| Country | England | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Manchester United | ||
| Runner-up | Crystal Palace | ||
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The FA Cup 1989–90 was the 109th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. The competition started in September 1989 for teams outside the football league who played in a qualifying competition.
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The first round of games was played over the weekend 17–19 November 1989, with a first round of replays being played on the 21st-22nd. The Bristol Rovers – Reading match went to a second replay, on the 27th.
The second round of games was played on 9 December 1989, with the first round of replays being played on the 12th-13th. Two games went to second replays and one of these went to a third replay.
The third round of games in the FA Cup was played over the weekend 6–7 January 1990, with the first set of replays being played on the 9th-10th. Two games went to second replays, which were completed the week after.
The fourth round of games was played over the weekend 27–28 January 1990, with replays being played on the 30th-31st.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Torquay United | 27/01/1990 |
| 2 | Bristol City | 3–1 | Chelsea | 27/01/1990 |
| 3 | Rochdale | 3–0 | Northampton Town | 27/01/1990 |
| 4 | Southampton | 1–0 | Oxford United | 27/01/1990 |
| 5 | Reading | 3–3 | Newcastle United | 27/01/1990 |
| Replay | Newcastle United | 4–1 | Reading | 31/01/1990 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 6–0 | Port Vale | 27/01/1990 |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–2 | Everton | 28/01/1990 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–0 | Charlton Athletic | 27/01/1990 |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 1–1 | Watford | 27/01/1990 |
| Replay | Watford | 1–2 | Sheffield United | 30/01/1990 |
| 10 | Barnsley | 2–0 | Ipswich Town | 27/01/1990 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 0–0 | Liverpool | 28/01/1990 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 3–1 | Norwich City | 31/01/1990 |
| 12 | Millwall | 1–1 | Cambridge United | 27/01/1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 1–0 | Millwall | 30/01/1990 |
| 13 | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27/01/1990 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 4–0 | Huddersfield Town | 27/01/1990 |
| 15 | Arsenal | 0–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 27/01/1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 2–0 | Arsenal | 31/01/1990 |
| 16 | Hereford United | 0–1 | Manchester United | 28/01/1990 |
The fifth set of games was played over the weekend 17–18 February 1990, with a first round of replays being played on the 21st. Each of these finished in a draw, meaning a second round of replays had to be completed.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 2–2 | Queens Park Rangers | 18/02/1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 0–0 | Blackpool | 21/02/1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 3–0 | Blackpool | 26/02/1990 |
| 2 | Bristol City | 0–0 | Cambridge United | 17/02/1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 1–1 | Bristol City | 21/02/1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 5–1 | Bristol City | 27/02/1990 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3–0 | Southampton | 17/02/1990 |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 0–2 | Aston Villa | 17/02/1990 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 2–2 | Barnsley | 18/02/1990 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 0–0 | Sheffield United | 21/02/1990 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 0–1 | Sheffield United | 05/03/1990 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2–3 | Manchester United | 18/02/1990 |
| 7 | Oldham Athletic | 2–2 | Everton | 17/02/1990 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–1 | Oldham Athletic | 21/02/1990 |
| Replay | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Everton | 10/03/1990 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Rochdale | 17/02/1990 |
Most of the sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 10–11 March 1990, with the Oldham Athletic – Aston Villa game and the Liverpool – QPR replay being played on the 14th.
Alex Ferguson continued to defy the odds with a Manchester United side that was struggling in the league but performing wonders in the cup, as they defeated Sheffield United 1-0.
Liverpool built up their hopes of a unique second double (which had eluded them in dramatic fashion during the previous two seasons) by beating QPR in a quarter-final replay.
Aston Villa's double hopes were ended when they crashed 3-0 to an Oldham Athletic team that hadn't even played top division football since 1923.
Cambridge United's hopes of becoming the first Fourth Division team to reach the FA Cup semi-finals were ended with a 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, who moved closer to a first FA Cup final but were first faced with the task of overcoming a Liverpool side that had crushed them 9-0 in the league earlier in the season.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield United | 0–1 | Manchester United | 11/03/1990 |
| 2 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–2 | Liverpool | 11/03/1990 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 14/03/1990 |
| 3 | Oldham Athletic | 3–0 | Aston Villa | 14/03/1990 |
| 4 | Cambridge United | 0–1 | Crystal Palace | 10/03/1990 |
The semi-final matches were played on 8 April 1990.
Oldham Athletic, a Second Division side, gave Manchester United a real run for their money with a 3-3 draw that forced a replay. United won the replay 2-1, but the game was marred by controversy when referee Joe Worrall failed to award Oldham an early goal after Nick Henry's shot clearly crossed the line.
Seven months after losing 9-0 to them in a league game, Crystal Palace found a 10-goal improvement to defeat Liverpool 4-3 and give them their first FA Cup final appearance as well as ending their opposition's hopes of a second double - the third season running that Liverpool had suffered a late blow to their double hopes.
| 8 April 1990 |
Manchester United | 3 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Oldham Athletic | Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 44,026 Referee: Joe Worrall (Cheshire) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robson 29' Webb 72' Wallace 92' |
Barrett 5' Marshall 75' Palmer 113' |
| 11 April 1990 |
Oldham Athletic | 1 – 2 | Manchester United | Maine Road, Manchester Attendance: 35,005 Referee: Joe Worrall (Cheshire) |
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| Ritchie 81' | McClair 50' Mark Robins 114' |
| 8 April 1990 |
Crystal Palace | 4 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Liverpool | Villa Park, Birmingham Attendance: 38,389 Referee: George Courtney (Spennymoore, County Durham) |
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| Bright O'Reilly Gray Pardew |
Rush 14' McMahon 81' Barnes 83' (pen.) |
Crystal Palace, playing in their first FA Cup final, took on a Manchester United side that already had six FA Cups to its name, and a thrilling game ended 3-3 with United taking the lead twice and Palace once before a late equaliser by Mark Hughes (his second goal of the game) forced a replay.
| 12 May 1990 |
Manchester United | 3 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Crystal Palace | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Allan Gunn (Sussex) |
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| Robson 35' Hughes 62', 109' |
O'Reilly 18' Wright 72', 92' |
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Manchester United
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Crystal Palace
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Lee Martin, a 21-year-old defender who nearly didn't play due to Alex Ferguson's doubts about his fitness, scored the winning goal as Manchester United sealed their first major trophy in five years and their first under the management of Ferguson, ending months of speculation that his job was at risk due to dismal league performances.
| 17 May 1990 |
Manchester United | 1 – 0 | Crystal Palace | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Allan Gunn (Sussex) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin 59' |
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Manchester United
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Crystal Palace
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