The 1980-81 season was a sound success for Manchester city, they finished the season off strongly, reaching 12th position in the first division. However it was City’s cup form that brought them to the prominence despite failing to win a trophy. They reached the last four of the league cup, meeting Liverpool in the final. They eventually lost the tie on penalties. They embarked on a fine run in the FA Cup, reaching the final. They met Tottenham Hotspur in the final, which they lost 3-1 due to a heroic performance by Ricky Villa.
The following season witnessed a slight improvement in their league form, finishing off strongly in tenth position, they were knocked out in both cup competitions in the forth round.
The 1982-83 season proved to be a debacle for City, they finished off the season in weak form and saw themselves relegated to the second tier, finishing off in 20th place. They were also poor in cup competitions, crashing out of the FA Cup in the fourth round, losing 4-0 against Brighton and Hove Albion.
 City put on a good run in the second division during the 1983-84 season, however they narrowly missed out on promotion finishing the campaign off in forth place. They however were second time lucky during the 84-85 season, finishing off strongly in third position, in turn resulting in promotion.