# 1972–73 Football League First Division

Statistics of Football League First Division in the 1972–73 season.

## Overview

Liverpool won the First Division title for the eighth time in the club's history that season. They made sure of the title with a 0–0 draw against Leicester City at Anfield and finished the season three points ahead of title challengers Arsenal. Crystal Palace were relegated on 24 April, after losing 2–1 at relegation rivals Norwich City. West Bromwich Albion joined them the next day after losing 2–1 at home to Manchester City.

## League standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 72 | 42 | 1.714 | 60 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Arsenal | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 57 | 43 | 1.326 | 57 | |
| 3 | Leeds United | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 71 | 45 | 1.578 | 53 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 55 | 45 | 1.222 | 48 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 66 | 54 | 1.222 | 47 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | West Ham United | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 67 | 53 | 1.264 | 46 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 7 | Derby County | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 56 | 54 | 1.037 | 46 | |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 58 | 48 | 1.208 | 45 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 60 | 51 | 1.176 | 45 | |
| 10 | Birmingham City | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 53 | 54 | 0.981 | 42 | |
| 11 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 57 | 60 | 0.950 | 41 | |
| 12 | Chelsea | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 49 | 51 | 0.961 | 40 | |
| 13 | Southampton | 42 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 47 | 52 | 0.904 | 40 | |
| 14 | Sheffield United | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 40 | |
| 15 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 61 | 56 | 1.089 | 38 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 16 | Leicester City | 42 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 40 | 46 | 0.870 | 37 | |
| 17 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 41 | 49 | 0.837 | 37 | |
| 18 | Manchester United | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 44 | 60 | 0.733 | 37 | |
| 19 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 40 | 55 | 0.727 | 35 | |
| 20 | Norwich City | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 36 | 63 | 0.571 | 32 | |
| 21 | Crystal Palace (R) | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 41 | 58 | 0.707 | 30 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | West Bromwich Albion (R) | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 38 | 62 | 0.613 | 28 | Relegation to the Second Division |
* 1 2 West Ham United and Stoke City qualified for the Watney Cup as the two teams with the most goals that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.

## Results

| Home \ Away | ARS | BIR | CHE | COV | CRY | DER | EVE | IPS | LEE | LEI | LIV | MCI | MUN | NEW | NWC | SHU | SOU | STK | TOT | WBA | WHU | WOL |
| Arsenal | | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–2 |
| Birmingham City | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Chelsea | 0–1 | 0–0 | | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Coventry City | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Crystal Palace | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Derby County | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Everton | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Ipswich Town | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Leeds United | 6–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | | 3–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Leicester City | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Liverpool | 0–2 | 4–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 4–2 |
| Manchester City | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 |
| Manchester United | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Newcastle United | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Norwich City | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Sheffield United | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Southampton | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Stoke City | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–3 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 4–3 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| West Ham United | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | | 2–2 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |

## Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Coventry City | Bob Dennison | End of caretaker spell | 15 June 1972 | Pre-season | Joe Mercer | 15 June 1972 |
| Manchester United | Frank O'Farrell | Sacked | 19 December 1972 | 21st | Tommy Docherty | 22 December 1972 |
| Crystal Palace | Bert Head | Mutual consent | 28 March 1973 | 20th | Malcolm Allison | 30 March 1973 |
| Manchester City | Malcolm Allison | Signed by Crystal Palace | 30 March 1973 | 14th | Johnny Hart | 30 March 1973 |
| Everton | Harry Catterick | Resigned | 7 April 1973 | 15th | Tom Eggleston (caretaker) | 7 April 1973 |

## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Pop Robson | West Ham United | 28 |
| 2 | John Richards | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 27 |
| 3 | Billy Dearden | Sheffield United | 20 |
| 4 | Bob Latchford | Birmingham City | 19 |
| 5 | Allan Clarke | Leeds United | 18 |
| = | John Tudor | Newcastle United | 18 |