In its almost 150-year history, the FA Cup, the oldest of the world’s football competitions, has seen countless legendary matches – and no fewer than a handful of legendary footballers – played by the hundreds of teams that have at one time featured in the tournament. After Manchester United’s dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Coventry City in the 2024 FA Cup semi-final, here are the 10 best matches in its history.

Ranking factors

To select them, we decided to use a number of criteria, including:

• Historical significance
• Entertainment
• Stage of the match

10Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic

11/05/2013, Final

David versus Goliath. The 11th of May 2013 should have been a date like any other for Manchester City – favourites for the FA Cup final against Wigan Athletic, who had never appeared in such a fixture in their history. But against the superstars of the Skyblues, the Latics were not just looking to make up the numbers.

Embodying this desire to do well, Callum McManaman delivered a memorable performance that day, earning him the Man of the Match award. The award also came courtesy of a late goal (90th+1) from Ben Watson, who came on ten minutes from time. At Wembley, Roberto Martinez‘s men had just won the first FA Cup in the history of Wigan, who a few days later would be relegated to the Championship after losing to Arsenal.

9Manchester United 4-3 Liverpool

17/03/2024, Quarter-final

Sometimes you don’t have to go far back in time to find a match you’re already nostalgic for. The 2024 FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester United and Liverpool is a case in point. Alongside their battle with Manchester City and Arsenal in the race for the English league title, the Reds travelled to Old Trafford in a bid to reach another domestic cup semi-final. An English derby that took on a spectacular dimension as the two teams went head to head.

Locked level at the end of the 90 minutes at 2-2, the historic rivals seemed to be heading for a penalty shoot-out after goals from Harvey Elliott (2-3, 105th) and Marcus Rashford (3-3, 112th). Amad Diallo was not to be denied, however, and in the 121st minute he sealed victory for the Red Devils, restoring the glory days of a Theatre of Dreams that was deliriously happy.

8Arsenal 3-2 Hull City

17/05/2014, Final

The 2014 FA Cup final marked the start of a new era. For the first time since 2010, the final will be played after the end of the league season. A new version of the trophy was also inaugurated when Arsenal met Hull City, who were contesting the first cup final in their history. The Tigers took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring twice in the first seven minutes.

However, the Gunners made up some of the deficit thanks to Santi Cazorla’s direct free-kick on the quarter-hour mark. Arsenal then had to wait until the 70th minute for Laurent Koscielny’s equaliser. Pushed into extra time, Arsene Wenger’s men were pushed hard but finally managed to take a definitive lead through Aaron Ramsey and end years of hurt and trophyless pain.

7Conventry City 3-3 Manchester United

21/02/2024, Semi-Final

A comeback that will go down in history as both incredible and regrettable. Coventry City came close to achieving the impossible against Manchester United in the semi-finals of the 2024 FA Cup. Trailing 0-3 with 20 minutes remaining, the Championship side managed to salvage an improbable equaliser in the 95th minute.

The valiant Skyblues even thought they had pulled off one of the greatest feats in the history of the oldest competition when they scored a fourth goal in extra time. Their joy was short-lived, however, as it was disallowed for offside. The Red Devils would then take advantage of two Coventry misses in the penalty shoot-out to reach the final of the FA Cup.

6Everton 4-4 Liverpool

20/02/1991, Fifth round

The first of two replays of the 1991 FA Cup fifth round tie between Everton and Liverpool has been described by many as one of the matches that forever changed footballing history. Unable to break the deadlock in their first meeting at Anfield (0-0), the two historic rivals met again this time at Goodison Park to battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The match ended 4-4, with goals from Peter Beardsley (x2), Ian Rush and John Barnes for the Reds and doubles from Graeme Sharp and Tony Cottee for the Toffees. The match was also the first Merseyside derby to be broadcast on satellite television, and was followed by the surprise resignation of Sir Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool manager.

5Tottenham 3-1 Arsenal

14/04/1991, Semi-final

Wembley played host to the first-ever FA Cup semi-final on April 14, 1991. And what better event to commemorate the heritage of the fabled London venue than a North London derby? That day, Tottenham and Arsenal fought it out to the hilt in front of some 77,000 people.
Spurs seized the lead swiftly, helped by the legendary Paul Gascoigne (who scored a fantastic free-kick and assisted Gary Lineker with his second goal). However, Alan Smith gave favorites Arsenal a goal back early in the second half. Finally, Lineker scored Spurs’ third goal with David Seaman’s deft touch. A few weeks later, the Whites won their seventh FA Cup in team history, triumphing over Nottingham Forest.

4Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers

02/05/1953, Final

At Wembley, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, who was attending the first football match of her life, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers played out one of the most legendary encounters in the history of British football. It was a match marked by one man in particular – Sir Stanley Matthews – who even had the match renamed ‘The Matthews Final’ in his honour.

On that day, however, it was Stan Mortensen who scored a hat-trick to give Blackpool a late equaliser against Wanderers. Bill Perry completed the comeback to clinch the title for his team. But that day, 38-year-old Matthews, the man Pelé said “taught us the way football should be played”, produced a memorable performance.

3Crystal Palace 4-3 Liverpool

08/04/1990, Semi-final

After losing to the eventual English champions twice, most notably 9–0 at Anfield in the 1989–90 campaign, Crystal Palace saw the FA Cup semifinal as a chance to exact revenge on a team that was as skilled as it was merciless. Ian Rush’s goal in the fourteenth minute made the task instantly challenging. After trailing at the break, the Eagles overcame their deficit with goals from Gary Mills O’Reilly (70th) and Mark Bright (46th) in the second half. GIVEMESPORT Important Statistic:The FA Cup final between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday in 1890 and 1990 had the same score of 6-1 to make history. But within three minutes, that lead vanished as penalties from John Barnes (83rd) and Steve McMahon (80th) altered the tide of play. Andrew Gray’s teammates remained unfazed and trusted the Englishman, who in the 88th minute grabbed extra time. Reenergized, the Londoners even scored Alan Pardew’s (109th) goal, the game’s fourth and final goal, to secure their spot in their first-ever FA Cup final. Sadly, the Eagles’ journey came to an end in the championship game, as they were defeated 1-0 in a replay by Manchester United, following a mere few days of a 3-3 tie with the Red Devils.

2Liverpool 3-3 West Ham

13/05/2006, Final

Due to Wembley’s redevelopment, the 2006 FA Cup final saw Liverpool take on West Ham in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for the sixth and final time. To suggest that the match was historic on the 125th anniversary of the oldest competition ever would be an understatement. The Reds needed to win the match thanks to a Steven Gerrard header after falling behind by two goals due to goals from Dean Ashton and Jamie Carragher.
The venerable midfielder for Liverpool first assisted Djibril Cisse in cutting the deficit before scoring the equalizer himself. Rafael Benitez’s team needed “Stevie G” to win extra time in the 91st minute as they were once again trailing after Paul Konchesky’s goal for West Ham. The Hammers were forced to the penalty spot, but they missed three of them, allowing their opponents to win their eighth FA Cup in history.

1Tottenham 2-3 Coventry

16/05/1987, Final

In the brilliant sunshine of Wembley on May 16, 1987, Coventry City was about to compete in their first-ever domestic cup final. The Sky Blues faced Tottenham, the clear favorites for the game, in the final following a run that featured defeating Manchester United at Old Trafford. Spurs took the lead after just two minutes, quickly establishing themselves as the clear favorites. Dave Bennett gave Coventry the equalizer seven minutes later in a swift response.
Spurs took the lead just before halftime, helped by its players Chris Waddle, Chris Hughton, and Clive Allen, but they were pushed back again after an hour. David Pleat’s team was ultimately pushed into extra time and lost by Gary Mabbutt’s own goal. After a game that BBC pundit John Motson called “the finest cup final I’ve had the pleasure of commentating on,” the 3-2 score would remain, allowing Coventry City to add their first—and thus far only—FA Cup to their trophy collection.

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