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The 1996 FA Cup Final was the 51st to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War and was held between two of the biggest rivals in
English football Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of ...
,
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
and Liverpool.


Build-up

A few days before the final, Manchester United had secured their third league title in four years (1992–93, 1993–94 and 1995–96, coming second in 1994–95). The final was also their third in three seasons, having beaten Chelsea 4–0 in
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
and lost 1–0 to Everton in 1995. Liverpool, on the other hand, were going through a barren spell in terms of trophies, having not won the league title since 1989–90 or an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
since 1992, although they had tasted success in the League Cup in 1995. Liverpool and Manchester United were the two top scoring sides in the
FA Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
in this season, and entered the game as the most attacking sides in English football, with Liverpool winning their last meeting 2–0 at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 ...
, and Manchester United equalising at Old Trafford to get a 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture, with Robbie Fowler scoring all four of Liverpool's goals against Manchester United in both meetings. Both clubs released cup final songs, as was common at the time: Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove) (which reached number 4 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
) and Move Move Move (The Red Tribe) (which reached number 6).


Match summary

The match, despite the rivalry between the two teams, was a fairly unmemorable game, rarely sparking into life, with playmakers
Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer, and former professional footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Cantona is credited as having made Manchester United a d ...
and
Steve McManaman Steven McManaman (born 11 February 1972) is an English former footballer who played as a winger for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City. McManaman is one of the most decorated English footballers to have played for a club abroad and is ...
, marked and closed out by Jamie Redknapp and John Barnes and Roy Keane and Nicky Butt respectively. Keane went on to stop virtually every attack the Liverpool midfield threw at Manchester United, and covering as commentator
Peter Brackley Peter Brackley (13 June 1951 – 14 October 2018) was an English football commentator, perhaps most famous for commentating for ''Football Italia'' on Channel 4 in the 1990s, for the computer game series ''Pro Evolution Soccer'' until '' Pro Evo ...
described, "every blade of grass", to win the man of the match award. The game started with a frenetic pace and Manchester United started with several positive chances before Liverpool came back into the game, but chances at either end were limited. Neither goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel for Manchester United and
David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...
for Liverpool, was seriously tested throughout the majority of the game. However, with just five minutes remaining on the clock, David James tried to punch a corner clear. The ball landed just outside the penalty area, at the feet of Manchester United captain Eric Cantona, who had scored in his comeback game after a seven-month suspension at Old Trafford against Liverpool earlier that season in a game that ended 2–2. Cantona hit his shot goalwards, through the crowded penalty area and the ball nestled in the back of the goal, winning the game for Manchester United. Cantona had been marked out of the game, but true to his form all season, popped up with yet another magical moment.


Result

The win was Manchester United's third FA Cup win under Alex Ferguson, having also won in
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
and 1994. They became the first club to win the competition nine times, and also became the first club to win the league championship and FA Cup double on two occasions. Manchester United's two longest serving players, Steve Bruce and Brian McClair, were dropped in favour of younger players for the final. Bruce never played for Manchester United again, as he was transferred to
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
11 days later, while McClair remained at the club for a further two seasons. Neil Ruddock was left out of the Liverpool squad despite having played in both the quarter and semi-final, as well as in each of the last six league matches of the season.


Match details


Post-match

After the match, the Manchester United team was presented the FA Cup trophy by The Duchess of Kent, wife of the President of
The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...
, Prince Edward. As the Manchester United players climbed the steps to the Royal Box to receive their medals, captain Eric Cantona was spat at by a spectator wearing a Liverpool shirt, while manager Alex Ferguson evaded a punch thrown by another. For Liverpool, the match was the final appearance of goalscoring legend Ian Rush, who had scored 346 goals for the club since joining them in 1980 (sandwiched by a one-season spell at
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
in the late 1980s) and left at the end of the season to sign for Leeds United. The only Manchester United player whose involvement with the club ended with this game was unused substitute Lee Sharpe, who joined Rush at Leeds United just before the 1996–97 season began, after eight years at Old Trafford. The match gained notoriety for non-football reasons, having been picked up by the British tabloids for its pre-match formalities because the Liverpool team turned up in cream-coloured Emporio Armani suits, outlandish striped ties, and white
Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragranc ...
shoes, the outfit reportedly being picked by goalkeeper David James who had recently signed on to model that fashion label. Manchester United players, by contrast, wore traditional navy suits with a full button vest, black and white striped tie, and red carnation boutonnière. One commentator suggested that if Liverpool "won the cup, it would have been legendary, reminiscent of Italian flamboyance and audacity - the likes of which hadn’t been seen in English football before."


References


External links


Line-ups

LFC History Match Report
(Archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:1996 Fa Cup Final
Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
FA Cup Finals Fa Cup Final 1996 Fa Cup Final 1996 1996 sports events in London May 1996 sports events in the United Kingdom