The 1998–99 FA Cup (known as The

AXA Axa S.A. is a French multinational insurance corporation headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It also provides investment management and other financial services via its subsidiaries. As of 2024, it is the fourth largest financi ...

-sponsored FA Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 118th season of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. The title defenders were

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 ...

, who were eliminated in a semi-final replay by eventual winners

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

, who beat Newcastle United 2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

at the old Wembley Stadium. The goals were scored by

Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...

after 11 minutes, less than two minutes after coming on as a substitute for

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...

, and Paul Scholes on 53 minutes. It was the second leg of a historic treble for Manchester United; having already won the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

title the previous weekend, they went on to win the Champions League the following Wednesday.

Calendar

Qualifying rounds

Following the reformatting of the qualifying rounds for this season, all participating clubs that were not members of the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

entered the competition at various preliminary stages of the tournament to secure one of 32 places available in the first round proper. The winners from the fourth qualifying round were

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and Runcorn Docks, cargo port in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. Runcorn is on the south bank of the River Mersey, where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. It is upstream from the port of Live ...

, West Auckland Town, Tamworth, Leigh RMI,

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, Lancaster City, Telford United,

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

, Burton Albion, Gresley Rovers, Hednesford Town, Emley, Bedlington Terriers,

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

, Kingstonian, Enfield, Hayes, Stevenage Borough, Ford United,

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

, Slough Town, Worcester City, Basingstoke Town, Camberley Town, Welling United, Boreham Wood, Rushden & Diamonds, Kidderminster Harriers, Yeovil Town, Salisbury City, Dulwich Hamlet and Cheltenham Town. Bedlington Terriers, Ford United and Camberley Town were appearing in the competition proper for the first time (although Terriers were emulating the achievement of predecessor club Bedlington United in 1926-27). Of the others, Tamworth had not featured in the first round since 1990-91, Worcester City had not done so since 1987-88, Leigh RMI had not done so since 1982-83 (when the club was still based in Horwich), Lancaster City had not done so since 1972-73, West Auckland Town since 1961-62 and Dulwich Hamlet since 1948-49. Additionally, Emley was appearing in the first round for the last time before relocating to Wakefield in 2000.

First round proper

The first round featured the 32 non-league teams from the qualifying rounds and the 48 teams from the third and fourth tiers of the

. Ford United and Camberley Town, from the Isthmian League Third Division at Step 9 of English football, were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw. The matches were played on 14 November 1998. There were ten replays, with three ties requiring a penalty shoot-out to settle.

Second round proper

The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were scheduled to be played on 5 December 1998, with eight replays and two penalty shoot-outs required, each of which featured a team who won on penalties in the previous round. Step 8 side Bedlington Terriers, from the Northern League First Division, was the lowest-ranked team in the draw courtesy of their stunning upset victory over Second Division (Step 3) strugglers Colchester United in the previous round.

Third round proper

The third round of the season's FA Cup was scheduled for 2 January 1999. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, the

and the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

entered the competition. The round featured three teams from the

Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...

at Step 5 who were the last non-league clubs left in the tournament: Yeovil Town, Southport and Rushden & Diamonds. There were six replays, with none of these games requiring a penalty shoot-out.

Fourth round proper

The fourth-round ties were played with the thirty-two winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for 23 January 1999. There were three replays. Third Division sides Cardiff City and Leyton Orient were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.

Fifth round proper

The fifth-round matches were scheduled for 13 February 1999. There were three replays but, in one game replayed, Arsenal had beaten Sheffield United in the original tie. However, both sides felt that Arsenal's winning goal had been gained unfairly after Marc Overmars scored following Nwankwo Kanu's failure to return the ball to the Blades after an injury. Arsenal's boss Arsene Wenger wrote himself into FA Cup folklore with an act of sportsmanship that saw him offer to play the game again. Bristol Rovers and Fulham, from the Second Division, were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw and the last teams from the First Round left in the competition.

Sixth round proper

The four quarter-final games were scheduled for 6 March 1999, although only the match between Arsenal and Derby County was played on this date. One of the ties, Manchester United–Chelsea, resulted in a draw and went to a replay, which United won. Barnsley, who lost 1–0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, was the last team left in the competition from outside the Premier League. ---- ---- Replay ----

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played on 11 April 1999. The original match between Manchester United and Arsenal finished as a goalless draw, as

's goal for Manchester United was ruled out for offside, and the tie went to a replay; it was to be the last replay of a drawn semi-final, with all future ties decided by extra time and penalties. In the replay, David Beckham opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 17th minute with a strike from 30 yards. Dennis Bergkamp equalised via a deflected shot from the same distance midway through the second half, before Arsenal had a second goal disallowed for offside against Nicolas Anelka. In the immediate aftermath, Keane was sent off for a foul on Overmars that earned him a second yellow card. In the final minutes of normal time,

Phil Neville Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is also the co-owner of Salford City F.C., Salford ...

conceded a penalty with a foul on Ray Parlour, only for Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel to correctly guess which way Bergkamp would shoot and save the kick. In extra time, Ryan Giggs intercepted a wayward pass from

Patrick Vieira Patrick Paul Vieira (; born 23 June 1976) is a French professional association football, football manager and former player who is the head coach of Serie A club Genoa CFC, Genoa. He was named in the FIFA 100 of the greatest living footballers i ...

just inside the Manchester United half, before dribbling past Vieira,

Lee Dixon Lee Michael Dixon (born 17 March 1964) is an English pundit and retired professional footballer who played as a right-back. Dixon was also capped 22 times for England. His father Roy was a goalkeeper with Manchester City and many of Dixon's f ...

(twice),

Martin Keown Martin Raymond Keown ( ; born 24 July 1966) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer. A defender, he played from 1984 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for Arsenal, where he made over 400 appearances for the club an ...

and Tony Adams, and beating Arsenal goalkeeper

David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country ...

with a left-footed strike into the roof of the net. It was hailed almost immediately as one of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of the competition. The other semi-final between Newcastle and Tottenham was goalless after 90 minutes, but two extra-time goals from Newcastle's

Alan Shearer Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...

(one from the penalty spot) put the Magpies into their second consecutive FA Cup final and ended Spurs' hopes of adding to the League Cup title they had earned earlier in the season. Replay ----

Final

The final took place on 22 May 1999 and was played at the old

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, between

and Newcastle United. Manchester United had finished as champions and Newcastle 13th in the

that season. The final was a slightly one-sided affair, Manchester United claiming a record 10th success with a 2–0 win. Goals from

and Paul Scholes were scored in the 11th and 53rd minutes respectively. It was the buildup to Manchester United's Treble. Manchester United also became the first team to win the double three times.

Media coverage

In the United Kingdom, ITV were the free-to-air broadcasters for the second consecutive season, while

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...

were the subscription broadcasters for the eleventh consecutive season. The matches shown live on

ITV Sport ITV Sport is the Broadcasting of sports events, sports department of ITV plc, which produces and presents sports programming for the ITV (TV network), ITV network and ITVX. The branding was originally introduced in 1985 as an umbrella title fo ...

were: • Port Vale 0-3

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

(R3) •

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

1-2

(R4) •

1-0

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

(R5) • Newcastle United 4-1 Everton (QF) • Newcastle United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (SF) •

2-0 Newcastle United (Final) The matches shown live on

were: •

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

3-0 Halifax Town (R1) • Boreham Wood 2-3

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

(R1) • Leigh RMI 0-2

(R1 Replay) •

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

1-1

(R2) • Kingstonian 0-0 Leyton Orient (R2) •

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

2-2 Oldham Athletic (R2 Replay) •

3-1

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

(R3) • Preston North End 2-4

(R3) •

1-0

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

(R3 Replay) •

2-1

(R4) • Oxford United 1-1 Chelsea (R4) • Tottenham Hotspur 3-0

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

(R4 Replay) • Newcastle United 0-0 Blackburn Rovers (R5) • Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leeds United (R5 Replay) •

0-0 Chelsea (QF) • Chelsea 0-2

(QF Replay) •

0-0

(SF) •

1-2

(SF Replay) •

2-0 Newcastle United (Final)

References

External links

FA Cup Results at The FA Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:1998-99 FA Cup FA Cup seasons