# 1953–54 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1953–54 season was Manchester United's 52nd season in the Football League, and their ninth consecutive season in the top division of English football.
United finished the season in fourth place, recovering well after an eight-match winless start. Top scorer for the season was Tommy Taylor, who in his first full season at the club scored 22 goals in the league and a further goal in the FA Cup. 20-year-old striker Dennis Viollet established himself in the first team this season and scored 12 goals, and 17-year-old Duncan Edwards gradually displaced the veteran Henry Cockburn at left-half.

## First Division

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 19 August 1953 | Chelsea | H | 1 – 1 | Pearson | 28,936 |
| 22 August 1953 | Liverpool | A | 4 – 4 | Byrne, Lewis, Rowley, Taylor | 48,422 |
| 26 August 1953 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1 – 3 | Taylor | 31,806 |
| 29 August 1953 | Newcastle United | H | 1 – 1 | Chilton | 27,837 |
| 2 September 1953 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0 – 2 | | 28,892 |
| 5 September 1953 | Manchester City | A | 0 – 2 | | 53,097 |
| 9 September 1953 | Middlesbrough | H | 2 – 2 | Rowley (2) | 18,161 |
| 12 September 1953 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0 – 0 | | 43,544 |
| 16 September 1953 | Middlesbrough | A | 4 – 1 | Taylor (2), Byrne, Rowley | 23,607 |
| 19 September 1953 | Preston North End | H | 1 – 0 | Byrne | 41,171 |
| 26 September 1953 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1 – 1 | Rowley | 52,837 |
| 3 October 1953 | Burnley | H | 1 – 2 | Pearson | 37,696 |
| 10 October 1953 | Sunderland | H | 1 – 0 | Rowley | 34,617 |
| 17 October 1953 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1 – 3 | Taylor | 40,084 |
| 24 October 1953 | Aston Villa | H | 1 – 0 | Berry | 30,266 |
| 31 October 1953 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0 – 0 | | 34,175 |
| 7 November 1953 | Arsenal | H | 2 – 2 | Blanchflower, Rowley | 28,141 |
| 14 November 1953 | Cardiff City | A | 6 – 1 | Viollet (2), Berry, Blanchflower, Rowley, Taylor | 26,844 |
| 21 November 1953 | Blackpool | H | 4 – 1 | Taylor (3), Viollet | 49,853 |
| 28 November 1953 | Portsmouth | A | 1 – 1 | Taylor | 29,233 |
| 5 December 1953 | Sheffield United | H | 2 – 2 | Blanchflower (2) | 31,693 |
| 12 December 1953 | Chelsea | A | 1 – 3 | Berry | 37,153 |
| 19 December 1953 | Liverpool | H | 5 – 1 | Blanchflower (2), Taylor (2), Viollet | 26,074 |
| 25 December 1953 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 5 – 2 | Taylor (3), Blanchflower, Viollet | 27,123 |
| 26 December 1953 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1 – 0 | Viollet | 44,196 |
| 2 January 1954 | Newcastle United | A | 2 – 1 | Blanchflower, Foulkes | 55,780 |
| 16 January 1954 | Manchester City | H | 1 – 1 | Berry | 46,379 |
| 23 January 1954 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1 – 5 | Taylor | 46,663 |
| 6 February 1954 | Preston North End | A | 3 – 1 | Blanchflower, Rowley, Taylor | 30,064 |
| 13 February 1954 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2 – 0 | Rowley, Taylor | 35,485 |
| 20 February 1954 | Burnley | A | 0 – 2 | | 29,576 |
| 27 February 1954 | Sunderland | A | 2 – 0 | Taylor, Blanchflower | 58,440 |
| 6 March 1954 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1 – 0 | Berry | 38,939 |
| 13 March 1954 | Aston Villa | A | 2 – 2 | Taylor (2) | 26,023 |
| 20 March 1954 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3 – 1 | Blanchflower, Rowley, Viollet | 40,181 |
| 27 March 1954 | Arsenal | A | 1 – 3 | Taylor | 42,753 |
| 3 April 1954 | Cardiff City | H | 2 – 3 | Rowley, Viollet | 22,832 |
| 10 April 1954 | Blackpool | A | 0 – 2 | | 25,996 |
| 16 April 1954 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2 – 0 | Aston, Viollet | 31,876 |
| 17 April 1954 | Portsmouth | H | 2 – 0 | Blanchflower, Viollet | 29,663 |
| 19 April 1954 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0 – 1 | | 19,111 |
| 24 April 1954 | Sheffield United | A | 3 – 1 | Aston, Blanchflower, Viollet | 29,189 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (C) | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 96 | 56 | 1.714 | 57 | |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 86 | 63 | 1.365 | 53 | |
| 3 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 78 | 61 | 1.279 | 51 | |
| 4 | Manchester United | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 73 | 58 | 1.259 | 48 | |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 75 | 60 | 1.250 | 48 | |
| 6 | Blackpool | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 80 | 69 | 1.159 | 48 | |
| 7 | Burnley | 42 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 78 | 67 | 1.164 | 46 | |
| 8 | Chelsea | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 74 | 68 | 1.088 | 44 | |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 75 | 77 | 0.974 | 44 | |
| 10 | Cardiff City | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 51 | 71 | 0.718 | 44 | |
| 11 | Preston North End | 42 | 19 | 5 | 18 | 87 | 58 | 1.500 | 43 | |
| 12 | Arsenal | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 75 | 73 | 1.027 | 43 | |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 70 | 68 | 1.029 | 41 | |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 81 | 89 | 0.910 | 39 | |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 72 | 77 | 0.935 | 38 | |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 65 | 76 | 0.855 | 37 | |
| 17 | Manchester City | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 62 | 77 | 0.805 | 37 | |
| 18 | Sunderland | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 81 | 89 | 0.910 | 36 | |
| 19 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 70 | 91 | 0.769 | 36 | |
| 20 | Sheffield United | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 69 | 90 | 0.767 | 33 | |
| 21 | Middlesbrough (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 60 | 91 | 0.659 | 30 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Liverpool (R) | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 68 | 97 | 0.701 | 28 | Relegation to the Second Division |

## FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 19 January 1954 | Round 3 | Burnley | A | 3 – 5 | Blanchflower, Taylor, Viollet | 54,000 |

## Squad statistics

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Jack Crompton | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| GK | Ray Wood | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| FB | John Aston, Sr. | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| FB | Roger Byrne | 41 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| FB | Bill Foulkes | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| FB | Tommy McNulty | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| FB | Billy Redman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | Jackie Blanchflower | 27 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 14 |
| HB | Allenby Chilton | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
| HB | Henry Cockburn | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| HB | Duncan Edwards | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| HB | Don Gibson | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| HB | Jeff Whitefoot | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| FW | Johnny Berry | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 5 |
| FW | Eddie Lewis | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| FW | Noel McFarlane | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | David Pegg | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| FW | Stan Pearson | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| FW | Harry McShane | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| FW | Jack Rowley | 36 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 12 |
| FW | Tommy Taylor | 35 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 23 |
| FW | Dennis Viollet | 29 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 12 |
| FW | Colin Webster | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |