The 2016 FA Cup Final was an
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
match between
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
and
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 City of Salford, Salford to ...
on 21 May 2016 at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England, organised by
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
(FA). It marked the
135th final of the
Football Association Challenge 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 competiti ...
(FA Cup) and was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition. It was Manchester United's first FA Cup final appearance since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, when they lost 1–0 to
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Crystal Palace were playing their second FA Cup final, the previous occasion being
in 1990, when they lost to Manchester United after a
replay following a 3–3 draw in the first match.
Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg (born 13 March 1975) is an English professional football referee.
Clattenburg is a former member of the Premier League and the Durham County Football Association and also a former FIFA referee. He has refereed a number of nota ...
, from
Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...
,
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East E ...
, was the
referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
for the match, which was played in front of 88,619 spectators. The first half was goalless although Clattenburg was the subject of some controversy when he awarded Crystal Palace a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
instead of playing
advantage after Manchester United's
Chris Smalling
Christopher Lloyd Smalling (born 22 November 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Roma. Smalling represented the England national team from 2011 to 2017.
During his youth, Smalling played f ...
was adjudged to have
fouled Connor Wickham
Connor Neil Ralph Wickham (born 31 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as forward. He is currently a free agent.
He has previously represented Ipswich Town, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Crystal Palace ...
. After coming on as a second-half
substitute,
Jason Puncheon
Jason David Ian Puncheon (born 18 June 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis Famagusta .
Following his goal against Everton on his Blackpool debut, he has scored in all ...
gave Crystal Palace the lead when he scored from close range past
David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana (born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Manchester United. During the mid-2010s, he was widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Born in Madrid ...
in the Manchester United goal. The lead lasted three minutes before
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata GarcÃa (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
's deflected
volley beat
Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Robert Hennessey (born 24 January 1987) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Wales national team.
Hennessey's first professional games saw him set a new Football ...
, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper. Regular time ended with a scoreline of 1–1, sending the final into
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
. Just before the interval in the additional period, Smalling was
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
after receiving a second
yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:
* Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas
* Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band
* Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
, becoming the fourth player to be dismissed in an FA Cup final.
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Ellis Lingard (born 15 December 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for club Nottingham Forest and the England national team. He has won the UEFA Europa League, FA Cup, FA Communi ...
, who had been brought on to replace Mata close to the end of regular time, then shot from distance, sending the ball into the top corner of the Crystal Palace goal to give Manchester United a 2–1 victory, and their twelfth FA Cup.
Manchester United's
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
was named as
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
. The victory was
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former football player and manager. At club level, he served as manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, as well as having three spel ...
's only trophy as Manchester United's
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
and he was sacked two days after the final, to be replaced by
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the British ...
. By winning the final, Manchester United qualified for both the
2016 FA Community Shield
The 2016 FA Community Shield (also known as The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 94th FA Community Shield, an annual English football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier Le ...
and the group stage of the
2016–17 UEFA Europa League
The 2016–17 UEFA Europa League was the 46th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the eighth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The 2017 UEFA Eu ...
.
Background
The
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 competi ...
is an annual
knockout tournament
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking ...
involving professional and amateur men's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
clubs in the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
. It is the world's oldest football cup competition.
The 2016 final was the 135th final to be played since it was first held in 1872.
[
In the two league matches between the sides during the regular season, the fixture at ]Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
in London in October 2015 ended in a goalless draw while the game at Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
the following April ended in a 2–0 victory to Manchester United. Crystal Palace's top scorer during the regular season was Dwight Gayle
Dwight Devon Boyd Gayle (born 17 October 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Stoke City.
Gayle played in the Arsenal academy as a youth, but was released in 2007, after which he began ...
who had scored 7 goals in 11 appearances in all competitions, while three players – Yannick Bolasie
Yannick Bolasie (born 24 May 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for TFF First League club Çaykur Rizespor. He has played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Barnet, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, Everton and A ...
, Yohan Cabaye
Yohan Cabaye (; born 14 January 1986) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Cabaye began his football career playing for hometown club US Tourcoing at the age of six. After seven years developing in the club's ...
and Connor Wickham
Connor Neil Ralph Wickham (born 31 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as forward. He is currently a free agent.
He has previously represented Ipswich Town, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Crystal Palace ...
– had 6 each. Anthony Martial
Anthony Jordan Martial (; born 5 December 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team.
After playing youth football for Les Ulis, Martial began his pr ...
was Manchester United's leading scorer, with 17 goals, including 2 in the FA Cup, followed by Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
on 15 (also 2 in the FA Cup). Manchester United went into the final with a record of 11 wins from 18 FA Cup finals, one behind Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in both FA Cup wins and FA Cup Final appearances. United last played a final in 2007, the first at the new Wembley, where they lost 1–0 after extra time to Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Their last title victory was in 2004, a 3–0 win against Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
at Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
's Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
. Crystal Palace's only previous FA Cup final was the 1990 final, which they lost to Manchester United after a replay when the first match had ended in a 3–3 draw.[
]
Route to the final
Crystal Palace
As a 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 ...
team, Crystal Palace started their campaign in the third round. There, they were drawn against fellow Premier League team Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
away at St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Southampton, England, which has been the home stadium of Premier League club Southampton F.C. since 2001. The stadium has a capacity of 32,384 and is currently the largest football stadium ...
on 9 January 2016. Crystal Palace took the lead when Joel Ward scored in the 29th minute from a Jason Puncheon
Jason David Ian Puncheon (born 18 June 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis Famagusta .
Following his goal against Everton on his Blackpool debut, he has scored in all ...
pass. Six minutes after half time, Oriol Romeu
Oriol Romeu Vidal (; born 24 September 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga side Girona.
Romeu began his career at Barcelona, playing mainly in their reserves. In 2011, he joined Chelsea fo ...
equalised for Southampton following Cuco Martina
Rhu-endly Aurelio Jean-Carlo Martina (born 25 September 1989), known as Cuco Martina, is a professional footballer who plays for the Curaçao national team. He plays primarily as a right-back, but can also play as a centre-back or defensive mid ...
's saved shot. Midway through the second half, Wilfried Zaha
Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha (born 10 November 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Crystal Palace and the Ivory Coast national team.
Zaha advanced into the Crystal Palace first team from their academy, in 2010. In ...
restored Crystal Palace's lead, scoring with a volley after the Southampton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg
Maarten Stekelenburg (; born 22 September 1982) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie club Ajax.
Stekelenburg began his career at Ajax, playing 282 matches over nine seasons in his first spell there and win ...
had kept out Puncheon's shot. No further goals were scored and the match ended 2–1 to Crystal Palace. In the fourth round, Crystal Palace hosted another top-flight team in Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
at Selhurst Park on 30 January. Zaha scored in the first half after beating the Stoke City defence, striking the ball past Jakob Haugaard
Jakob Let Haugaard (born 1 May 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Tromsø.
Haugaard began his career with Akademisk BK before moving to Danish Superliga side Midtjylland in December 2011. He was used as back ...
for the only goal of the game. The visiting side had made eight changes to their team from their previous league match, prompting their manager Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City.
During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, and a ...
to say "We were a little bit stretched, we had a number of players unavailable."
In the fifth round, Crystal Palace were drawn against their third consecutive Premier League opposition, meeting Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
on 21 February away at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. Although Tottenham Hotspur had a number of chances to score, including two shots from Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one of ...
which were saved by Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Robert Hennessey (born 24 January 1987) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Wales national team.
Hennessey's first professional games saw him set a new Football ...
and Dele Alli
Bamidele Jermaine Alli ( ; born 11 April 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club BeÅŸiktaÅŸ, on loan from Premier League club Everton.
Born and raised in Milton Keynes, he joined the youth s ...
striking both goalposts with a shot, Crystal Palace secured a 1–0 victory. Martin Kelly scored his first goal since 2011 in first-half stoppage time from close range after receiving the ball from Zaha. The win meant Crystal Palace advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1994–95 competition. There, they had their first game against a lower-division team, facing Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
at the Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Reading. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in the EFL Championship. It also provides the finish for the Rea ...
on 11 March. Although Crystal Palace dominated possession, the first half ended goalless. With five minutes of the game remaining, Reading defender Jake Cooper was sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
after receiving a second yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:
* Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas
* Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band
* Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
, fouling Bolasie and conceding a penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
A p ...
which was scored by Cabaye. Fraizer Campbell
Fraizer Lee Campbell (born 13 September 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker, most recently for Huddersfield Town. He has also played for Manchester United, Royal Antwerp, Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, ...
secured the win with a goal from close range four minutes into stoppage time. Crystal Palace won 2–0 and progressed to the semi-final for the first time in 21 years.
On 24 April, Crystal Palace faced Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, a neutral venue
In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home team is said to ga ...
, in a repeat of the 2013 Football League Championship play-off Final. Bolasie gave Crystal Palace an early lead when he headed the ball into the Watford goal after Damien Delaney flicked on a corner
Corner may refer to:
People
*Corner (surname)
* House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect)
Places
*Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States
*Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia
*Corner River, a tributary of ...
from Cabaye. Watford's Étienne Capoue
Étienne René Capoue (born 11 July 1988) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Villarreal.
He is a French youth international, having earned caps at under-18, under-19, and under-21 level, ...
was stretchered off the pitch in the 30th minute following a tangle with Bolasie. Ten minutes into the second half, Troy Deeney
Troy Matthew Deeney (born 29 June 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains club Birmingham City.
Deeney started his professional career at Walsall. He spent a brief spell on loan with Southern Leag ...
equalised for Watford when he scored with a header from José Manuel Jurado
José Manuel Jurado MarÃn (born 29 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.
He played for both major teams in Madrid during his career, Real and Atlético, albeit with no success for the former ...
's corner. Six minutes later, Crystal Palace retook the lead when Wickham converted Pape Souaré
Pape N'Diaye Souaré (; born 6 June 1990) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a left back for Morecambe.
Club career
Born in Mbao, Pikine Department, Souaré spent his early career with Diambars, Lille II, Lille and Reims. ...
's cross to make it 2–1 which remained the final score.
Manchester United
As a Premier League team, Manchester United also entered 2015–16 FA Cup in the third round, hosting Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
of League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
at Old Trafford on 9 January 2016. Substitute Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay (; born 13 February 1994), also known simply as Memphis, is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Barcelona and the Netherlands national team.
Memphis began his professional career with PSV Eind ...
was fouled in second-half stoppage time by Dean Hammond
Dean John Hammond (born 7 March 1983) is an English retired footballer. He previously played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Leicester City and Southampton.
Football career
Brighton & Hove ...
for a penalty kick, from which Rooney scored the only goal of the match. Manager Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former football player and manager. At club level, he served as manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, as well as having three spel ...
was under pressure for Manchester United's poor form prior to the match. In the fourth round, Manchester United travelled to Pride Park
Pride Park is a business park on the outskirts of the city centre of Derby, England. Developed in the 1990s, It covers 80 hectares of former industrial land between the River Derwent and railway lines. Pride Park Stadium and Derby Arena are both ...
to play Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
who were in a play-off place in the Championship. Rooney scored the first goal in the 16th minute from outside the penalty area
The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5m (18 yd) to each side of the goal and 16.5m (18 yd) in front of it.
Wit ...
, but George Thorne equalised eight minutes before half time. Midway though the second half, Daley Blind
Daley Blind (; born 9 March 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder, left-back or centre-back for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Netherlands national team. He is the son of former Ajax defender and fo ...
restored Manchester United's lead, scoring with a low strike from Jesse Lingard
Jesse Ellis Lingard (born 15 December 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for club Nottingham Forest and the England national team. He has won the UEFA Europa League, FA Cup, FA Communi ...
's cross. Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata GarcÃa (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
's 83rd-minute goal after a run from Martial secured a 3–1 victory for Manchester United and relieved Van Gaal of further pressure; it was the first time in 15 games that the team won by a margin of more than one goal.
On 22 February, Manchester United played the fifth round against Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
, who were in 21st position in League One, away at New Meadow
New Meadow, also known as Montgomery Waters Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5 road (Great Britain) ...
. Chris Smalling
Christopher Lloyd Smalling (born 22 November 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Roma. Smalling represented the England national team from 2011 to 2017.
During his youth, Smalling played f ...
opened the scoring for Manchester United with his first goal in the FA Cup eight minutes before half-time. Mata doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time with a direct free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
before Lingard confirmed a 3–0 win just after the hour mark, converting Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera Agüera (; born 14 August 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao, on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
He began his career at Real Zaragoza, before moving ...
's pass. Manchester United were forced to play with only ten players for the final fourteen minutes of the match after Will Keane
William David Keane (born 11 January 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Wigan Athletic and the Republic of Ireland national team.
He began his career with Manchester United, having joined them at the a ...
came off injured and no substitutes remained. Manchester United hosted their sixth-round match against top-flight opponents West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
on 13 March. The visitors took the lead midway through the second half after Dimitri Payet
Dimitri Payet (; born 29 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Marseille. A set-piece specialist, known for his accurate, bending free kicks, he primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, and is described a ...
's free kick beat David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana (born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Manchester United. During the mid-2010s, he was widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Born in Madrid ...
in the Manchester United goal. With seven minutes remaining, the hosts equalised when Martial scored from a cross from Herrera, ending the match 1–1. Due to the draw, a replay was required. This took place the following month at the Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years ...
, the final FA Cup match at the ground. After a goalless first half, Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Manchester United and the England national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his explosive ath ...
gave Manchester United the lead in the 54th minute when he curled a shot past Darren Randolph
Darren Edward Andrew Randolph (born 12 May 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth and the Republic of Ireland national team. He has previously played for the Republic of Ir ...
, the West Ham United goalkeeper, into the top corner of the net. Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese club Shandong Taishan.
Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, Fellaini played youth football for Anderlecht, R.A.E.C. ...
made it 2–0 midway through the second half, scoring from Martial's cross. West Ham halved the deficit in the 79th minute when James Tomkins scored with a header. Although West Ham dominated the closing stages, including having a goal by Cheikhou Kouyaté disallowed, the match ended 2–1 to Manchester United.
On 23 April, Manchester United faced Everton at Wembley, a neutral venue, in the semi-finals. Fellaini gave Manchester United the lead in the 34th minute when he scored from close range against his former team. After the interval, Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Evans Timothy Fosu Fosu-Mensah (born 2 January 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder, centre-back or full-back for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Netherlands national team. He formerly played for ...
fouled Everton's Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley (born 5 December 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nice.
Barkley began his professional career at Everton in 2010. After loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United he b ...
, but de Gea saved Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli (; born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan, on loan from club Chelsea, and the Belgium national team.
Lukaku began his senior club career playing for Ander ...
's subsequent penalty kick. With 15 minutes to go, Everton substitute Gerard Deulofeu
Gerard Deulofeu Lázaro (; born 13 March 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Udinese. Mainly a forward, he can also play as a winger on both flanks.
He started his career with Barcelona, first appearing with ...
sent in a cross which was deflected into Manchester United's goal off Smalling for an own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
which levelled the score. Three minutes into stoppage time, Herrera set up Martial who struck the ball past the Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles to secure a 2–1 win for Manchester United and progression to a record-breaking 19th FA Cup final.
A bomb scare at Old Trafford on the final day of the Premier League meant that Manchester United's final league game, against Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, was postponed and rearranged for 17 May. This left Manchester United with four days to prepare for the final, two days fewer than Crystal Palace.
Match
Pre-match
The referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
for the final was Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg (born 13 March 1975) is an English professional football referee.
Clattenburg is a former member of the Premier League and the Durham County Football Association and also a former FIFA referee. He has refereed a number of nota ...
from Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...
, County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East E ...
, who was assisted by John Brooks and Andrew Halliday. The fourth official
In association football, an assistant referee (previously known as a linesman or lineswoman) is an official empowered with assisting the referee in enforcing the Laws of the Game during a match. Although assistants are not required under the La ...
was Neil Swarbrick
Neil Swarbrick (born 20 December 1965) is an English retired football referee who officiated primarily in the Premier League having been promoted to the Select Group of Referees in 2011.
He is based in Preston, Lancashire, and is a member of ...
while Michael Salisbury acted as the reserve assistant referee. The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
acting as the pay TV alternative.
Each club received an allocation of 28,780 tickets. This was an increase on previous seasons from 71% of available seats for supporters of the two opposing teams to 80%. All ticket prices were also reduced by £5 each.
An inaugural tournament was held on 7 May in which a fan of each of the 64 teams who reached the third round competed in a knock-out football video game tournament in rooms around Wembley Stadium. The prize was tickets to the actual final. The financial prize for winning the FA Cup Final was £1.8million while the runners-up would receive £900,000.
Manchester United were considered clear favourites to win the final, both in the media and by bookmakers.