Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes (2) scored for Manchester United; Gary O'Reilly and Ian Wright (2) for Palace.

In contrast, this was the first time Crystal Palace had appeared in an FA Cup final, and they had just completed their first season back in the top flight after nearly a decade away.

[1] The month before the final, UEFA had announced that the ban on English clubs in European competitions would be lifted for the 1990–91 season, provided that England fans behaved well at that summer's World Cup.

Brian McClair made a run down the right wing and floated a cross to the back post, where captain Bryan Robson was waiting to head goalwards.

In the second half, Manchester United went ahead for the first time in the game, when a cross-shot from Neil Webb found its way to Mark Hughes who fired low into the corner.

Extra time was needed for the second final in a row, and it was Palace who scored first, when John Salako floated a cross to the back post.

The main story of the replay was that Alex Ferguson decided to replace Jim Leighton in goal, with Les Sealey.

Manchester United joined Tottenham Hotspur as the only clubs to have won multiple FA Cup Final replays.

It is often debated that he would have been sacked if United had lost the match, although Ferguson claimed in his 1999 autobiography Managing My Life that the club's directors had assured him earlier in the season that his position as manager was secure; although naturally disappointed with the lack of progress in the league, they understood the reasons for this, namely the long-term absences of several key players due to injury.