FA Cup

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This article is about the English FA Cup. Other competitions, see FA Cup (disambiguation)

Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final

FA Cup
FA Cup 2006-07
Sport	Football
Founded	1872
No. of teams	687
Country	England
Current champions	Liverpool F.C.

The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. The trophy shares its name with the competition.

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. (See National Football Cups, below, for similar competitions worldwide.)

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, commencing in 1871-72. Because it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other there is the possibility for "giant-killers" from the lower divisions to eliminate top clubs from the tournament, though lower division teams rarely reach the final. A record 687 teams were accepted into the FA Cup in 2006-2007. In comparison, the League Cup can involve only the 92 members of the Football League (which organises the competition) and the FA Premier League.

The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament. The equivalent competition for women's teams is the FA Women's Cup.

The current holders of the FA Cup are Liverpool F.C. who beat West Ham United F.C. 3-1 in a penalty shootout, after drawing the match 3-3 after extra time in the 2006 final, on 13 May 2006. However, Liverpool will not be able to retain the title as they were beaten by Arsenal F.C. in the third round.

[edit] Format

The Cup involves clubs in the English football league system. In the early years other teams from Wales, Ireland and Scotland also took part in the competition with Glasgow side Queen's Park reaching the final in 1884 and 1885. Six Welsh clubs that currently play in the English football league system compete in the FA Cup: Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport County and Colwyn Bay.

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds. However the qualifying round draws are regionalised to reduce the travel costs of smaller non-league sides. Rounds One and Two were also previously split into Northern and Southern draw sections, however this practice was abandoned after the 1997-98 Cup competition. The draw also determines which team will play at home. If a match is drawn, there is usually a replay at the ground of the other team although it is possible for teams to agree in advance not to replay a tie in which case the initial match will be settled by means of extra time and penalty shootouts if necessary. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and penalty shootouts, though in the past further replays were possible, and some ties took as many as six matches to settle; in their 1975 campaign, Fulham played 12 games over 6 rounds. This remains the most games played by a team to reach a final.[1]

All FA Premier League and Football League clubs may enter. Non-league clubs may also enter if they competed in the previous season's FA Cup, FA Trophy, or FA Vase competition and are deemed to be playing in an "acceptable" league for the current season. All clubs entering the competition must have a suitable and safe stadium. In the 2004-05 season, 660 clubs entered the competition, beating the long-standing record of 656 from the 1921-22 season. In 2005-06 a further high point was reached, with 674 entrants, and again in 2006-07 when 687 clubs entered.

The competition begins in August with the Extra-Preliminary Round contested by clubs occupying a low position in the English football league system, and the Preliminary Round. There are then four Qualifying Rounds and six Rounds of the competition proper, followed by the Semi-Finals and the Final.

Clubs higher up the English football league system are exempt from certain rounds. For example, clubs playing in the Conference North or Conference South are given exemption to Second Qualifying Round, while those from the Conference National are given exemption to the Fourth Qualifying Round. Clubs from Football League One and Football League Two are given exemption into the First Round proper in November, and Football League Championship and Premier League teams are given exemption into the Third Round, traditionally held in the first weekend in January. The Final is played at the end of the season in May.

The winning team qualifies by right for the first round of the UEFA Cup. If the winners also qualify for the Champions League by merit of league position, the runners-up qualify for the UEFA Cup in their place. If both finalists qualify for the Champions League, an extra UEFA Cup place is given on the basis of Premier League position.

[edit] Winners from outside the top flight

Since the foundation of the Football League, Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were only elected to the Football League in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of only two 18-team divisions; Tottenham's victory would be comparable to a team playing at the third level of the English football pyramid (currently League One) winning today.

In the history of the FA Cup, only eight teams who were playing outside of the top level of English football have gone on to win the whole competition, the most recent being West Ham United, who beat Arsenal in 1980. Except Tottenham in 1901, these clubs were all playing in the old Second Division, no other Third Division or lower side having so far reached the final. Arguably, one of the most famous of these 'upsets' was when Sunderland A.F.C. beat Leeds United 1-0 in 1973. Leeds were top of what is now The Premiership and Sunderland were in the equivalent of today's Coca Cola Championship [2].

[edit] Venues

Matches in the FA Cup are usually played at the home ground of one of the two teams. The team who plays at home is decided when the matches are drawn. In the event of a draw, the replay is played at the ground of the team who originally played away from home. In the days when multiple replays were possible, the second replay (and any further replays) were played at neutral grounds.

Traditionally, the FA Cup Final is played at London's Wembley Stadium. Early finals were played in other locations and, due to extensive redevelopment of Wembley, finals between 2001 and 2006 were played at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The final will return to Wembley form 2007. [3]Early finals venues include Kennington Oval, in 1872 and 1874-92, the Racecourse Ground, Derby in 1886, Bramall Lane in 1912 , the Crystal Palace Park, 1895-1914, Stamford Bridge 1920-22, and Lillie Bridge, Fulham, London in 1873.

The semi-finals are contested at neutral venues; in the past these have usually been the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final. The venues used since 1990 are Maine Road (No Longer Used), Old Trafford (both Manchester), Hillsborough (Sheffield), Highbury, Wembley Stadium (both London), Millennium Stadium (Cardiff) and Villa Park (Birmingham). Villa Park is the most used stadium, having been used for 54 semi finals.

The 1991 semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham was the first to be played at Wembley. Two years later both semi-finals were held at Wembley, which was again used for both matches in 1994 and 2000. In 2005 they were both held at the Millennium Stadium. The decision to hold the semi-finals at the same location as the final can be controversial amongst fans [4]. However, in future all Semi Finals will be played at Wembley, though the stadium will not be ready for the 2007 semi-finals. For a list of semi-final results and the venues used, see FA Cup Semi-Finals.

[edit] Trophies

At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, also known as the "FA Cup", which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation was made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain, mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation has been made on a podium on the pitch. The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team; a common riddle asks, "What is always taken to the Cup Final, but never used?" (The answer is, "the losing team's ribbons"). Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners' and runners'-up medals.

The present FA Cup trophy is the fourth. The first, the 'little tin idol', was used from the inception of the Cup in 1871-2 until it was stolen from a Birmingham shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on September 11, 1895. It was never seen again and is presumed to have been melted down. The second trophy was a replica of the first, and was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving president Lord Kinnaird. It was sold at Christie's on May 19, 2005 for £420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes) to David Gold, the chairman of Birmingham City. A new, larger, trophy was bought by the FA in 1911 designed and manufactured by Fattorini's of Bradford and won by Bradford City in its first outing, the only time a team from Bradford has reached the final. This trophy still exists but is now too fragile to be used, so an exact replica was made and has been in use since the 1992 final. Therefore, though the FA Cup is the oldest domestic football competition in the world, its trophy is not the oldest; that title is claimed by the Scottish Cup.

A "backup" trophy was made along side the existing trophy in 1992, but it has not been used so far, and will only be used if the current trophy is lost, damaged or destroyed. Some have claimed that the backup trophy was given to Chelsea in 2000 when Manchester United refused to surrender the FA Cup they had won the previous year (their rationale supposedly being that they had not defended the trophy, therefore they couldn't lose it), with the real cup being given to Liverpool on their victory in 2001. This is very likely an urban legend, however.

[edit] Sponsorship

Since the start of the 1994-95 season, the FA Cup has been sponsored. However, to protect the identity of the famous competition, the name has never changed from "The FA Cup", unlike in sponsorship deals for the League Cup. Instead, the competition has been known as "The FA Cup sponsored by ..."

The competition is formally named "The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON", owing to energy company E.ON sponsoring it for four years from 2006. From August 2006 to 2014, Umbro will supply match balls for all FA Cup matches.

• 1995-1998 Littlewoods
• 1999-2002 AXA
• 2003-2006 The FA Partners: Carlsberg, McDonald's, Nationwide, Pepsi, Umbro
• 2006-2010 E.ON

[edit] Giant-Killers

The FA Cup has a long tradition of lower-division and non-league teams becoming "giant-killers" by defeating much higher-ranked opponents. There are various famous giant killing feats, and every club will remember their own successes. The following lists some of the most exceptional giant-killings:

• In 1933, Division 3 South side Walsall defeated Arsenal, who had been League Champions a season before and were on their way to the first of three consecutive League titles.
• Southern League side Yeovil Town reached the fifth round in 1948-49 after defeating Division 1 side Sunderland.
• Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic of Division 3 South beat top flight sides Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur in 1957, before losing to Manchester United in the 6th round. In 1984, Bournemouth got belated revenge by beating United (the then current holders) 2-0 at home in the 3rd round.
• Hereford United of the Southern League defeated top-flight Newcastle United in a Third Round Replay in 1972.
• Isthmian League team Harlow Town beat Leicester City (who won Division 2 later that season) in the 3rd Round in 1980 after a replay.
• Sutton United in the 1988-1989 FA Cup campaign, where the non-league side beat the 1987 winners and top-flight club Coventry City 2-1 in the third round. Coventry's excuse was that the pitch was unplayable.
• Wrexham defeated the League champions Arsenal in 1992, in the Third Round. Wrexham had finished bottom of the Football League the previous season (but had not been relegated).
• Sutton United are the most recent non-League team to beat top flight opposition, beating Division 1 team Coventry in 1989. Coventry also drew against non-league Woking in 1997, the only occasion on which a Premiership side has failed to beat a non-league outfit in the Cup.
• Kidderminster Harriers are the most recent non-League team to reach the 5th Round of the FA Cup, in 1994. They defeated League teams Birmingham City F.C. and Preston North End before losing 1-0 to Premiership side West Ham United.
• In 2001 Wycombe Wanderers, then in division 2 beat, Leicester City, who were in the Premiership 2-1 away from home in the quarter final, with Roy Essendoh scoring a header in the 92nd minute. He interestingly enough only signed for The Chairboys that very same week after seeing an advert on ceefax for a striker due to an injury crisis at the club.

[edit] Famous Shock Results

This table includes wins by teams against opposition who played at least two divisions higher. (For example, a team from League One beating a Premier League team). All teams are from the Football League or Premier League unless stated otherwise.

(R) = replay (after the initial match was drawn)

(aet) = after extra time (after the replayed match was drawn)

(QF) = Quarter-finals (officially known as the 6th round)

[edit] Notable events in the FA Cup

[edit] 19th Century

• On July 20, 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, C. W. Alcock proposed that "a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association", giving birth to the FA Cup. Four first-round matches were the first FA Cup games ever played – on November 11, 1871. The first Cup goal was scored by Clapham Rovers player Jarvis Kenrick in a 3-0 win over Upton Park (Kenrick scoring twice in the process).
• On March 16, 1872, Wanderers became the first winners of the FA Cup, beating Royal Engineers 1-0 at The Oval. Fifteen clubs had entered, only twelve actually played, and there were thirteen games in total. The winning goal was scored by Morton Peto Betts, who played under the pseudonym of 'A.H. Chequer'.
• In 1873, for the first and only time the competition lived up to the name Challenge Cup. The Wanderers received a bye to the final where they beat Oxford University to retain the Cup. The rules were changed for the following season.
• In 1876, Thomas Hughes was the first to score more than once in the final, in a replay match in which Wanderers defeated Old Etonians 3-0. In the same final, George Bonsor from the losing side became the first to score in two consecutive finals (both of which his team lost).
• In 1882, Lord Kinnaird won the Cup for a still record fifth time, three times with Wanderers and twice with the Old Etonians. Earlier in 1877, he also scored the first own goal in the final with Wanderers defeating Oxford University 2-1.
• In 1883 Blackburn Olympic defeated the Old Etonians in the final to become the first professional club to win the trophy. The win marked a turning point in the culture of the game in England.
• In 1884 and 1885 Scottish side Queen's Park F.C. reached the final, the first time a non-English side had done so. They lost both times. (Scotland had had its own Scottish Cup since 1873.)
• In 1886, Jimmy Brown of Blackburn Rovers became the first to score in three consecutive finals from 1884 to 1886 (winning all three). Blackburn Rovers also became the first club to win three consecutive FA Cups and remain the only club to win "three in a row" to this day.
• Aston Villa legend Archie Hunter became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup in Villa's victorious 1887 campaign (beginning from the second round, as Villa had a bye in the first). This feat was bettered in 1901 by Sandy Brown of Tottenham Hotspur, who scored in all rounds from the first.
• Aston Villa's Bob Chatt scored the winner in the 1895 FA Cup Final after just 30 seconds.
• The record score in an FA Cup tie was set in 1887 when Preston North End defeated Hyde 26-0.
• Qualifying rounds were introduced in the 1888/89 season, with clubs competing on regional basis until only one was left for the Fourth Qualifying Round.
• In the same season, Warwick County became the first non-league side to beat a First Division club on October 6, 1888, winning 2-1 away at Stoke.
• In 1889, Preston North End became the first club to achieve the double of winning the FA Cup (beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0) and the Football League Championship in the same season. This double was even more extraordinary in that the league was won without a single defeat, a feat which would not be repeated in the top division until 2003-04, by Arsenal. Equally impressive was that the cup was won without conceding a single goal. Such was the team's dominance that it was nicknamed "The Invincibles".
• William Townley scored the first hat trick in the history of the FA Cup final, in the 1890 match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday (6-1)

[edit] 1901-1949

• In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur became the only non-League team to win the FA Cup, with a 3-1 replay victory over Sheffield United.
• In 1903 Bury defeated Derby County 6-0, in what is still the highest score in an FA Cup final. They also became the second club to win the FA Cup without conceding a goal in any round.
• 1910 saw the start of a string of 14 consecutive finals (including 3 replays, thus 17 matches) in which the losing side failed to score. This series was not approached until 1994-2000, with seven consecutive finals (no replays).
• The first penalty in the final was not converted until 1910, with Albert Shepherd scoring from the spot in the Newcastle 2-0 Barnsley replay. The first missed penalty occurred in 1913, with Charlie Wallace from Aston Villa being the unlucky player, although Villa did win 1-0 over Sunderland. Two penalties were not converted until 1994, when Eric Cantona kicked from the spot in the 60th and 66th minutes to contribute to Manchester United's 4-0 win over Chelsea.
• In 1913, Steve Bloomer scored his 41st goal in the competition proper, a record up to that time.
• In 1914, George V became the first monarch to watch the FA Cup Final between Burnley and Liverpool in the last cup final played at Crystal Palace.
• In 1915 Sheffield United beat Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford in the last final held before the competition was cancelled during the First World War. It became known as "The Khaki Cup Final", owing to the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance.
• In 1922, England amateur international Wilfred Minter scored 7 goals for St Albans City against Dulwich Hamlet. Dulwich won 8-7.
• The first Wembley FA Cup Final, played on 28 April 1923, was marked by disorderly scenes unparalleled in the history of football. Before the match a massive crowd outside the stadium rushed the gates, burst the barriers and swarmed on to the pitch. Kick-off was delayed for 45 minutes as mounted police, with PC George Scorey on his white charge "Billy" - hence the "White Horse Final" - particularly visible, encouraged people to move behind the touchlines. Bolton beat West Ham 2-0 and the first Wembley goal was scored after just two minutes by David Jack. It was estimated that 200,000 fans had squeezed into Wembley and Cup Finals were made "all ticket" after that.
• Walter 'Billy' Hampson of Newcastle United, the oldest FA Cup finalist, was 41 years and 257 days old when his side beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the 1924 Final.
• The 1927 final resulted in a Cardiff City victory over Arsenal. To the present day, Cardiff City are the only non-English-based team to win the trophy. It was also the first ever Cup Final to be broadcast by the BBC, who produced a numbered grid of the pitch for Radio Times readers to follow the ball. This gave rise to the popular myth of the origin of the phrase, "Back to square one" (i.e. a back-pass to the goalkeeper).
• In the 1933 final, Everton players wore shirts numbered 1-11, and Manchester City players 12-22. This was the first major competitive game ever to have the players' shirts numbered.
• In 1938, after 29 minutes of extra time, it was still 0-0 between Preston and Huddersfield. BBC Radio commentator Thomas Woodrooffe declared: "If there's a goal scored now, I'll eat my hat." Seconds later Preston was awarded a penalty from which George Mutch scored. Woodrooffe kept his promise. This was also the first FA Cup Final to be broadcast live by BBC Television.
• The 1945-1946 FA Cup was the first played since the competition was suspended during World War II. As the intermediate Football League North and Football League South were of variable quality, to boost clubs' income each tie was played over two legs (one home, one away with the scores being added together to decide who went through) to increase the number of matches in the season. Matches that were level at the end of both legs were replayed at the stadium of whichever team had played the second leg away. The semi-finals and final (both played at neutral venues) remained single match affairs. The final was won by Derby County
• In the 1946 final, Bert Turner from Charlton Athletic became famous for scoring for both sides - first he put a goal in his own net, only to equalize from a free kick a minute later. Tommy Hutchison would repeat the feat (in reverse) for Manchester City in 1981.
• In 1948, Manchester United became the only team to win the FA Cup after being drawn against top-division opposition in every round.

[edit] 1950s

• During the 1950s, Newcastle United lifted the FA Cup trophy on three occasions within a five year period. In 1951 they defeated Blackpool 2-0, a year later Arsenal were beaten 1-0 and in 1955 Newcastle United defeated Manchester City 3-1.
• The final of 1953 is known as the Matthews Final. The match between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers saw Stanley Matthews, at the age of 38, in his third attempt to win an FA cup winners medal for Blackpool. Bolton were 3-1 up with 22 minutes remaining and looked set to win the match when Blackpool's Stan Mortensen scored from a Matthews cross. With less than five minutes remaining Blackpool equalised from a Mortensen free kick and shortly after the restart, with everybody anticipating extra time, Matthews passed to Bill Perry who put the ball in the back of the net securing a 4-3 victory for Blackpool. This was the first football match attended by The Queen, in her Coronation year.[5]
• The final of 1956 saw Manchester City win 3-1 against Birmingham City. Roughly 15 minutes before the end of the game, Man City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann (a German who had been taken as a prisoner of war by the British in 1945) injured his neck when he made a save at the feet of Birmingham's Peter Murphy. Despite being in terrible pain he continued to play till the end of match and collected his winners' medal still clutching his neck. An x-ray later revealed that he had broken his neck.
• 1956-57 also the record for highest number of rounds played in set, when former League club New Brighton played in nine rounds. They started in the preliminary round, and progressed through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to Burnley. They had just one replay - for their first round tie.
• 1958 saw Leeds United beaten 2-1 at home to Cardiff City in the third round for the third consecutive year.

[edit] 1960s

• 1961 saw Tottenham Hotspur become the first club in the 20th century to win the FA Cup and league championship in the same season, known famously as The Double. They also retained the FA Cup the following year.
• In 1967 the first substitutes were allowed after many years of finals proving unbalanced due to injuries which forced players into leaving the field early. Players had suffered broken bones in the 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1965 finals. They were not, however, used until the next year, when Dennis Clarke replaced John Kaye for West Bromwich Albion.
• In 1969 Leicester City lost their fourth FA Cup Final, 1-0 to Manchester City. No other team has made it to the final so many times without ever winning.

[edit] 1970s

• 1970 saw the first Wembley final to go to a replay. The replayed final was played at Old Trafford and contested between Chelsea and Leeds United. It was the last final to be played outside of Wembley before it was moved to the Millennium Stadium in 2001. When Peter Osgood scored for Chelsea in the final, he became the last player to date (and ninth in total) to score in every round of the cup.
• 1970 saw the first third place play-off with Manchester United beating Watford 2-0. This play-off proved short lived, and the 1973-74 competition saw the last 3rd place play-off match, contested by Leicester City and Burnley, with Burnley winning 1-0 at Filbert Street
• 1971 saw the longest tie in Cup history. Oxford City and Alvechurch play 6 games for a total of 660 minutes. Alvechurch won the final game 1-0 to progress to the first round proper.
• Eddie Kelly from Arsenal became the first substitute to score when he came on the pitch in the 70th minute of the 1971 final and scored in the 96th. Stuart McCall from Everton scored two goals after coming in from the bench in the 1989 final in the 90th and 102nd minutes.
• In 1972 the FA Cup celebrated its 100th birthday (though not its 100th season, due to interruptions for the two world wars). Leeds United won the final against holders Arsenal.
• When Sunderland beat Leeds United 1-0 in the 1973 FA Cup Final it was the first and only time (to date) that a coloured ball (orange) was used in an FA Cup final. It was also the 50th anniversary of Wembley as a venue for the cup final.
• The 1974-75 competition saw the record set for the highest number of games played in one season by one club. Bideford played 13 games over five rounds: one for the 1st qualifying round, two for the 2nd qualifying round, five for the 3rd qualifying round, four for the 4th qualifying round, and one for the 1st round proper. Multiple replays no longer take place, so this record is unlikely to be beaten.
• The 1977-78 competition saw New Brighton's 1956-57 nine-round record equalled by Blyth Spartans, who progressed from the 1st qualifying round to the 5th round proper. The games for the 2nd qualifying round and the 5th rounds proper went to a replay. The final on 6 May 1978 was the 50th Wembley final. Ipswich Town beat Arsenal 1-0.
• The 1979-80 competition saw the nine-round record equalled by Harlow Town, who progressed from the Preliminary round through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to Watford. The matches for the 2nd and 3rd rounds went to a replay.

[edit] 1980s

• In 1980, West Ham United became the last side to date to win the competition from outside the top division in football. They were a Second Division outfit when they beat holders Arsenal 1-0 thanks to a goal by Trevor Brooking. Three clubs - Queens Park Rangers in 1982, Sunderland in 1992 and Millwall in 2004 - have since reached the final, though all three lost.
• In 1981, The 100th FA Cup final took place. The second game between Tottenham and Manchester City became the first final to be replayed at Wembley Stadium. Previously, replayed finals had been held at other neutral grounds. This final contained what was arguably the greatest ever final goal, scored by Tottenham's Ricky Villa who beat several players in a mazy run before slotting the ball home.
• In 1983 Norman Whiteside, at 18, became the youngest player ever to score in an FA Cup final, whilst playing for Manchester United against Brighton & Hove Albion. As of 2006 this record remains unbroken.
• In 1984, Johnny Hore's Plymouth Argyle side narrowly missed out on being the first Third Division side to reach the final. In a tense semi-final at Villa Park, Watford came out on top, 1-0 victors. Starting in the first round proper, Argyle had beaten Southend United (in a replay), Barking, Newport County (in a replay), West Bromwich Albion and Derby County (in a replay).
• In 1985, Kevin Moran of Manchester United became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final. United went on to win the match 1-0, after extra time.
• In 1986, Liverpool beat Everton 3-1 in the first all-Merseyside FA Cup final to complete the double and claim their first FA Cup triumph for 12 years. The teams would meet again in the final just 3 years later.
• In 1987, Coventry City beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 AET in a memorable game, which included Keith Houchen's famous flying header.
• In 1988, Wimbledon's Dave Beasant became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final at Wembley, when he denied John Aldridge of Liverpool (although Charlie Wallace of Aston Villa was the first to miss a penalty in the final). The Crazy Gang of Wimbledon defeated the league champions Liverpool 1-0 on a Lawrie Sanchez goal, and Beasant also became the first goalkeeper to captain an FA Cup-winning side.
• In 1989 during the opening minutes of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 96 people were crushed to death because of overcrowding. See the Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool went on to beat Everton 3-2 in the final.

[edit] 1990s

• In 1990, Manchester United won the competition in a replay against Crystal Palace. This was United manager Alex Ferguson's first trophy at United, and this success is seen by many as having saved him from being dismissed after 4 unsuccessful seasons.
• In 1991, after the Arsenal v Leeds United third round tie went to a third replay, The FA decided that one replay, then extra time, then a penalty shootout would be a suitable alternative to a fixtures backlog. Arsenal also took part in the first semi-final to be played at Wembley, losing to Tottenham.
• From season 1991/92, multiple replays were replaced by one replay followed by penalty kicks. The first penalty takers in the competition proper were Rotherham United and Scunthorpe United, with Rotherham winning 7-6 in a first round replay.
• In 1993, both semi-finals were played at Wembley Stadium for the first time ever, because both matches were derbies - one between Arsenal and Tottenham, the other between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.
• In 1993, the last ever FA Cup final replay took place, with Arsenal beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1. Arsenal became the first team to win both the FA Cup and the League Cup, beating Sheffield Wednesday in both finals.
• In 1994, Manchester United completed the double thanks to a 4-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley. Eric Cantona scored two penalties and the other goals came from Mark Hughes and Brian McClair.
• In 1996, a late goal from Eric Cantona saw Manchester United become the first team to win the double twice as they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley, a week after clinching the league title.
• In 1997, Ruud Gullit became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, as his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0. In the same match, Roberto Di Matteo scored the fastest ever goal in a Wembley cup final (after 42 seconds) and Mark Hughes became the only player in the 20th century to win the trophy four times.
• In 1998, Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-0. This was the second time Arsenal had done the domestic double, which includes winning the Premier League and FA Cup in the same year.
• In 1999, the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay took place, as Ryan Giggs of Manchester United scored in extra time to defeat Arsenal 2-1. The goal was voted the greatest in FA Cup history in 2003 [6]. Manchester United went on to beat Newcastle United 2-0, and later completed The Treble by also winning the FA Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
• Later in 1999 Manchester United became the first FA Cup holders not to defend their title when they failed to enter the FA Cup, instead electing (due to pressure from the FA and the Government, who wanted to bolster the English bid to host the 2006 World Cup) to take part in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship played in Brazil, in which United performed poorly and failed to make a significant impact. To decide who took their place, a "lucky losers" draw was held containing the 20 teams knocked out in the second round; Darlington were selected.

[edit] 2000s

• 2000 was the last final to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0. The FA decided that from 2000 onwards any semi-finals and finals would go first to extra time then penalties, rather than be replayed.
• The first FA Cup final played outside England was in the final of the 2000-01 season at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Liverpool came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Arsenal, after beating Wycombe Wanderers at Villa Park in the previous round. Liverpool also won the League Cup and the UEFA Cup that season.
• In 2002, Arsenal matched Manchester United's record of three doubles as they defeated Chelsea 2-0 at the Millennium Stadium and clinched the league title four days later.
• For the first time, the FA Cup was played under a roof in the final of the 2002-03 season, held on May 17, 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Arsenal and Southampton benefiting from cover from the rain. Arsenal were 1 - 0 winners. This Final was also the first in which a goalkeeper was substituted. Paul Jones replaced the injured Southampton goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
• That same year, Team Bath (from the University of Bath) became the first university team to enter the competition since Gonville & Caius in 1881, and progressed through the qualifying rounds before being knocked out in the first round proper by Mansfield Town.
• In 2004 Roy Keane of Manchester United became the first player to play in six finals since the 19th century, and Curtis Weston of Millwall F.C. became the youngest ever player to play in the final at the age of 17 years and 119 days, beating the record of James Prinsep of Clapham Rovers set as long back as the 1879 final.
• The 2005 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester United was the first final ever to have to go to penalties as the score was still 0-0 after extra time. Arsenal won the shootout – and thus the Cup – 5-4. It was the first 0-0 draw in an FA Cup final since 1912. Roy Keane extended his own record by appearing in his seventh final.

[edit] Past Winners of the FA Cup

For the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final

The top 10 clubs by number of wins (and when they last won and lost a final):

Clubs with up to 4 wins:

• 4 wins: Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
• 3 wins: Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United
• 2 wins: Bury, Nottingham Forest, Old Etonians, Preston North End, Sunderland
• 1 win: Barnsley, Blackburn Olympic, Blackpool, Bradford City, Burnley, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Clapham Rovers, Coventry City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Notts County, Old Carthusians, Oxford University, Portsmouth, Royal Engineers, Southampton, Wimbledon

Three clubs have won consecutive FA Cups on more than one occasion: Wanderers (1872, 1873) and (1876, 1877, 1878), Blackburn Rovers (1884, 1885, 1886) and (1890, 1891), and Tottenham Hotspur (1961, 1962) and (1981, 1982).

Six clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a League and Cup double, these are Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (1961), Arsenal (1971, 1998, 2002), Liverpool (1986) and Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999). Arsenal and Manchester United share the record of three doubles. Manchester United's three doubles in the 1990s highlights their dominance of English football at the time. Arsenal is the only club to win doubles in distinct decades, and have in fact won in three different decades.

West Bromwich Albion are the only team to date to win the FA Cup & promotion in the same season (1930-31)

In 1993, Arsenal became the first side to win both the FA Cup and League Cup in the same season, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1, in both finals.

In 1999, Manchester United added the Champions League crown to their double, an accomplishment known as The Treble.

In 2001, Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup to complete a cup treble.

[edit] Trivia

Leicester City hold the unfortunate record of having appeared in four FA Cup finals without ever winning the cup.

Kettering Town have scored the most goals in FA Cup history, having scored 817 goals between 1888 and 2006. (up to 12 November 2006) with Ollie Burgess scoring the 800th goal against St Albans City on 11 October 2005 when scoring a hattrick.

[edit] See also

• FA Cup Finals
• FA Cup Semi-Finals

[edit] External links

• The FA Cup - England's official Football Association site
• The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
• Thomas Fattorini Ltd. makers of the 1911 FA Cup - manufacturers of the 1911 FA Cup and other sporting trophies
• FA Cup going under the hammer - BBC News story on the sale of the second trophy
• RSSSF, all FA Cup results, with qualifying rounds

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