League Division One · Matchday 28
Coventry City v Manchester United
4–3
Manchester United lost 3–4 to Coventry City at Highfield Road on Tuesday 20th March 1979 in the League Division One. Steve Coppell (36', 89') and Sammy McIlroy (64') scored for United.
Timeline
Running score
- Kick Off
- 2' Barry Powell 1–0
- 8' Garry Thompson 2–0
- 36' Steve Coppell 2–1
- 42' Tommy Hutchinson 3–1
- Half Time
- 47' Bobby McDonald 4–1
- 64' Sammy McIlroy 4–2
- 89' Steve Coppell 4–3
- Full Time 4–3
Match Facts
Starting XI
Substitutes
No substitutes recorded
Managers
MUFC
Dave Sexton
Manchester United
OPP
Gordon Milne
Coventry City
United vs Coventry City History
Meeting 33 of 84
84
Played
43
Won
18
Drawn
23
Lost
140
Goals For
83
Goals Against
All-time record, from the first meeting on Saturday 3rd February 1912. After this match United had played Coventry City 33 times: 13W 8D 12L.
15 Jan 1977 W 2–0 D1 24 Aug 1977 W 2–1 D1 31 Dec 1977 L 0–3 D1
20 Mar 1979 L 3–4 This match
16 Apr 1979 D 0–0 D1 15 Dec 1979 W 2–1 D1 26 Apr 1980 W 2–1 D1 | All-time | P | W | D | L | F | A | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 75 | 32 | 57.1 |
| Away | 41 | 19 | 8 | 14 | 62 | 48 | 46.3 |
| Neutral | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.0 |
Match results, lineups and goalscorers compiled from mufcinfo.com; advanced match statistics (xG, shots, possession) via FBref and FotMob where available. Last updated 29 September 2026. How we compile this data →