History of the FA Cup
The final, played at a neutral venue, remained a single match affair, decided by extra time if teams were level after 90 minutes.
[9] In the 1966–67 FA Cup the first substitutes were allowed after many years of finals proving unbalanced due to injuries which forced players into leaving the field early.
The replayed final was played at Old Trafford due to the damaged state of the Wembley pitch caused by the Horse of the Year Show and was contested between Chelsea and Leeds United.
To decide who took their place, a "lucky losers" draw was held containing the 20 teams knocked out in the second round; Darlington were selected.
Criticism also came from government officials, with the Prime Minister's deputy spokesman saying "David and Goliath fixtures are a part of the magic of the cup and we know that replays have been a welcome source of income for smaller clubs throughout the years.
During a Sixth Round second-leg tie between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City on 9 March 1946, a human crush killed 33 spectators.
Bolton were 3–1 up with 22 minutes remaining and, despite being reduced to nine fit men through severe injury to two players, looked set to win the match when Blackpool's Stan Mortensen scored from a Matthews cross.
Roughly 15 minutes before the end of the game, Man City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann (a German who had been taken as a prisoner of war by the British in 1945) injured his neck when he made a save at the feet of Birmingham's Peter Murphy.
Muamba later retired from the sport following medical advice, after his heart stopped beating for 78 minutes and remained in intensive care for two weeks.
In 1958–59, Third Division club Norwich City had one of the great cup runs, beating Tottenham and Manchester United and holding Luton Town to a draw in the semi-final before losing the replay.
[25] Premier League side Norwich City lost at home to non-League Luton Town in the 2012–13 FA Cup competition.
Lincoln City became the first non-League side in 103 years to reach the quarter-final stage of the FA Cup, since Queens Park Rangers F.C.
In 1894, Jimmy Logan became the second player to score three goals in the final of the competition, with his Notts County beating Bolton Wanderers 4–1.
In the 1946 final, Bert Turner from Charlton Athletic became famous for scoring for both sides – first he put a goal in his own net, only to equalise from a free kick a minute later.
[34] Billy Hampson of Newcastle United, the oldest FA Cup finalist, was 41 years and 257 days old when his side beat Aston Villa 2–0 in the 1924 Final.
In 1983, Norman Whiteside, at 18 years and 18 days, became the youngest player ever to score in an FA Cup final, whilst playing for Manchester United against Brighton & Hove Albion.
[35] On 12 September 2020, Evander Grubb scored a brace for Bristol Manor Farm in their 5–1 victory over Cadbury Heath aged 16 years and 54 days to become the youngest ever goal scorer in the competition.
In 1985, Kevin Moran of Manchester United became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final, he had fouled Peter Reid with a sliding tackle which missed the ball.
[39] Liverpool left back Gerry Byrne suffered an identical injury during the 1965 FA Cup final against Leeds United.
Despite the crippling injury he achieved legendary status, by not only helping Liverpool to win the cup for the first time in their history, following a 2–1 victory, but he also managed to provide an assist, breaking forward on the left and crossing for Roger Hunt to score the opening goal.
In 1881 Canadian born Edward Hagarty Parry was captain (and goal-scorer) of the Old Carthusians team which won the FA Cup Final defeating Old Etonians 3–0.
In 1959, Nottingham Forest became the first team to lose a player to injury in the final and go on to win with 10 men, beating Luton Town 2–1 after having goalscorer Roy Dwight carried off with a broken leg after 33 minutes.
[45] In 1889, Preston North End became the first club to achieve the double of winning the FA Cup (beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–0) and the Football League in the same season.
In 2002, Arsenal matched Manchester United's record of three doubles as they defeated Chelsea 2–0 at the Millennium Stadium and clinched the league title four days later.
In 1873, Sheffield confirmed a unique place in FA Cup history, knocking out Shropshire Wanderers on the toss of a coin; the only time a tie has been decided in this way.
[49] In 1931, West Bromwich Albion became the only team to win the FA Cup and get promoted in the same season, defeating Birmingham City 2–1 in the final.
[50] in 1946, Charlton Athletic became the first team to reach the final despite losing a match in their cup run, due to the one-off two-legged format for that season.
[51] For the first time, the FA Cup was played under a roof in the final of the 2002–03 season, held on 17 May 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Arsenal and Southampton benefiting from cover from the rain.
[55] It is commonly held that previous winners of the FA Cup are traditionally the only clubs allowed to use triangular corner flags in English football.
In 1999, Ryan Giggs of Manchester United scored in extra time to defeat Arsenal 2–1 in FA Cup semi-final replay.
