2018 FA Cup Final
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The 2018 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
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 ...
and
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 ...
on 19 May 2018 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. It was the 137th FA Cup final overall and was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (
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 ...
), 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 was the second successive final for Chelsea following their defeat by
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 ...
the previous year. The teams had met twice before in the FA Cup Final, winning one each between them. The first was 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 Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, which Manchester United won 4–0, and most recently in
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 Chelsea – then managed by the incumbent Manchester United boss
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 ...
– won 1–0 after
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 ...
. Michael Oliver refereed the match which was notable for being the first FA Cup Final to use the
video assistant referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee. The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video ope ...
(VAR) system.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...
, and President of the FA, was absent as he was attending his brother's wedding. The trophy was instead presented by Jackie Wilkins, the widow of former Manchester United and Chelsea player
Ray Wilkins Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...
, who died in April 2018. The match was played in sunny conditions in front of a Wembley crowd of 87,647. After a relatively even start to the match, on 21 minutes, Chelsea's
Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...
was brought down in the Manchester United
box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...
and Oliver awarded a penalty. Hazard scored from the spot to make it 1–0 to Chelsea, a lead they maintained to half time. Manchester United dominated the second half, and saw a 63rd-minute goal from
Alexis Sánchez Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez (; born 19 December 1988), also known mononymously as Alexis, is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the Chile national team. He is often lauded as the g ...
ruled out for offside after being referred to VAR. The match ended 1–0 to Chelsea who won the FA Cup for the eighth time. As winners, Chelsea qualified for the group stage of the
2018–19 UEFA Europa League The 2018–19 UEFA Europa League was the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played at the Olympic St ...
, although they had qualified for that phase already via their league position. Chelsea also earned the right to play 2017–18 Premier League champions
Manchester City 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 tw ...
for the 2018 FA Community Shield.


Route to the final


Chelsea

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 ...
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 entered 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 ...
in the third round, and were drawn against
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 ...
club
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on 7 January at Carrow Road. Chelsea made nine changes to their starting eleven from their previous league match against
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 ...
but still dominated the match, which ended goalless. The replay was held 11 days later and was a 1–1 draw with goals from
Michy Batshuayi Michy Batshuayi-Atunga (born 2 October 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Belgium national team. Batshuayi began his professional career at Standard Liège in 2011, scorin ...
in the 55th minute and
Jamal Lewis Jamal Lewis (born August 26, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at Tennessee and was s ...
in the 90th minute. The match went 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 ...
, during which Chelsea were reduced to nine men when both
Pedro Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, mean ...
and
Álvaro Morata Álvaro Borja Morata Martín (; born 23 October 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team. He began his career at Real Madrid, making his debut with the sen ...
were dismissed, each for two
yellow cards 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 ...
. With no further goals, the match went to a
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
that Chelsea won 5–3 after their goalkeeper
Willy Caballero Wilfredo Daniel Caballero Lazcano (born 28 September 1981) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Southampton. He spent most of his career in Spain, representing Elche and Málaga and competing in La Liga w ...
saved
Nélson Oliveira Nélson Miguel Castro Oliveira (; born 8 August 1991) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Super League club PAOK. Formed at S.L. Benfica, he made 24 appearances and scored three goals for the club, whil ...
's spot kick. The match was also notable for what the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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reporter Emlyn Begley described as the "first video refereeing controversy" in English football when, after deliberation with
VAR Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...
, Willian was booked for diving when he was brought down by
Timm Klose Timm Klose (born 9 May 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a centre back, most recently for Championship club Bristol City and the Switzerland national team. Born in Frankfurt to a German father and Swiss mother, he was raised ...
in the Norwich
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 ...
;
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
described the decision as a "shambles". In the fourth round, Chelsea met Premier League opposition
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
, and won 3–0 with two goals from Batshuayi and one from Marcos Alonso. In the fifth round, Chelsea faced
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
, another Championship team, at home. Chelsea were dominant, scoring four times in the first half with goals from Willian (2), Pedro and
Olivier Giroud Olivier Jonathan Giroud (born 30 September 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the France national team. Regarded for his work-rate, strength, acrobatic strikes, shot power, consistent goal-s ...
, winning the game 4–0. In the quarter-finals, they visited the
King Power Stadium King Power Stadium (also known as the Leicester City Stadium due to UEFA sponsorship regulations and formerly known as the Walkers Stadium) is a football stadium in Leicester, England. It has been the home of Premier League club Leicester City ...
to face fellow Premier League opponents
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
, where a goal for Chelsea from Morata and a Leicester equaliser from
Jamie Vardy Jamie Richard Vardy (''né'' Gill; born 11 January 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Leicester City. Regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, Vardy is known for his prolific goalscoring aided ...
took the game to extra time. Substitute Pedro came off the bench and scored the winning goal to take Chelsea to the semi-final. There, they played Premier League opposition in
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 ...
at Wembley, and goals from
strikers Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
Giroud and Morata saw Chelsea win 2–0, and progress to the FA Cup Final for the second successive season.


Manchester United

Like Chelsea,
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 ...
entered the cup in the third round because of their Premier League status. They were drawn at home against Championship side
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 ...
. Despite making five changes to the starting line-up from their previous league match, the Manchester United manager
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 ...
fielded a strong side, including
Juan Mata Juan Manuel Mata García (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 ...
,
Paul Pogba Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the France national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can be deployed as a left winger, attacking midfielder, de ...
,
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 ...
and
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Henrikh Mkhitaryan ( hy, Հենրիխ Մխիթարյան, ; born 21 January 1989) is an Armenian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for club Inter Milan. Mkhitaryan won four Armenian Premier League title ...
. United dominated the game and won 2–0 with late goals 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 ...
and substitute
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 ...
. Their fourth round opponents were
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
club
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
, the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition. Mourinho made ten changes for the match, played at
Huish Park Huish Park is a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The stadium has been home to Yeovil Town F.C. since its completion in 1990, following their relocation from Huish. Huish Park has a capacity of 9,565 (of which two stands ...
, which ended in a 4–0 victory for United with goals from Rashford,
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 ...
, Lingard and Lukaku. In the fifth round, Manchester United were drawn against fellow Premier League side
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
away at
Kirklees Stadium Kirklees Stadium (currently known due to sponsorship as the John Smith's Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of football club Huddersfield Town and rugby league si ...
. Although Mata had a goal ruled out following a controversial VAR review, Lukaku scored in each half to secure a 2–0 win. In the quarter-finals, they played Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
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 ...
. Lukaku scored in the 37th minute and with Brighton's
Jürgen Locadia Jürgen Leonardo Locadia (born 7 November 1993) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger. Club career Early career Locadia, who is of Curaçaoan descent, was born in Emmen, Netherlands, and began playing footbal ...
missing four chances to equalise, a late goal from
Nemanja Matić Nemanja Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Матић, ; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Italian Serie A club Roma. Starting his career as an attacking midfielder, Matić shifted to a d ...
, the United
midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, secured his side 2–0 victory. In the semi-final at Wembley Stadium, Manchester United faced fellow Premier League club
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 ...
, who took an early lead through
Dele Alli Bamidele Jermaine Alli ( ; born 11 April 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Beşiktaş, on loan from Premier League club Everton. Born and raised in Milton Keynes, he joined the youth s ...
.
Alexis Sánchez Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez (; born 19 December 1988), also known mononymously as Alexis, is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the Chile national team. He is often lauded as the g ...
equalised midway through the first half with a header from Pogba's
cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
past the Tottenham goalkeeper
Michel Vorm Michel Armand Vorm (born 20 October 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and was a goalkeeping coach at Tottenham Hotspur. Vorm began his professional career at FC Utrecht in 2005, spending his first season ...
. Herrera then put United ahead in the second half and his team held on for the 2–1 win and progression to the final.


Match


Background

The 2018 final was the last match of the
2017–18 FA Cup The 2017–18 FA Cup (also known as the FA Challenge Cup) was the 137th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates, and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. 737 clubs were accep ...
and the 137th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest football cup competition. This was Chelsea's thirteenth FA Cup final, having last progressed to the final the previous season where they lost 2–1 to Arsenal. Chelsea had won the cup on seven occasions, the most recent being in the 2012 FA Cup Final where they defeated
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
2–1. Manchester United had featured in nineteen finals prior to 2018: their most recent appearance was in the 2016 final when they needed extra time to beat
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 ...
2–1. The 2018 final was the third to see Manchester United and Chelsea face one another: United won the 1994 FA Cup Final 4–0 while Chelsea were 1–0 winners in the 2007 final. In the two meetings between the clubs during the 2017–18 Premier League, Chelsea won 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in November 2017 while Manchester United won 2–1 at Old Trafford the following February. The season ended with Manchester United in second place, and Chelsea fifth, eleven points behind. Tributes for former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder
Ray Wilkins Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...
, who died on 4 April, were held before the match on the hoardings and the screens in the stadium, as well as a feature in the
matchday programme A matchday programme or match programme is a booklet associated with a live sporting event which details the proposed starting lineup and other details of the match. To some spectators, the purchase of a matchday programme is part of the "ritua ...
. Wilkins won the FA Cup with both sides; in the 1983 final for United, and three times as assistant manager of Chelsea – in the
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
,
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
and 2010 finals. The traditional performance of the hymn, " Abide with Me" was performed by the choir of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
and 14 individual fans of 14 different clubs with a flypast by three Royal Air Force
Typhoons A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
. The national anthem, "
God Save the Queen "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...
", was sung by soprano Emily Haig who also performed it at the 2018 FA Women's Cup Final. The referee for the match was 33-year-old Michael Oliver from
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...
. He previously officiated when these two sides met in the previous season's quarter-final, in which he sent off Manchester United's Herrera. Oliver became the youngest FA Cup final referee since the 1914 FA Cup Final between
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
and Liverpool which was officiated by the 32-year-old
Herbert Bamlett Herbert Bamlett (1 March 1882 – October 1941) was an English football manager and referee. In 1909, Bamlett refereed the FA Cup fourth round tie between Manchester United and Burnley, but called the game off with only 18 minutes left and t ...
. Oliver's assistants were Ian Hussin from
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and Lee Betts from
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. 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
Lee Mason Lee Mason (born 29 October 1971)
and biography:
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, and the fifth official was Constantine Hatzidakis from
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. For the first time in the final, there was a VAR,
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 ...
of Lancashire. His assistant was Mick McDonough, also of Northumberland. The ball for the match was an FA Cup-branded variant of the Nike ''Ordem V'', and featured the names of 137 players who had scored goals during the 2017–18 FA Cup season, in every round from the extra preliminary round through to the semi-finals. Mourinho had made nine changes to his starting line-up for the final Premier League match against
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 ...
the previous weekend. Of that eleven, just three were retained for the FA Cup final:
Ashley Young Ashley Simon Young (born 9 July 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or full-back for Premier League club Aston Villa, where he is club captain. Young started his career at Watford and made his first senior appea ...
, Rashford and Sánchez. Lukaku had also recovered from an ankle injury sustained in April to be selected amongst the substitutes. Sánchez and Giroud became the first players to appear in consecutive FA Cup finals but for different clubs since
Brian Talbot Brian Ernest Talbot (born 21 July 1953) is an English former football player and manager. He was capped six times for the England national team. Talbot played in midfield for Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Watford, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, ...
accomplished the feat representing
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
in the 1978 final and Arsenal the following year. The Chelsea manager
Antonio Conte Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Playing as a midfielder, Conte began his career at local club Lecce and later b ...
made three changes from the team which lost in the league match against Newcastle United 3–0:
Andreas Christensen Andreas Bødtker Christensen (born 10 April 1996) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Denmark national team. Christensen began his career at Skjold Birkerød and later joined Br ...
, Emerson and
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 ...
were dropped for
Antonio Rüdiger Antonio Rüdiger (born 3 March 1993) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid and the Germany national football team, Germany national team. Rüdiger began ...
, Alonso and
Cesc Fàbregas Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como. Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when ...
. Speculation had surrounded Conte's position as Chelsea manager for several months. He confirmed that his future with the club would be clarified after the FA Cup Final.


First half

The match, played in sunny conditions in front of a crowd of 87,647, was kicked off by Manchester United just after 5:15p.m. Two minutes into the game, Alonso was fouled by Herrera, but the resulting free kick from Fàbregas went straight to the Manchester United goalkeeper
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 ...
. Six minutes later, Lingard was brought down by the Chelsea midfielder
N'Golo Kanté N'Golo Kanté (born 29 March 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Chelsea and the France national team. Considered by many to be one of the world's best midfielders, Kanté is widely praised ...
who conceded a free kick. From the set piece, Young's cross was cleared by
Gary Cahill Gary James Cahill (born 19 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Cahill began his career playing for the AFC Dronfield youth system in Derbyshire. In 2000, he joined the Aston Villa Academy an ...
but a mistake from Phil Jones allowed
Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...
an opportunity: his shot was saved by the outstretched leg of De Gea. In the fourteenth minute, Chelsea's
Tiémoué Bakayoko Tiémoué Bakayoko (born 17 August 1994) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club FC Lorient, Lorient. Bakayoko plays as a centre midfielder, but can adapt to other positions such as a ...
fell in the United penalty area after contact with Matić, but Oliver decided no foul had been made. Two minutes later, Sánchez also made an unsuccessful claim for a penalty after contact with both
Victor Moses Victor Moses (born 12 December 1990) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger on either flank for Russian club Spartak Moscow. He has also been deployed as a wing-back at times during his career. Moses began his career in t ...
and
César Azpilicueta César Azpilicueta Tanco (born 28 August 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Chelsea and the Spain national team. A youth product of Osasuna, Azpilicueta spent three seasons in La Liga before switchin ...
sent him to the ground in the Chelsea box. After 21 minutes, Hazard received a pass from Fàbregas and made a run into Manchester United's box, where he was fouled by Jones with a sliding tackle, who received the first yellow card of the game. Oliver awarded a penalty which Hazard himself took, sending the ball low to the right past United goalkeeper De Gea to make it 1–0 to Chelsea. It was the first penalty scored outside a shootout in the FA Cup Final since
Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (anglicised to Van Nistelrooy; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. He is currently the coach of PSV Eindhoven. A former footballer, Van Nistelrooy is often consi ...
scored for Manchester United in the 2004 final. In the 26th minute, Pogba was fouled, allowing Sánchez to send a free kick toward Herrera. His misplaced shot ended back with Sánchez whose cross for Pogba was deflected out by Rüdiger: the resulting corner came to nothing. Pogba then shot wide of
Thibaut Courtois Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois (born 11 May 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. He is considered one of the best goalkeepers in world football. Courtoi ...
' goal before a Sánchez strike from went off-target. On 35 minutes, Sánchez fouled Bakayoko on the edge of the United area, but the resulting free kick from Fàbregas struck the
wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...
and was cleared. Three minutes later, Pogba won a corner from which Sánchez tried to score directly, but Fàbregas cleared at the near post.
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 ...
then conceded a corner from another Chelsea free kick: Fàbregas' ball was punched away by De Gea. A minute before half time, Young was fouled by Moses. The free kick resulted in a corner for United, from which Young's cross was headed past Chelsea's right-hand goalpost by Jones. Rashford then missed a chance and the half ended 1–0 to Chelsea.


Second half

No changes to either team were made during half time and Chelsea kicked off the second half. Seven minutes in, Young was fouled by Moses and United were awarded a free kick which was taken by Rashford. Pogba missed his header and Courtois was able to punch the ball clear. Two minutes later, Young received the ball from Herrera but chipped his shot over the Chelsea crossbar. Herrera then sent
Antonio Valencia Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (; born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developin ...
clear in the Chelsea box: he chose to pass to Rashford whose strike was cleared by Courtois, before Pogba's attempt was gathered by the goalkeeper. In the 57th minute, a corner from Pogba was cleared, and Hazard's quick break was ended by a Valencia foul for which he received the second booking of the game. Matić then shot wide of the Chelsea goal before Hazard's strike was saved by De Gea at the other end of the pitch. On 63 minutes, Rashford was brought down, winning a free kick which he took himself, finding Jones in the middle of the Chelsea penalty area. His header to the bottom-right corner was goal-bound but Courtois pushed it away, only for Sánchez to knee the ball into the net. The goal was subsequently disallowed as Sánchez was adjudged to have been in an offside position, which was then confirmed by VAR. United continued to dominate the second half but in the 71st minute, Chelsea's Kanté made a run into the United penalty area and passed to Alonso whose shot was parried by De Gea. Moses attempted to take the rebound past Young, but the ball deflected off the United player's arm. Appeals for a penalty were turned down with VAR making the decision. In the 73rd minute, Rashford was sent clear by Lingard, but his shot was saved by Courtois. United then made the first substitutions of the afternoon, with Lingard and Rashford being replaced by
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 ...
and Lukaku. Two minutes later, a shot from Martial was deflected and caught by Courtois before a clash of heads between Giroud and Jones meant the United defender had to leave the pitch for medical attention. With ten minutes remaining, a strike from Matić was pushed away by the United goalkeeper for a corner, from which Azpilicueta's deflected shot was caught by De Gea. Pogba then sent a header wide of the Chelsea goal before Sánchez's shot from went just wide of the post. With three minutes of the match left, Mata came on for Jones before Martial's lofted shot went high over the goal. In the 89th minute Chelsea made their first substitution with Morata coming on for Giroud, and shortly after, Hazard was replaced by Willian. Five minutes of additional time were indicated, and three minutes in, Courtois was booked for time-wasting. Despite late chances for both sides, no further goals were scored and the match ended 1–0 to Chelsea.


Details


Statistics


Post-match

As President of
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 ...
,
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...
would normally have attended the final and presented the trophy to the winning captain at the conclusion of the game. However, as the final was scheduled for the same day as his brother's wedding, for which he was serving as
best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...
, the trophy was instead presented by Jackie Wilkins, the widow of former Manchester United and Chelsea player Ray Wilkins, who died in April 2018. Chelsea's Rüdiger was named
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 ...
. Cahill, the winning captain, said "We had a lot of defending to do... This is a dream come true, as this is the first one as captain". Hazard added: "We tried to defend well. We scored one goal, it's enough today." Conte was upbeat: "I'm very satisfied because today was very difficult... It showed great desire to finish the season in the right way despite the great difficulty we have had". Mourinho was indignant in defeat: "I congratulate them because they won, but I don’t think they deserve to win. I congratulate because I am a sportsman." He also opined: "Every defeat hurts, but for me personally the ones that hurt less are when you give everything and you go without any regrets".
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
correspondent
Phil McNulty Phil McNulty is a Liverpool-born sports journalist. He has been BBC Sport’s chief football writer since July 2000. McNulty attended Roman Catholic secondary school De La Salle Grammar in Liverpool. He covered the FIFA World Cups for the BBC in ...
highlighted the performance of the Chelsea players Hazard, Courtois, Kanté, Cahill and Rüdiger, while criticising United trio Jones, Sánchez and Pogba. Sam Wallace, writing in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' declared that "this was a dreadful final". Chelsea won £1.8million for winning the final and became the first club to win the FA Cup, the
Women's FA Cup The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup and now Women's FA Cup (Vitality Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reas ...
and the
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
in the same season. As winners, Chelsea qualified for the group stage of the
2018–19 UEFA Europa League The 2018–19 UEFA Europa League was the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played at the Olympic St ...
, although they had qualified for that phase already via their league position. This meant that Arsenal, who finished sixth in the league, gained qualification for the Europa League. Chelsea also earned the right to play 2017–18 Premier League champions
Manchester City 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 tw ...
for the 2018 FA Community Shield. It was the first time that Mourinho had lost a cup final in charge of an English team, after seven consecutive victories, and the defeat sealed his third-ever full season without winning silverware. It was the first domestic cup won by Conte, who lost the 2012 Coppa Italia Final with
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
and the previous season's FA Cup Final as Chelsea manager. Conte was sacked by Chelsea in July 2018 before becoming the manager of
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...
on a three-year deal beginning with the
2019–20 Serie A The 2019–20 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 118th season of top-tier Italian football, the 88th in a round-robin tournament, and the 10th since its organization under an own league committee, the Lega Serie ...
season. He was replaced by
Maurizio Sarri Maurizio Sarri (; born 10 January 1959) is an Italian professional football manager who is the current manager of club Lazio. Sarri did not play football professionally, taking part as an amateur centre back and coach while working as a banker. ...
the following day. Mourinho remained through the summer at Manchester United, but, that December, with Manchester United 19 points behind the league leaders Liverpool, he was dismissed.


Notes


References

{{featured article FA Cup Finals
FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...
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 cont ...
Fa Cup Final 2018 Fa Cup Final 2018 Events at Wembley Stadium
FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...