MANCHESTER UNITED 1 CITY 0
League Division 1
22nd March 1980
attendance 56,384
Scorer Thomas(46)
ref Peter Willis
City Corrigan, Ranson, Power, Reid, Caton, Booth, Henry, Reeves, Daley, Tueart, Bennett – sub Palmer(67)
United Bailey, Nicholl, Albiston, McIlroy, McQueen, Buchan, Coppell, Wilkins, Jordan, Macari, Thomas – sub Grimes(72)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
GEOFF HODGSON WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 22ND MARCH 1980
What a let down! That was the verdict of the full house 57,000 who packed into Old Trafford for the centenary derby clash between United and City this afternoon.
It took an own-goal blunder by City’s Tony Henry to send United on their way to victory after one of the dullest clashes between the famous old rivals.
The game was billed as the derby of destiny but there was little to get excited about for the fans who saw only three shots at goal in the opening 45 minutes.
United looked anything but championship material and City looked like relegation fodder.
The goal that broke the deadlock came after 46 minutes when Mickey Thomas moved down the left to fire in a fierce drive, which City keeper Joe Corrigan looked to have covered. But the ball cannoned off the Blues’ Tony Henry, one of the scorers in City’s 2-0 win over United in November, and lifted over Corrigan’s head into the net.
It brought roars of delight from the Stretford End but on the day there was precious little to cheer about in a lifeless drab encounter.
