Manchester United has lead cut

Press, 23 November 1981, Page 20

Manchester United has lead cut

NZPA-Reuter London Manchester United lost its 12game unbeaten league run and had .its English first division football lead cut to two points on Saturday when it went down 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur, which moved up to second place with its win.

United, who has also dropped two 1-0 League Cup decisions to Spurs this season, failed for the third time this season to contain the London club, but remained 'on top when its two closest pursuers before the match, Ipswich and Swansea, also lost. Ipswich was shut out 2-0 at Stoke, while Swansea, the Welsh club who led the division briefly this season, was swamped 4-0 at Manchester City. The league table now shows Manchester United on top with 29 points, followed by Tottenham with 27, Ipswich and Swansea with 26 and West Ham United fifth, with 25, after a 5-2 home triumph over Coventry yesterday. Nottingham Forest squandered an attempt, to move up and also surrendered a 23-game unbeaten home streak when Arsenal overcame an early deficit to wm 2-1. Liverpool, so often the champions, had another setback in its bid to gain ground on the leaders; when it could only manage a 1-1 draw away against West Bromwich Albion. It needed a last-minute equaliser by Kenny Dalglish to get a point. The defending champions, Aston Villa, remained mired in the lower regions of the division after a 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough. ENGLISH LEAGUE . Division One Birmingham 0, Wolverhampton 3; Brighton 2, Notts County 2; Everton 1, Sunderland 2; Manchester City 4, Swansea 0; Middlesbrough 3, Aston Villa 3; Nottingham Forest 1, Arsenal 2; Southampton 4, Leeds 0; Stoke 2, ech Town 0; Tottenham 3, hester United. 1; West Bromwich 1, Liverpool 1; West Ham 5, Coventry 2.

Division Two Barnsley 2, Wrexham 2; Bolton

1. Orient 0: Cambridge 1. Sheffield Wednesday 2; Cardiff 3, Leicester 1; Chelsea 1, Grimsby 1; Newcastle 3, Luton 2; Norwich 4, Derby 1; Oldham 0, Crystal Palace 0: Rotherham 2,. Charlton 1; Shrewsbury 2, Queens Park Rangers 1; Watford 3, Blackburn 2. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier Division Celtic 3, Rangers 3; Dundee United 4, Airdrieonians 0; Hibernian 1, Aberdeen 1; Partick 2, Morton 2; St Mirren 4. Dundee 0. Division One Dumbarton 1, Haith 1; Dunfermline 3, Clydebank 6; Falkirk 1, Motherwell 1; Hamilton 0, Hearts 2; Kilmarnock 0, Queen of the South 0; Queens Park 2, East Stirling 1; St Johnstone 2, Ayr 0. Division Two Albion 1, Stenhousemuir 4; Alloa 3. Cowdenbeath 1; Arbroath 1, Montrose 0; Berwick 0, Forfar 0; Clyde 3, Stranraer 0; East Fife 2, Meadowbank 0. F A; CUP , First Round Aidershot 2, Leytonstone andIlford 0; Bedford 0, Wimbledon 2; Bideford 1, Barking 2; Bishop Auckland 4. Nuneaton 1; Bishops Storttord 2, Sutton 2; Blyth Spartans 1, Walsall. 2; Boston 0, Kettering 1; Bournemouth 1, Reading 0; Brentford 2, Exeter 0; . Bristol City 0; Torquay 0; Bristol Rovers 1, Fulham 2; Burnley 0, Runcorn 0; Chesterfield 4, Pteston 1; Colchester 2, Newport 0; Dagenham 2, Yeovil 2; Darlington 2, Carlisle 2; Dorchester 3, Minehead 3; Dover 0, Oxford 2; Enfield 2, Hastings 0; Halifax 0, Peterborough 3; Harlow 0, Barnet 0; Hendon 1, Wycome 1; Hereford 3, Southend 1; Horden 0, Blackpool 1; Lincoln 2, Port Vale 2; Mansfield 0. Doncaster 1; Penrith 1, Chester 0; Plymouth 0, Gillingham 0: Portsmouth 1. Millwall 1; Rochdale 2, Hull 2; Scunthorpe 1, Bradford 0; Sheffield United 2. Altrincham 2; Stafford !, York 2; Stockport 3, Mossley 1; Taunton 1, Swindon 2; Tranmere 1, Bury 1; Weymouth 0, Northampton 0; Wigan 2, Hartlepool 2; Willenhall 0, Crewe 1; Workington 1, Huddersfield 1.