The FA Cup final is one of the showpiece events of the footballing calendar each season. Over the last 150 years, there have been plenty of classics – but which are the best of the best?
Finals can often be drab affairs, but there have been plenty of memorable matches as far as the FA Cup is concerned. Whether under the Wembley arch, behind the Twin Towers or at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, the world’s most famous cup competition has had more than its fair share of entertaining crescendos.
Here, Football FanCast looks back at some of the greatest finals so far, ranked by the amount of drama, cultural significance and iconic moments they brought to the fixture.
Rank
Final
Year
Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers
1953
Liverpool 3-3 West Ham
2006
Everton 2-3 Liverpool
1989
Arsenal 3-2 Hull City
2014
Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic
2013
Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon
1988
Crystal Palace 3-3 Manchester United
1990
Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
1979
Leeds United 0-1 Sunderland
1973
Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Manchester City
1981
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ByJack Salveson HolmesFeb 27, 2024 10 Tottenham 3-2 Man City (1981) Ricky Villa's iconic goal settles classic finale
Date
14th May 1981
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
92,000
Goalscorers
Villa 8′, 76′, Crooks 70′ / MacKenzie 11′, Reeves 50′ (p)
Now, technically, this was a replay of the final. Back then, draws at the end of extra-time meant the entire game would be replayed – and the initial contest here finished 1-1.
Not only did we find a winner in the follow-up, but it came through one of the most iconic goals in the competition’s history. Ricky Villa slalomed his way through the City’s defence to finally win the trophy for Spurs. It was an all-time great goal in a game labelled ‘match of the century’ at the time.
9 Leeds 0-1 Sunderland (1973) Stokoe's second-tier superheroes see off favourites Leeds
Date
5th May 1973
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
100,000
Goalscorers
Porterfield 32′
The first of a few genuine giant-killings on our list, Sunderland’s 1-0 victory over Leeds United in the 1973 FA Cup final is the stuff of legend in English football.
What made this win so special was that, at the time, the Black Cats were a Second Division side. In contrast, Leeds were in the First Division and regularly challenging for the title, making the likelihood of Bob Stokoe’s Sunderland winning seem minuscule.
However, a first-half goal from Ian Porterfield gave the Black Cats something to defend, and defend they did. Usually, the most iconic moments in finals come from attacking moves or goals, but in this game, it was Jimmy Montgomery’s double save that drew the most attention – and for good reason, as it helped secure one of the most extraordinary upsets in FA Cup history.
8 Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd (1979) Sunderland spares Gunners blushes with dramatic late winner
Date
12th May 1979
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
99,219
Goalscorers
Talbot 12′, Stapleton 43′, Sunderland 89′ / McQueen 86′, McIlroy 88′
The 1979 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester United was a real treat for the neutral and an emotional rollercoaster for both sets of fans.
The Gunners started the game in imperious fashion and soon found themselves two goals to the good over their northern opposition through goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton. The north Londoners maintained their brilliant performance for much of the game, and it looked as if the match had been all sewn up with time to spare.
However, with just four minutes left to play, United pulled one back through Gordon McQueen, and then just a minute later, Sammy McIlroy scored the equalising goal.
The game looked set for extra-time, and Arsenal looked like they had just thrown away their chance for a relatively straightforward win, until Alan Sunderland found himself on the end of a pinpoint cross with 30 seconds to go and buried it into the far corner, giving the Gunners their lead back.
It was a fittingly bombastic finish to that season’s FA Cup, with it being dubbed ‘The Five-Minute Final’.
7 Crystal Palace 3-3 Man Utd (1990) Eagles denied cup glory in pulsating six-goal final
Date
12th May 1990
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
78,000
Goalscorers
O’Reilly 18′, Wright 72′, 92′ / Robson 35′, Hughes 62′, 113′
Palace went into this as overwhelming underdogs – though, they had knocked out Liverpool on their way to the final. Still, United were expected to see them off.
But Steve Coppell’s side – who had only finished behind United on goal difference as First Division newboys – were unfazed by the task ahead of them. Having led and gone behind in the final, Coppell turned to Ian Wright, who grabbed a brace, including a goal in extra time which looked sure to take the cup to Selhurst Park.
However, Mark Hughes found an extra-time equaliser to force a replay that United would win 1-0. The memories, though, belonged to the enthralling tie that preceded it.
6 Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon (1988) Lawrie Sanchez seals shock cup win for the Crazy Gang
Date
14th May 1988
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
98,203
Goalscorers
Sanchez 37′
When most people think of FA Cup final upsets, they probably think of Wimbledon’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the 1988 final.
Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang – as they were affectionately known – went into the match as firm underdogs, and there was very little expectation that they would genuinely challenge the Reds once the whistle was blown, but challenge they did.
Liverpool may have been champions of England, but that didn’t matter to the Dons, and it was the underdogs that took the lead in the 37th minute thanks to a Lawrie Sanchez header from a Dennis Wise free-kick.
They went on to survive a Liverpool onslaught, which included John Aldridge’s penalty miss in the second half – the first time a spot-kick had been missed in an FA Cup final.
Along with one of English football’s most remarkable giant-killings, this game also gave us one of the most iconic lines of commentary ever uttered, as at the final whistle, John Motson famously proclaimed: “The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club.”
5 Man City 0-1 Wigan (2013) Last-gasp Ben Watson header hands Latics first-ever FA Cup
Date
11th May 2013
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
86,254
Goalscorers
Watson 90′
Following up one David vs Goliath story with another here, and perhaps one even more impressive than the Crazy Gang’s achievements in 1988: Wigan Athletic’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final.
Going into the game, City were clear favourites, with many pundits and fans alike viewing the game as more of a formality than a competition, and a game that had to be played before the Citizens inevitably picked up another piece of silverware in their new era of success. Well, Wigan certainly had other ideas.
The game was surprisingly even, and with the scores level in the 90th minute, Wigan found themselves with a corner. Shaun Maloney swung it into the box for Ben Watson to get his head on it, and history was made.
The ball came off Watson at the near post, looped over Joe Hart and nestled into the far corner, causing the Wigan fans to go potty. They may have been relegated that season, but we reckon the fans would still rather win the FA Cup every time.
4 Arsenal 3-2 Hull (2014) Gunners come from two down to win first trophy in nine years
Date
17th May 2014
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
89,345
Goalscorers
Cazorla 17′, Koscielny 71′, Ramsey 109′ / Chester 4′, Davies 8′
Everyone loves a good comeback, right? Well, you don’t get one much better than Arsenal’s comeback win over Hull City in the 2014 FA Cup final.
The Gunners were overwhelming favourites to emerge with the trophy ahead of the match. Still, eight seasons without any major silverware and a disastrous League Cup final against Birmingham City in 2011 weighed heavy on players and fans alike.
This added pressure looked like it had conquered the players on matchday, when within the first ten minutes, Hull had found themselves two goals to the good thanks to centre-backs James Chester and Curtis Davies.
Arsenal had once again bottled under the pressure and thrown away their opportunity to pick up some much-needed silverware. Or at least, that’s what people were thinking until Santi Cazorla stepped up and scored a free-kick to halve the deficit on 17 minutes.
To Hull’s credit, they hung on to their one-goal lead up until the 71st minute when Laurent Koscielny got on the end of a scramble in the box to level the game, which then went into extra time.
With the momentum now firmly behind them, the Gunners pushed on and finally took the lead thanks to a neat finish from Aaron Ramsey in the 109th minute. It was a truly impressive comeback from the Gunners and marked their first of four FA Cup final victories in seven seasons.
3 Everton 2-3 Liverpool (1989) Liverpool edge five-goal thriller on emotional afternoon
Date
20th May 1989
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
82,800
Goalscorers
Aldridge 4′, Rush 95′, 104′ / McCall 90′, 102′
One of the most emotional occasions football will likely ever see. The Hillsborough disaster, which occurred in Liverpool’s semi-final against Nottingham Forest, led to a day that affected both sets of fans in the final. Chants of ‘Merseyside’ at Wembley remain incredible to look back on as the two rivals united.
The game was a fantastic one, too. An Ian Rush brace, a Stuart McCall brace – with Rush’s second putting Liverpool over the line after extra-time. As an overall occasion, it’ll never be replicated.
2 Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (2006) Gerrard screamer breaks Hammers hearts in enthralling final
Date
13th May 2006
Venue
Millennium Stadium
Attendance
71,140
Goalscorers
Cisse 32′, Gerrard 54′, 90′ / Carragher 21′ (og), Ashton 28′, Konchesky 64′
A marginally more modern final here. Liverpool, having won the Champions League in 2005, were enormous favourites. West Ham, however, found a 2-0 lead that forced a brilliant comeback from the Reds. The Hammers – through a Paul Konchesky cross – regained the lead in the second half and held it into stoppage time.
But Steven Gerrard produced one of the most incredible strikes you’ll ever see to save his side as the clock ticked over to 90. This is ‘the Gerrard final’ – he’d already assisted Liverpool’s first and scored the second, after all. The Reds’ captain would eventually score in the shootout, too, in one of the greatest cup final displays you’ll ever see.
1 Blackpool 4-3 Bolton (1953) Stanley Matthews finally gets his hands on silverware
Date
2nd May 1953
Venue
Wembley Stadium
Attendance
100,000
Goalscorers
Mortensen 35′, 68′, 89′, Perry 90′ / Lofthouse 2′, Moir 39′, Bell 55′
The naming of a final after a player started here and while we’re going back some way, it’s a story that shouldn’t be forgotten. Stanley Matthews was England’s greatest-ever player and one of the best in the world full-stop. He’d never won a significant trophy, however, and was 38 going into the ’53 final. Blackpool worried he was past it when they’d signed him five years earlier…
Matthews wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to earn his medal, though, and he put in a legendary performance in a sensational game. A performance so good, in fact, that teammate Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick and yet this is still known as the ‘Stanley Matthews final’.
It did turn out that Matthews was far from past it, then. He’d win the first-ever Ballon d’Or in 1956 and played top-flight football until he was 50. This, however, was the unquestionable highlight of his career.
