The fixtures for the 2014–15 league season were announced on 18 June 2014. Manchester United opened their Premier League campaign at home to
Swansea City on 16 August 2014, and their last game of the season was away to
Hull City on 24 May 2015. The season started off on the wrong foot for Manchester United, losing 2–1 at home to
Swansea City, marking Swansea's first league win at Old Trafford in club history and the
Red Devils' first home loss in a season opener since
1972.
Juan Mata gave United the lead away at
Sunderland but
Jack Rodwell equalised on his debut, meaning the match finished as a draw, before United ended August with a laboured 0–0 draw against
Burnley, despite
Ángel Di María making his debut for the
Red Devils. The draw was followed up with United's first win of the season, a 4–0 thumping of
Queens Park Rangers. However, the following week, 2–0 and 3–1 leads were blown as the
Red Devils suffered a remarkable 5–3 defeat away to
Leicester City. September concluded with a nervy 2–1 home win over
West Ham United despite captain Wayne Rooney's sending-off for a reckless kick at the legs of
Stewart Downing. The next fixture, without club captain Rooney, was a morale-boosting 2–1 home victory over
Everton, who had achieved the league double over United the previous season.
Radamel Falcao netted the winner with his first goal for United. The next two matches were last-minute draws against
West Bromwich Albion and league leaders
Chelsea, respectively. A United side which was severely depleted in defence then narrowly lost to city rivals
Manchester City on 2 November, with
Sergio Agüero's goal separating the teams at the
City of Manchester Stadium. The next match, a 1–0 victory over
Crystal Palace courtesy of a Juan Mata strike, ignited a six-match winning run that took United to third place in the table. Although United recorded wins over Premier League giants
Arsenal,
Liverpool and in-form
Southampton, they were greatly indebted to Spanish goalkeeper
David de Gea, who made many game-saving stops. United then drew away to
Aston Villa, with new signing Falcao scoring his second goal for the club. The Boxing Day clash against
Newcastle at Old Trafford was a 3–1 win, with Wayne Rooney scoring twice and assisting a goal for
Robin van Persie. The next game, only two days later, was a goalless draw away to
Tottenham Hotspur. The result was the same against Stoke on New Year's Day, with Falcao's goal unable to win the game in a 1–1 draw. The following match, United ended their unbeaten streak with a home defeat to Southampton — the first time the Saints had won at Old Trafford in 27 years. Next week, United secured a 2–0 win against
QPR at
Loftus Road, with
Marouane Fellaini and
James Wilson scoring. On 31 January United beat Leicester City 3–1 at Old Trafford with goals from Van Persie and Falcao, thus gaining a measure of revenge for their early-season mauling at the
King Power Stadium. United had to claw back a 1–1 draw at
Upton Park against West Ham on February 8 thanks to an equaliser in stoppage time from
Daley Blind. After this, United won 3–1 against Burnley at Old Trafford, with two goals in the first half from substitute
Chris Smalling, and a late penalty from Van Persie, although the
Red Devils' performance was far from their best. On 21 February, United suffered their first away defeat since November as Swansea did the double on the
Red Devils for the first time in their history, winning 2–1, resulting in United dropping to fourth place. United got back to winning ways with a 2–0 home victory over
Sunderland, which was followed by a 1–0 away victory against
Newcastle United on 4 March, the winner coming from
Ashley Young after a late defensive error from Newcastle. The following fixture, United secured a storming 3–0 home victory over
Tottenham Hotspur to boost their chances of a top four finish. Their next game was against arch-rivals
Liverpool at
Anfield. United won the match courtesy of a brace from Juan Mata to secure the double over their rivals. After the international break, United's next opponents were league strugglers
Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 4 April 2015. United won the match 3–1 with a brace from
Ander Herrera and a goal from
Wayne Rooney to move up to third in the Premier League table. On 12 April 2015, United claimed their first
Manchester derby win since 2012 over neighbours
Manchester City – a stunning 4–2 victory with goals from Young, Fellaini, Mata, and Smalling. United failed to extend their winning run, and suffered their first defeat in six games to league leaders
Chelsea. United then suffered their second straight defeat the following week, in a 3–0 loss to
Everton. This meant the
Red Devils had failed to win at
Goodison Park for the third season running. On 2 May 2015, Manchester United failed to bounce back as they suffered a 1–0 home defeat to
West Bromwich Albion. It was the first time since
2001 that United lost three consecutive matches, meaning the
Red Devils remained in fourth place. On 9 May 2015, United beat
Crystal Palace 2–1 to end their losing run. In their penultimate game of the season on 17 May, United faced
rivals Arsenal. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, ensuring the
Red Devils would compete in the
Champions League next season following a one-year absence. United's final match of the season against
Hull City ended in a draw, relegating the Tigers, although they would have been relegated regardless of the result. Manchester United ended the season in fourth place – three places, and six points higher than the previous season. ==FA Cup==