Until recently, the FA Cup had been a cherished institution. It seems that right now, the FA is hellbent on destroying it just to appease a handful of big clubs, but the clubs were once craving the exposure the cup gave them.
Most of the recent finals have been sterile affairs, nondescript as the same few clubs rotate their squad in the early round, then produce a turgid final completely indistinguishable from the last.
That hasn’t always been the case. Some of the greatest finals of all time have had goals and drama, making lifelong heroes out of the stars of the show. Only one really sticks out in the Premier League era – Liverpool and West Ham in 2006.
We’ve pulled five finals from history for you to enjoy and remember what is special about the competition that seems to produce so few memorable finales in the modern era.
1987 – Coventry City 3-2 Spurs
This was Coventry’s first appearance in the FA Cup final, and they were heavy underdogs against a Spurs side making their third appearance in seven seasons. With 48-goal Clive Allen and the exciting Chris Waddle teasing the Sky Blues, it seemed a formality. It was that combination that grabbed the opening goal on two minutes, Allen heading home his 49th of a superb season.
Nine minutes later, Dave Bennett jinxed into the area to get on the end of a Greg Downs cross. Cyrille Regis had one disallowed for a soft foul before Spurs went back ahead, Mabbutt touching home from a free kick, although it has been credited in places as a Brian Kilcline own goal.
There was no doubt about the fourth goal of the game, the lively Bennett crossing for Houchen to score an iconic diving header. That sent the game to extra time, and weary legs began to make mistakes. One of those mistakes came from Gary Mabbutt, who sliced Lloyd McGrath’s cross into his own net to settle the tie,
1953 – Blackpool 4-3 Bolton
Two sides who recently played each other in the third tier made up the 1953 final, and at the time, both were heavyweights of the English game. Nat Lofthouse, Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen were the biggest names in the game, and Lofthouse netted in the second minute to give his side the lead. Mortensen levelled before Bolton added one before halftime through Willie Moir and another on the other side of the breakthrough Eric Bell. The Trotters seemed to be in the driving seat.
However, driven by Stanley Matthews, Blackpool came back into it. On 68 minutes, Mortensen pulled one back, scoring from a Matthews’ cross. With a minute left, Blackpool trailed 3-2, but Mortensen completed his hat trick, rifling in from a free kick. 60 seconds later, Matthews was again the provider, whipping in a cross from the right for Bill Perry, who slammed home to win it for the Tangerines.
Despite Mortensen’s hattrick, the final has become known as the Matthews Final.
1979 – Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
For 86 minutes, the 1979 final was unremarkable. Arsenal took an early first-half lead through Brian Talbot, before Gordon McQueen had one disallowed for United. Frank Stapleton added a second with a smart header from Liam Brady’s cross, and Arsenal seemed destined for the cup.
With just four minutes to go, United rallied. A Coppell free-kick was recycled in the area, and McQueen stabbed home. United had the wind in their sails, and Coppell’s hopeful ball over the top found Sammy McIlroy, who danced into the area and managed to find a finish. In two minutes, the game was turned on its head.
Momentum may have swung in United’s favour, but just sixty seconds later, it was proven to be to no avail. Straight from kick off, Arsenal swept up field, and Alan Sunderland won it for the Gunners, finishing Graham Rix’s cross. and settling the fan’s nerves.
1981 – Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Man City
The initial game between the two clubs, the 100th final, had ended in a draw, so they went back to Wembley days later for a replay. Of course, the FA don’t want replays anymore, but back then it was a prestigious event, and a welcome chance to see live football on TV.
1990 – Crystal Palace 3-3 Manchester United
Coppell may have been Man Utd’s top man in 1979, but 11 years later, he was a thorn in their side. As manager of Crystal Palace, he masterminded one of the best Cup Finals of the 90s.
Despite the Eagles being underdogs, Gary O’Reilly put them ahead with a header from a free-kick after quarter of an hour. Before halftime came around, Brian McClair had crossed for Bryan Robson to nod home, a good sign for England fans ahead of Italia 90.
Just past the hour mark, a cruel ricochet in the area led to Mark Hughes blasting home, and United looked a good bet for the win. Coppell made a change on 69 minutes, bringing on Ian Wright, and he immediately lit up Wembley. Wright made an immediate impact, bursting into the area and evading a challenge before slotting past Jim Leighton. That sent the tie to extra time.
Wright was the hero again, arriving late in the area just two minutes after the restart and volleying home. Could the Eagles hold on? Sadly, no. With just seven minutes remaining, Danny Wallace slipped in Hughes, who bagged his second of the tie.
United won the replay 1-0 five days later.