peter Osgood scores five times and Tommy Baldwin also hits a hat-trick. Osgood's goals, eight in the tie, equals the individual scoring record...In the European Cup, Arsenal beat Strømsgodset 4-0 at Highbury to win 7-1 on aggregate...Cardiff draw 1-1 at Ninian Park with Dynamo in the Cup Winners' Cup to make the aggregate score 2-2 but lose 5-4 on penalties. Liverpool beat Servette 2-0 at Anfield to win their tie 3-2...In the UEFA Cup, Derek Dougan hits a hat-trick for Wolves who win 4-1 away to Académica and take the tie 7-1. Two English clubs crash, Leeds sensationally going down 4-0 at Elland Road against Lierse to lose 4-2 and Southampton being beaten 2-0 by Bilbao in Spain (aggregate score 2-3)...The Third Division clash between Notts County and Bournemouth ends all square at 1-1.
2 October 1971: Manchester United beat Sheffield United 2-0 at Old Trafford, the Blades' first defeat of the season, and close the gap at the top of the First Division to a single point...In Division Two, Norwich draw 0-0 at home to Queens Park Rangers while Millwall move into third place with a 2-1 home win over Carlisle...John O'Mara scores a hat-trick for Brentford who beat Northampton Town 6-1 while Alf Wood scores five of Shrewsbury Town's goals in their 7-1 home win over Blackburn.
5 October 1971: In the third round of the League Cup, Bolton Wanderers produce the shock result of the night, winning 3-0 at home to Manchester City with a hat-trick from 20-year-old Garry Jones. Aston Villa, after being 2-0 down, fight back to draw 2-2 at Crystal Palace and Sheffield United struggle through 3-2 at home to York City, Alan Woodward scoring the winning goal two minutes from time...Liverpool beat Southampton 1-0 at Anfield with a goal from Steve Heighway.
6 October 1971: Holders Tottenham have a comfortable 4-1 win at Torquay United in the League Cup and Arsenal easily beat Newcastle 4-0 at Highbury...In other ties, Chelsea draw 1-1 at Nottingham Forest, Stoke draw 1-1 at Oxford United, Leeds draw 0-0 at West Ham and Manchester United are held 1-1 by Burnley at Old Trafford...Norwich win their tie with Carlisle 4-1 at Carrow Road.
9 October 1971: Sheffield United lose at home for the first time, 3-2 to Stoke, and Manchester United take over as League leaders with a 3-0 win at Huddersfield...WBA win 2-0 at Crystal Palace in a battle at the bottom of the Division with goals from Tony Brown and Bobby Gould.
11 October 1971: League Cup replays - Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 and Preston beat Watford 2-1.
13 October 1971: Aston Villa beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in a League Cup replay.
16 October 1971: Manchester United beat Derby County 1-0 at Old Trafford through George Best to stay top of the table. Derby were the last unbeaten side in the First Division...In the Second Division, Norwich beat Luton Town 3-1 at Carrow Road and Millwall win 3-1 against Bristol City at the Den.
19 October 1971: Millwall suffer their first League defeat, losing 1-0 at Middlesbrough to an 88th-minute goal by John Hickton.
20 October 1971: Arsenal win away to Grasshoppers (Zürich) in the European Cup.
23 October 1971: Manchester United win 1-0 at Newcastle with a George Best goal to extend their lead at the top of the First Division...Derby beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Baseball Ground...In Division Two, leaders Norwich suffer their first League defeat, losing 2-1 at second placed Millwall.
26 October 1971: In the League Cup, Blackpool beat Aston Villa 4-1 but the other three ties - Arsenal v Sheffield United, QPR v Bristol Rovers and Grimsby v Norwich - are drawn.
27 October 1971: West Ham beat Liverpool 2-1 in the League Cup but the other three ties are drawn, making a total of six replays necessary. Manchester United draw 1-1 with Stoke at Old Trafford and both Tottenham and Chelsea are held by lower opponents, Preston drawing 1-1 at White Hart Lane and Bolton 1-1 at Stamford Bridge.
29 October 1971: Bournemouth keep up the pressure at the top of the Third Division, beating Mansfield Town 5-0 away, Ted MacDougall scoring a hat-trick.
30 October 1971: Manchester United lose their unbeaten record at Old Trafford, going down 1-0 to Leeds...Derby maintain their challenge with a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
2 November 1971: In the UEFA Cup, Tottenham beat Nantes (France) 1-0 at White Hart Lane with a goal from Martin Peters and win the tie by the same score...Bristol Rovers beat QPR 1-0 in their replayed League Cup tie.
3 November 1971: Chelsea, the European Cup Winners' Cup holders, are knocked out of the tournament after being held to a 1-1 draw by the Swedish team Åtvidaberg at Stamford Bridge. With the aggregate score 1-1, Chelsea lose on the away goals rule. Liverpool are beaten in the same competition, losing 3-1 to Bayern Munich...In the European Cup, Arsenal beat Grasshoppers 3-0 at Highbury, and Wolves beat ADO The Hague 4-0 at Molineux in the UEFA Cup with a goal by Derek Dougan and three own goals.
6 November 1971: Manchester City and Manchester United draw 3-3 at Maine Road in a big First Division game with 17-year-old debutant Sammy McIlroy on the scoresheet for United...Derby beat Crystal Palace 3-0 to stay in second place...Norwich win 2-1 at Hull City to maintain their lead in the Second Division with Millwall, 3-2 winners over Watford, in second place...In the Third Division, Bournemouth and Notts County both win to move five and four points clear of the rest of the field.
8 November 1971: In League Cup replays, Chelsea win 6-0 at Bolton with Tommy Baldwin scoring a hat-trick, Tottenham win 2-1 at Preston after extra time and Sheffield United beat Arsenal 2-0 but Stoke and Manchester United are deadlocked at 0-0 after extra time.
13 November 1971: Manchester United stay top of the First Division, beating Tottenham 3-1 at Old Trafford.
15 November 1971: In their League Cup second replay, Stoke eventually beat Manchester United 2-1 at the Victoria Ground.
17 November 1971: League Cup quarter-finals: Tottenham have a comfortable 2-0 home win over Blackpool and Chelsea gain an excellent 1-0 victory at Second Division leaders Norwich with a goal by Peter Osgood...At Upton Park, West Ham run riot, beating Sheffield United 5-0 with a hat-trick from Bryan Robson.
20 November 1971: Manchester United, with a 3-2 home win over Leicester, still lead the First Division. Denis Law scores twice for United...Derby, in second place, win 3-0 at home to Sheffield United and Manchester City win 2-0 at West Ham...Arsenal crash 5-1 at Wolves after being 1-0 up at half-time and Everton thrash Southampton 8-0 at Goodison Park, Joe Royle scoring four times and David Johnson collecting a hat-trick...In the FA Cup, Ted MacDougall sets a new scoring record with nine goals in Bournemouth's 11-0 home win over Southern League Margate...Brighton and Hove Albion beat Hillingdon Borough 7-1 while Colchester, last year's shock winners over Leeds, are beaten 4-1 at home by Shrewsbury...Aston Villa lose 1-0 at Southend while non-League clubs to progress include Wigan Athletic, who beat Halifax 2-1, and amateurs Blyth Spartans, who win 1-0 at Crewe Alexandra.
22 November 1971: In FA Cup replays, Port Vale beat Blackburn 3-1, Peterborough United beat Redditch United 6-0, Mansfield beat Chester 4-3 and Swansea win 3-2 at Brentford...In a fourth qualifying round fifth replay, Alvechurch beat Oxford City 1-0 at Villa Park. The two teams had played a total of 11 hours, a new record.
23 November 1971: In the League Cup, Stoke qualify for the semi-finals with a 4-2 away win over Bristol Rovers...Rotherham beat Frickley Colliery 4-0 in an FA Cup replay.
24 November 1971: Bertie Mee drops Charlie George and Sammy Nelson from the Arsenal team to play Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Result: a 1-1 draw...Wolves produce a good result in the UEFA Cup, winning 1-0 in East Germany against Carl Zeiss Jena with a goal from John Richards...Aldershot beat Alvechurch 4-2 in the first round of the FA Cup...Derby beat Newcastle 1-0 at home in the first leg of the Texaco Cup semi-final and Airdrieonians win 3-0 at Ballymena United in the other tie.
27 November 1971: George Best scores a hat-trick for Manchester United who maintain their lead at the top of the First Division with a 5-2 win at Southampton...Manchester City are in second position...At the top of Division Two, Norwich win 2-0 at home to Middlesbrough but Millwall drop a point in a 0-0 draw at Hull.
29 November 1971: South Shields gain a 3-2 win at Scunthorpe United in an FA Cup replay to earn a home Second Round tie with Notts County.
4 December 1971: Manchester United move five points clear at the top of the First Division with a 3-2 home win over Nottingham Forest...Derby, with a 3-1 home win over Manchester City, move into joint second place with City and Leeds who have a comfortable 3-0 home win over WBA...Crystal Palace produce the shock result, beating Sheffield United 5-1 at Selhurst Park to pull themselves at last off the bottom of the table...In the Second Division, Eamon Dunphy salvages a point for Millwall, scoring a late goal to give them a 1-1 draw against Burnley at the Den.
8 December 1971: In the UEFA Cup, Tottenham beat Rapid Bucharest 3-0 at White Hart Lane. Goalkeeper Necula Răducanu clowns his way through a tragi-comedy of a match - violence mixed with farce in an uneasy fashion...Wolves beat Carl Zeiss Jena 3-0 (4-0 agg.). With two goals, Derek Dougan breaks Wolves' individual scoring record in European competitions, his eight goals so far in the competition taking him past Peter Broadbent's total of seven...West Ham win 2-1 at Stoke in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final...In the Texaco Cup semi-finals, Airdrieonians qualify with a 4-3 win (7-3 agg.) over Ballymena to meet Derby, who beat Newcastle 3-2 after extra-time, 4-2 on aggregate.
11 December 1971: Manchester United's lead at the top of the First Division is cut to four points by their neighbours City. United draw 1-1 at Stoke but City beat Ipswich 4-0 at Maine Road...Liverpool, with a hat-trick from Jack Whitham, beat Derby 3-2 at Anfield and Leeds draw 0-0 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge...Crystal Palace, who win 1-0 at Huddersfield, and Nottingham Forest, who beat Everton 1-0, pull ahead of WBA who are beaten 3-0 at home by Newcastle and are now three points adrift...Division Two leaders Norwich drop a home point to bottom club Watford who equalise 30 seconds from the end through their new £7000 signing from Crewe, Pat Morrissey...Millwall lose 4-0 at Preston and QPR close the gap at the top with a 4-1 win at Carlisle, Rodney Marsh scoring twice...In the second round of the FA Cup, non-League clubs to win are Boston United, who beat Hartlepool United 2-1, and Blyth Spartans, who beat Stockport County...Hereford United hold Northampton to a 0-0 draw...Barnet (v Torquay) and South Shields (v Notts County) both take early leads in their matches but lose 4-1 and 3-1 respectively...Bournemouth's Ted MacDougall scores in their 2-0 home win over Southend - his 31st goal of the season.
13 December 1971: Rotherham United win 3-2 after extra time at York in their FA Cup replay.
14 December 1971: Tottenham win their UEFA Cup tie against Rapid Bucharest 2-0 in a vicious game in Romania with goals by Jimmy Pearce and Martin Chivers. Pearce, a second-half substitute for Alan Gilzean, is only on the field for 10 minutes, scoring a goal, having another disallowed and then being sent off for retaliation along with Rapid full-back Pop. After the match, Tottenham manager Bill Nicholson says, "If this is European football, we are better out of it. I haven't seen a dirtier game in 30 years."
15 December 1971: Stoke save their League Cup semi-final with West Ham in dramatic style at Upton Park. With only three minutes of extra time remaining, Banks is penalised for bringing down Harry Redknapp but the England 'keeper brilliantly saves Geoff Hurst's penalty to make a third match necessary after a 1-0 win.
17 December 1971: Peter Bonetti is carried off with an ankle injury in Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Coventry, David Webb playing in goal for an hour.
18 December 1971: Both Manchester clubs drop points, United at Ipswich (0-0) and City surprisingly at home to Leicester (1-1)...Leeds draw 1-1 at Crystal Palace in a hard-fought game and Derby close the gap with a 2-0 home win over Everton...WBA, adrift at the bottom of the table, lose 2-0 to Don Howe's old club Arsenal at Highbury...In the Second Division, leaders Norwich crash 3-0 at Carlise to a Stan Bowles hat-trick and Millwall stage a dramatic comeback to draw 3-3 at Sunderland after being 3-1 down with five minutes left...QPR close the gap with a 3-0 home win over Swindon Town.
20 December 1971: Southern League side Hereford earn a third round FA Cup tie at Newcastle by beating Northampton 2-1 after extra time of their second replay, held at the Hawthorns - Hereford's second FA Cup success against Northampton in consecutive seasons.
22 December 1971: In the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, Chelsea beat Tottenham 3-2 at Stamford Bridge. Peter Osgood opens the scoring but in the second half Tottenham hit two in three minutes through Terry Naylor and Martin Chivers. Chelsea stage a great comeback, scoring twice in the last 15 minutes through Chris Garland (his first goal for the club) and John Hollins (a penalty after handball by Naylor).
27 December 1971: Manchester United drop a home point in a 2-2 draw with Coventry. Young and a Tony Dunne own goal shoot Coventry into a 2-0 lead but goals from Law and James in the closing stages give United a point. Five Coventry players not 10 yards from a free kick are booked...Alan Ball makes a quiet debut for Arsenal in a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest...Manchester City close the gap at the top of the table to three points with a 3-1 win at Stoke...At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are forced to play David Webb in goal against Ipswich but still manage to win 2-0. Regular 'keeper Peter Bonetti and deputy John Phillips are out with injury and despite a motorway dash 'A' team goalkeeper Steve Sherwood arrives too late.
1 January 1972: First goal of the year is scored by Dave Lennard of Blackpool 30 seconds after the kick-off against Watford...Manchester United are well beaten 3-0 at West Ham and Leeds' 2-0 win at Liverpool boosts their hopes...Derby respond to manager Brian Clough's attack on his players ("We are not big enough and strong enough to dish it out when it needs to be dished out") with a 1-0 win at home to Chelsea for whom 18-year-old Steve Sherwood makes his debut in goal...QPR keep up the pressure on the leaders in the Second Division with a 3-1 win over Burnley, Mick Leach scoring twice.
5 January 1972: In the League Cup semi-final, Chelsea win their way through to Wembley with a 2-2 draw at Tottenham. Chivers and Peters (penalty) twice put Tottenham ahead but Chris Garland and Alan Hudson, who conceded the penalty, twice equalise. Hudson's goal, direct from a free-kick, was scored only two minutes from time...At Hillsborough, Stoke and West Ham draw 0-0 after extra time and a second replay is fixed for Old Trafford.
8 January 1972: Manchester United, without George Best, lose 3-1 at home to sixth-placed Wolves who win with goals by Dougan, Richards and McCalliog (penalty). Sammy McIlroy, Best's replacement, scores United's only goal five minutes from time...Manchester City and Leeds both draw and move a point closer, City 1-1 at Tottenham and Leeds surprisingly 2-2 v Ipswich at Elland Road. Ipswich were 2-0 up and Allan Clarke scored a controversial equalising goal seven minutes from time with a swerving shot...At the bottom of the table, Willie Wallace gives Crystal Palace both points at Nottingham Forest while WBA draw 2-2 with Sheffield United at home...In the Second Division, Norwich move five points clear with a 2-1 home win over Fulham, Ken Foggo scoring their winner 20 seconds from time...In a top of the table clash, Millwall and QPR draw 0-0 at the Den.
15 January 1972: The Third Round of the FA Cup produces few surprises. Cardiff beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and Hull win 3-0 at Norwich. Amateurs Blyth Spartans force a replay, drawing 2-2 with Reading, and Bobby Moore is carried off after 10 minutes of West Ham's tie against Luton...John Hughes of Crystal Palace is sent off by referee Tommy Dawes against Everton in a hard game at Selhurst Park which was nearly abandoned due to spectator invasions of the pitch. Five players were booked...Both '71 finalists open with convincing away victories, Arsenal 2-0 at Swindon with Alan Ball scoring his first for the club and Liverpool 3-0 at Oxford.
18 January 1972: In their FA Cup replay, Middlesbrough beat Manchester City 1-0.
19 January 1972: In FA Cup replays, Reading beat Blyth Spartans 6-1 and George Best plays a brilliant game to steer Manchester United to a 4-1 extra time win over Southampton.
22 January 1972: Chelsea topple Manchester United from the top of the First Division, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford with a goal by Peter Osgood to enable Leeds to take over the leadership...Aston Villa take over as new leaders of the Third Division.
24 January 1972: Southern League Hereford produce the shock of the FA Cup so far, holding Newcastle to a 2-2 draw at St James' Park.
26 January 1972: Stoke reach a Wembley final for the first time in their history, beating West Ham 3-2 in the second replay of the League Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. Goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson is injured in an early collision with Terry Conroy and Bobby Moore takes over in goal. Shortly afterwards, Stoke take the lead with a penalty by Mike Bernard. West Ham, with ten men, equalise with a deflected shot by Billy Bonds and, after Ferguson's return, take the lead through Trevor Brooking. Minutes before half-time, Stoke get back on terms through Peter Dobing. In the second half, Conroy scores quickly to put Stoke back in front.
28 January 1972: Aston Villa win 1-0 at Tranmere Rovers and still head the Third Division.
29 January 1972: Manchester City move two points clear at the top of the First Division, beating Wolves 5-2 at Maine Road, Francis Lee scoring a hat-trick...Leeds lose 1-0 at Tottenham to a Martin Chivers goal after a defensive blunder...Derby beat Coventry at the Baseball Ground with a goal from John Robson in the first minute of the second half and stay in third place while Manchester United's poor run continues at West Bromwich. After taking an early lead through Brian Kidd, United are forced back by sustained Albion pressure. Bobby Gould scores the equaliser and their winner comes from the recalled Jeff Astle...The bottom two places in the Division are filled by Nottingham Forest, who lose 4-1 at Southampton, and Crystal Place, who go down by the same score at Liverpool. Chris Lawler scores twice to reach 50 goals for the club - none from penalties...Charlie George returns to the Arsenal side and scores twice in their 5-0 win at Sheffield United...In the Second Division, Norwich slip, losing 1-0 at Burnley, and Millwall move into second place with a 1-0 home win over Middlesbrough...QPR are held to a 1-1 draw at Luton and Birmingham move into fourth place with a 4-1 home win over Swindon...Watford lose 4-0 at Hull and look doomed to relegation, now five points adrift of Cardiff who also lose, 4-3 at home to Blackpool...In Division Three, Notts County beat Blackburn 1-0 at home and Bournemouth draw 1-1 at Port Vale...Brentford slip to second in the Fourth Division, losing 2-0 at home to Reading, Scunthorpe taking over the leadership.
19 February 1972: Leeds United thrash Manchester United 5–1 at Elland Road and are two points behind Manchester City at the top of the table. Manchester United have now lost five League matches in a row.
4 March 1972: Leeds United beat Southampton 7–0 and will overtake Manchester City at the top of the table if they win their two games in hand. Manchester United are beaten for the sixth consecutive match in the League when they lose 2–0 to Tottenham Hotspur.
1 April 1972: Derby County beat Leeds United 2–0 and take over at the top of the First Division.
26 April 1972: Derby County win the Texaco Cup by beating Airdrieonians 2–1 on aggregate. Crystal Palace's 2–0 win over Stoke City relegates both Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town from the First Division.
1 May 1972: Derby County, in their last League game of the season, beat Liverpool 1–0 . Leeds United beat Chelsea 2–0 and will win the title if they can beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final fixture.
6 May 1972: Leeds United win the FA Cup for the first time in their history by beating Arsenal 1–0 in the final at Wembley, with Allan Clarke heading the only goal in the second half.
8 May 1972: Derby County win the League Championship as neither Leeds United nor Liverpool manage to win their final league games. Leeds would have overtaken Derby on goal average had they drawn with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, but lose 2-1, while Liverpool draw 0-0 with Arsenal at Highbury.
11 May 1972: The First Division season ends when Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal 2–0 in the North London derby at Highbury.
Star players
Star managers
National team
England were eliminated from the 1972 European Championships in the quarter-finals after losing 3–1 on aggregate over two legs (1–3 at Wembley and 0–0 in West Berlin) to West Germany, who went on to win the tournament.
Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition