We remember the greatest FA Cup finals of all time and count down to our No. 1 choice.
Manchester City and Crystal Palace will contest the 144th FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on May 17.
City are the favourites in the football betting as they attempt to win the eighth FA Cup in their history, while Palace are looking to lift the trophy for the first time having finished second on two occasions, including in 2015/16.
But can they create memories to match these 10 celebrated finals from the rich past of the greatest knockout club competition in the world?
Here, we relive the best FA Cup finals ever and count down to our No. 1.
Top 10 FA Cup finals ever
10. Bolton 2 West Ham 0 (April 28, 1923)
This was the famous White Horse Final, where the rich and decorated history of Wembley Stadium and its association with the FA Cup all began.
Ten different venues had shared staging the FA Cup final over the first 50 years of the competition and the FA doubted Wembley would be anywhere near full for the fourth final after the First World War, the first at its new ground.
How wrong they were. The official crowd figure at the recently-opened 100,000-capacity venue was 126,047; police estimates had it at nearer 300,000.
And the defining image of the day? Mounted policeman George Scorey aboard the grey Billie, trying to keep some semblance of order.
9. Arsenal 2 Chelsea 1 (August 1, 2020)
A cracking game featuring a brilliant, match-winning performance from Arsenal’s star man, played in front of an attendance of zero.
The 2020 final, in the height of the Covid pandemic, was played in August, almost a calendar year after that season’s competition had started, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring twice as Arsenal came from behind to beat their London rivals.
8. Brighton 2 Manchester United 2 (May 21, 1983)
‘And Smith must score …’ – and the commentator’s curse strikes once more.
Yes, Gordon Smith should have, as radio commentator Peter Jones pointed out, scored the decisive fifth goal in a thrilling final, but Gary Bailey saved, the game went to a replay and United flexed their muscles, winning 4-0 a few days later.
And still, the Sussex club awaits its first piece of major silverware.
7. Sunderland 1 Leeds 0 (May 5, 1973)
The FA Cup has witnessed its share of shocks in earlier rounds, though seismic ones in finals were rare. Sunderland’s defeat of Don Revie’s mighty Leeds was arguably the greatest of the lot.
Not since 1931 had a Second Division team won the FA Cup and few gave Bob Stokoe’s Wearsiders a sniff against Leeds.
But a world-class Leeds team featuring the likes of Billy Bremner, Johnny Giles and Peter Lorimer just never got going and they paid the price when Ian Porterfield shot the underdogs in front.
The game’s other defining moment, though, was Jim Montgomery’s stunning double save to deny Trevor Cherry and Lorimer as Sunderland held on for an unforgettable victory.
6. Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0 (May 14, 1988)
The final dubbed the Crazy Gang against the Culture Club (you had to have been around in the 1980s to appreciate that one) looked like a mismatch.
Liverpool, the dominant force in English football, had just been crowned league champions and the double looked a formality.
But Wimbledon, all aggression, big tackles, long balls and the snarling face of Vinnie Jones, weren’t to be outclassed and stunned the mighty Reds with Lawrie Sanchez scoring the only goal and ‘Dons skipper Dave Beasant saving a John Aldridge penalty.
5. Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2 (May 12, 1979)
They called the 1979 showpiece the Five-Minute Final, thanks to five dramatic minutes after 85 largely forgettable ones.
The Gunners had cruised into a 2-0 lead through goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton, and that appeared to be that.
No one saw the end of the ’79 final coming when first Gordon McQueen in the 86th minute and then Sammy McIlroy in the 88th scored the goals that turned the game on its head and had United fans roaring for glory.
Yet within seconds of the kick-off, it was Arsenal back on the attack and Alan Sunderland hoiked in a deep cross at the far post to complete the craziest conclusion to what had been one of the least remarkable finals in living memory.
4. Tottenham 3 Manchester City 2 (May 14, 1981)
Tommy Hutchison grabbed the headlines in the first game – scoring at both ends in a 1-1 draw – while it was Ricardo Villa who stole the show in the replay.
Villa’s Argentine team-mate Ossie Ardiles had been the talk of the build-up with his famous ‘in the cup for Tottingham’ line in Spurs’ cup final song, but he couldn’t upstage his mate come game day.
The replay was on a knife-edge at 2-2 when Villa picked up the ball, turned this way, twisted that, past a quartet of City defenders before finding the net with a goal which went on to be voted Wembley’s Goal of the Century.
3. Blackpool 4 Bolton 3 (May 2, 1953)
This was the Matthews Final, in which the great Stanley Matthews put on a performance so sublime and classy that he got the game named after him despite team-mate Stan Mortensen bagging a hat-trick.
To this day, Mortensen’s treble is still the only one that has ever been scored in a Wembley FA Cup final.
Bolton had dared to go 3-1 up on Blackpool before Matthews, aged 38, turned the match on its head.
It was the best of drama and to add to the sense of occasion, the Queen, just a month before the Coronation, handed over the cup for the first time as monarch.
2. Liverpool 3 Everton 2 (May 20, 1989)
Just five weeks after the Hillsborough tragedy, a city divided by football allegiances united in grief at Wembley.
Understandably a sombre, emotional occasion as Merseyside’s red and blue came together to pay their respects, Liverpool and Everton also managed to lay on a fabulous affair to go some way to lift spirits.
A Kop icon, Ian Rush, was the hero with two goals for the Reds and the powerful rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone as the players walked up to collect their medals never sounded more poignant.
1. Liverpool 3 West Ham 3 (May 13, 2006)
The sixth and last final at the tournament’s temporary home in Cardiff was arguably the best ever, certainly in terms of entertainment and excitement.
West Ham led 2-0 and again 3-2 before Steven Gerrard, with the clock entering the red, unleashed a 30-yard screamer, truly one of the great FA Cup final goals.
If Gerrard was Liverpool’s hero in 90 minutes then keeper Pepe Reina was the star turn in the penalty shootout, saving from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand.
