THE TOP 10 FA CUP FINALS OF ALL TIME - RANKED

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?

Football FanCast looks back at some of the greatest finals so far. Here's a list of the all-time best FA Cup finals.

1981 - Manchester City 2-3 Tottenham

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, though, 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.

1973 - Sunderland 1-0 Leeds United

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 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.

1979 - Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United

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 an FA Cup final.

1990 - Crystal Palace 3-3 Manchester United

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. The Eagles fought admirably at Wembley and nearly won before Mark Hughes found an extra-time equaliser to force a replay. United would win that replay 1-0.

This is also a historically significant final. It was Sir Alex Ferguson's first trophy with United, providing a springboard for over two decades of dominance at Old Trafford. This Palace side was also the last all-English XI in a final, while this was the final time an all-UK XI won the trophy.

1988 - Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon

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.

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."

2013 - Wigan Athletic 1-0 Manchester City

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.

2014 - Arsenal 3-2 Hull City

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 FA Cup of four that they would win in the next six years.

1989 - Everton 2-3 Liverpool

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.

2006 - Liverpool 3-3 West Ham

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.

1953 - Blackpool 4-3 Bolton

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 '56 and played top-flight football until he was 50. This, however, was the unquestionable highlight of his career.

2023-06-02T08:11:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd