The Best FA Cup Finals Of All Time AUG 4
The FA Cup is considered by many to be the penultimate event in international football. As the very oldest tournament in the world, the FA Cup has seen countless teams win great victories and suffer incredible losses in front of their devoted fans, and it’s made for some truly memorable finals that no lover of the FA Cup will ever be able to forget.
From razor edge wins to heart-breaking losses, these are some of the most memorable FA Cup finals that have ever taken place at the famed international event.
Liverpool vs Wimbledon – 1988
Wimbledon had worked hard from the ground up in order to make it to the FA Cup final, but for many, the prospect of winning against a team as formidable as Liverpool seemed like an impossibility, and not many believed that they would make it through. Despite this, during the 37th minute of the final match, Lawrie Sanchez was able to head home with Dennis Wise’s free kick that gave the underdogs a single point, but it was enough to provide them with the lead. And although Liverpool came close to equalising during the second half, they ultimately failed, and Wimbledon won the day amid glorious cheers from their fans and loud groans from the Liverpool side.
Everton vs Sheffield – 1966
Not far ahead of the country’s World Cup win, Everton was being captained by Brian Labone, who had a 3-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in a comeback that was witnessed by both Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The Owls had got ahead by 2 points thanks to Jim McCalliog’s goal which came early in the game, which was then followed swiftly by another from David Fored.
And while everyone thought that Sheffield had won the match and the final, Everton quickly rallied and covered their gap with two goals in a space of just five minutes thanks to Mike Trebilcock. Wednesday quickly began to lose steam, and Derek Temple sealed their fate after he landed a third goal in the last 15 minutes that allowed them to walk away as the victors in a game that has become famous among fans of both teams, and renown among sports bettors who made good money on some of the biggest bets around during the time
Sunderland vs Leeds – 1873
Sunderland’s Division Two, which was run by Bob Stokoe, were able to leave Leeds fans as one of the greatest FA Final shocks of all time, with Jim Montgomery ultimately being the great hero that the team needed in order to win. Sunderland claimed a goal during the first half from Ian Porterfield, after which Leeds was not able to clear a corner for themselves. Halfway through the second half, Sunderland continued to fight against Leeds in a turn around that wowed everyone in the audience, and it was Stokoe who ran through the length of the field to hug his goalkeeper as they finished with a win.