Comebacks, Thrashings, Screamers: The Greatest FA Cup Finals

It is that time of the season, the Premier League nears its conclusion, and the FA Cup final is set to be played. This year, Crystal Palace face Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in an intriguing fixture, but there have been several phenomenal fixtures and moments in the competition over the years.

From Ben Watson’s last-minute winner for Wigan Athletic to Manchester United vs Liverpool in 1977, and Portsmouth vs Cardiff City in 2008.

But what are some of the greatest ever FA Cup finals?

Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (2006)

"The Gerrard final."#OnThisDay in 2006, Steven Gerrard provided one of the BEST EVER #FACup final performances. #LFC #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/B5xHiiivMD
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 13, 2020

Known as the ‘Steven Gerrard’ game, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest cup finals ever played. Being played in Cardiff at the Millennium Stadium as Wembley was being rebuilt at the time, Liverpool began the match in terrible fashion, going behind in the 21st minute of the fixture through a Jamie Carragher own-goal. West Ham doubled their lead seven minutes later, Dean Ashton pouncing on a spilled save by Pepe Reina to extend the Hammers’ lead.

The Reds answered back quickly and swiftly, Djibril Cisse volleying home a lofted ball from Gerrard to make the score 2-1 to the London Club at half time. Come the second half, Gerrard continued to lead from the front for Liverpool, smashing a strike in from the edge of the box to level the final. However, the Merseyside club’s fight back did not last long as West Ham regained the lead in the 64th minute, Paul Konchesky accidentally lobbing Reina with a long-range floated cross. The Hammers looked set to win the cup, leading at the end of regular time.

But up stepped the Liverpool captain once again, and in the 91st minute, Gerrard scored one of the best goals in FA Cup history, netting a 35-yard thunderbolt in added time to save his team and take the game to extra time. The goal’s commentary, known by many as the ‘you beauty’, Gerrard’s goal sent the game to extra time, with Liverpool’s Reina making several saves to keep the score level.

Penalties came next, and the winner would be decided, with Reina once again producing big saves as Liverpool won 3-1 on penalties, thanks to converted spot kicks from Dietmar Hamann, Gerrard, and Riise. Liverpool’s skipper was awarded Man of the Match, and Liverpool won their 7th FA Cup title.

Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (2014)

📆 #OnThisDay in 2014…

Aaron Ramsey scored the winner to beat Hull City 3-2 in the #FACup Final which ended a 9 year run with no silverware for the Gunners.

Iconic. 👏

pic.twitter.com/gUbx9IS2zd
— VBET UK (@VBET_uk) May 17, 2021

Coming into the 2014 FA Cup final, Arsenal were on a 9-year trophy drought, with the club yet to win a trophy since their victory in the 2005 FA Cup, while Hull City appeared in their first-ever FA Cup final. With both teams meeting at Wembley, the Tigers made a shock start, scoring the first goal in the game in the 4th minute as James Chester redirected a Tom Huddlestone shot in the back of the bet, before Hull doubled their lead within the first ten minutes, Curtis Davies converting a goal-mouth scramble after a shot hit the post to give Hull a 2-0 lead inside eight minutes.

Wembley was shocked, and the Gunners fought back in the 17th minute, Spaniard Santi Cazorla curling a 30-yard free kick over the Hull City wall and Allan McGregor to give the London club hope. The game’s momentum had change, and while Arsenal could not level the scoreline before the break, Laurent Koscielny wheeled away in the 71st minute, the French defender poking home from close range to equalise.

The final finished 2-2 in normal time, with the two teams having to be separated by a further 30 minutes of action, Yayo Sanogo would come off the bench for the Gunners, providing energy before Lukasz Fabianski, who was replacing Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal goal, almost gifted Hull a goal in extra time, but was let off. However, the game’s decisive goal came in the 109th minute, Olivier Giroud’s backheel finding Aaron Ramsey, who fired in the game's winning goal.

With the 3-2 scoreline, Arsene Wenger lifted his 5th FA Cup as Gunners manager, with the London club also remaining the record as the club with the most FA Cup wins at the time (11).

Manchester City 6-0 Watford (2019)

#FACupFinal 2019! 🍿🏆

🔵 City 6-0 Watford 🟡

🔷 #MCFCPortugues | https://t.co/JIQNttxQCn pic.twitter.com/R4TjTUmJmN
— Manchester City (@ManCityPT) June 2, 2023

The 2019 FA Cup was one like no other, a demolition job from Manchester City as the Citizens became the first English men’s team to achieve the domestic treble of the Premier League, Carabao Cup, and the FA Cup.

City took the lead early, David Silva scoring in the 26th minute, after taking advantage of a defensive mix-up and slotting home inside the box. Raheem Sterling doubled Pep Guardiola’s side's lead in the 38th minute, the Englishman helping Gabriel Jesus’ shot over the line.

Come the second half, Kevin De Bruyne tripled City’s lead in the 61st minute, coming off the bench and rounding the keeper. Gabriel Jesus put the game beyond doubt, seven minutes later, finishing off a quick break to make it 4-0.

But City were not finished, Raheem Sterling tapping in his second of the afternoon in the 81st minute before the England international completed his hat-trick, smashing into the roof of the net to become the first player to score a hat-trick in the FA Cup final since 1953 to make it 6-0.

Watford’s first FA Cup final since 1984 ended in heartbreak, while Pep Guardiola’s City became a dominant force in English football.