1980/81 was Manchester City's 79th season of competitive football - its 61st in the top division of English football, its 61st (total) and its 15th consecutive season in the (old) English First Division. The leading goalscorer this season was Kevin Reeves who scored 17 goals from just 54 appearances. The player who made the most appearances for the club this season was Paul Power who played 57 times. The club had 15 different goalscorers and used 25 different players including 8 debutants. Debutants this season were Alex Williams, Andy May, Bobby McDonald, Gary Buckley, Gerry Gow, Phil Boyer, Steve Kinsey and Tommy Hutchison.
Season Stats
57
23
15
19
90
72
0
0
25
Competitions
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Division One (old) | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 56 | 59 | 39 | 12th |
| FA Cup | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 0 | Runners-Up |
| League Cup | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 0 | Semi-Finals |
League Table
| Position | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa | 42 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 72 | 40 | 32 | 60 | |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 77 | 43 | 34 | 56 | |
| 3 | Arsenal | 42 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 61 | 45 | 16 | 53 | |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 60 | 42 | 18 | 52 | |
| 5 | Liverpool | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 62 | 42 | 20 | 51 | |
| 6 | Southampton | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 76 | 56 | 20 | 50 | |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 62 | 44 | 18 | 50 | |
| 8 | Manchester United | 42 | 15 | 18 | 9 | 51 | 36 | 15 | 48 | |
| 9 | Leeds United | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 39 | 47 | -8 | 44 | |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 70 | 68 | 2 | 43 | |
| 11 | Stoke City | 42 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 51 | 60 | -9 | 42 | |
| 12 | Manchester City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 56 | 59 | -3 | 39 | |
| 13 | Birmingham City | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 50 | 61 | -11 | 38 | |
| 14 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 53 | 61 | -8 | 37 | |
| 15 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 55 | 58 | -3 | 36 | |
| 16 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 48 | 68 | -20 | 36 | |
| 17 | Sunderland | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 52 | 53 | -1 | 35 | |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 43 | 55 | -12 | 35 | |
| 19 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 54 | 67 | -13 | 35 | |
| 20 | Norwich City | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 49 | 73 | -24 | 33 | |
| 21 | Leicester City | 42 | 13 | 6 | 23 | 40 | 67 | -27 | 32 | |
| 22 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 47 | 83 | -36 | 19 |
Matches
57
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16/08/1980 | English Division One (old) | Southampton | Away | 0-2 |
| 20/08/1980 | English Division One (old) | Sunderland | Home | 0-4 |
| 23/08/1980 | English Division One (old) | Aston Villa | Home | 2-2 |
| 27/08/1980 | League Cup | Stoke City | Away | 1-1 |
| 30/08/1980 | English Division One (old) | Middlesbrough | Away | 2-2 |
| 03/09/1980 | League Cup | Stoke City | Home | 3-0 |
| 06/09/1980 | English Division One (old) | Arsenal | Home | 1-1 |
| 13/09/1980 | English Division One (old) | Nottingham Forest | Away | 2-3 |
| 20/09/1980 | English Division One (old) | Stoke City | Home | 1-2 |
| 23/09/1980 | League Cup | Luton Town | Away | 2-1 |
| 27/09/1980 | English Division One (old) | Manchester United | Away | 2-2 |
| 04/10/1980 | English Division One (old) | Liverpool | Home | 0-3 |
| 08/10/1980 | English Division One (old) | Leeds United | Away | 0-1 |
| 11/10/1980 | English Division One (old) | West Bromwich Albion | Away | 1-3 |
| 18/10/1980 | English Division One (old) | Birmingham City | Home | 0-1 |
| 22/10/1980 | English Division One (old) | Tottenham Hotspur | Home | 3-1 |
| 25/10/1980 | English Division One (old) | Brighton & Hove Albion | Away | 2-1 |
| 29/10/1980 | League Cup | Notts County | Home | 5-1 |
| 01/11/1980 | English Division One (old) | Norwich City | Home | 1-0 |
| 08/11/1980 | English Division One (old) | Leicester City | Away | 1-1 |
| 12/11/1980 | English Division One (old) | Sunderland | Away | 0-2 |
| 15/11/1980 | English Division One (old) | Southampton | Home | 3-0 |
| 22/11/1980 | English Division One (old) | Coventry City | Home | 3-0 |
| 29/11/1980 | English Division One (old) | Crystal Palace | Away | 3-2 |
| 03/12/1980 | League Cup | West Bromwich Albion | Home | 2-1 |
| 06/12/1980 | English Division One (old) | Ipswich Town | Home | 1-1 |
| 13/12/1980 | English Division One (old) | Tottenham Hotspur | Away | 1-2 |
| 20/12/1980 | English Division One (old) | Leeds United | Home | 1-0 |
| 26/12/1980 | English Division One (old) | Everton | Away | 2-0 |
| 27/12/1980 | English Division One (old) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Home | 4-0 |
| 03/01/1981 | FA Cup | Crystal Palace | Home | 4-0 |
| 10/01/1981 | English Division One (old) | Coventry City | Away | 1-1 |
| 14/01/1981 | League Cup | Liverpool | Home | 0-1 |
| 17/01/1981 | English Division One (old) | Middlesbrough | Home | 3-2 |
| 24/01/1981 | FA Cup | Norwich City | Home | 6-0 |
| 31/01/1981 | English Division One (old) | Aston Villa | Away | 0-1 |
| 07/02/1981 | English Division One (old) | Nottingham Forest | Home | 1-1 |
| 10/02/1981 | League Cup | Liverpool | Away | 1-1 |
| 14/02/1981 | FA Cup | Peterborough United | Away | 1-0 |
| 21/02/1981 | English Division One (old) | Manchester United | Home | 1-0 |
| 24/02/1981 | English Division One (old) | Arsenal | Away | 0-2 |
| 07/03/1981 | FA Cup | Everton | Away | 2-2 |
| 11/03/1981 | FA Cup | Everton | Home | 3-1 |
| 14/03/1981 | English Division One (old) | West Bromwich Albion | Home | 2-1 |
| 18/03/1981 | English Division One (old) | Stoke City | Away | 1-2 |
| 21/03/1981 | English Division One (old) | Birmingham City | Away | 0-2 |
| 28/03/1981 | English Division One (old) | Brighton & Hove Albion | Home | 1-1 |
| 31/03/1981 | English Division One (old) | Leicester City | Home | 3-3 |
| 04/04/1981 | English Division One (old) | Norwich City | Away | 0-2 |
| 11/04/1981 | FA Cup | Ipswich Town | Neutral | 1-0 |
| 18/04/1981 | English Division One (old) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Away | 3-1 |
| 20/04/1981 | English Division One (old) | Everton | Home | 3-1 |
| 25/04/1981 | English Division One (old) | Ipswich Town | Away | 0-1 |
| 02/05/1981 | English Division One (old) | Crystal Palace | Home | 1-1 |
| 09/05/1981 | FA Cup | Tottenham Hotspur | Neutral | 1-1 |
| 14/05/1981 | FA Cup | Tottenham Hotspur | Neutral | 2-3 |
| 19/05/1981 | English Division One (old) | Liverpool | Away | 0-1 |