There’s plenty that will argue that the magic has gone out of the FA Cup; especially since the Football Association decided to move the semi-finals to Wembley Stadium – in a sense, devaluing the thrill of qualifying for the final at the famous venue.
But there are many others who will defend the FA Cup to the hilt, arguing that winning world football’s oldest cup competition still brings with it plenty of gravitas and, in automatically qualifying for the following season’s Europa League, a taste of continental action.
Even if you sit on the fence for the debate, there’s one point that can’t be argued: the semi-finals of the FA Cup have served up some absolute humdingers over the years. You would think that a game of such importance would be a conservative and low-key affair, with the players so unwilling to be the one that makes the mistake that costs them a place in the final.
And yet, much of the evidence is to the contrary – an FA Cup semi-final is a game in which the shackles are well and truly shaken off… as some of these classics of the genre attest.
Manchester United 2 vs 1 Arsenal (1999)
One of the greatest FA Cup games of all time, this back-and-forth battle between Manchester United and Arsenal felt almost scripted, such was the intensity and drama. United had a man sent off and Arsenal had a goal chalked off, in amongst David Beckham and Dennis Bergkamp finding the net for their respective sides.
Peter Schmeichel than saved a Bergkamp penalty, before one of the most iconic moments in played off: a hairy-chested Ryan Giggs twirling his shirt over his head having scored a tremendous solo goal in extra time to decide the outcome of the contest.
This goal will never get old 🔥#OnThisDay in 1999, Ryan Giggs took matters into his own hands…#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/OIcw9NfEIf
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 14, 2021
For the perfect blend of quality and controversy, it doesn’t get much better than this…
Crystal Palace 4 vs 3 Liverpool (1990)
A seven-goal thriller that ended in an underdog victory. What’s not to love from another entry into the greatest FA Cup semi-finals of all time? So dominant were Liverpool in 1989/90 that they actually demolished Crystal Palace 9-0 in a First Division game, which remains one of the widest margins of victory in a top-flight game to this day.
You could have been forgiven for expecting the Reds to romp home in the subsequent FA Cup semi-final that same season, but the magic of the cup reminds us to expect the unexpected. That said, there was a sense of crushing inevitability when Ian Rush gave Liverpool the lead after just 14 minutes. How many would the Merseysiders win by this time?
But then Mark Bright equalised for Palace, before Gary O’Reilly put the Eagles 2-1to the good in the second period. Steve McMahon would equalise for Liverpool, and then John Barnes appeared to break Palace hearts when he scored an 83rd minute penalty.
Late twists, however, are the name of the game in FA Cup semi-finals, so nobody should have been surprised when Andy Gray equalised late on for Palace. Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Alan Pardew nodded home from an extra time corner, mind you. The Eagles heroically clung on to complete the most unlikely of giant-killings on one of the biggest stages of them all.
Manchester United 3 vs 3 Coventry City (2024)
Much was made of Coventry’s last FA Cup final, which they won against all the odds back in 1987. But the Sky Blues couldn’t make history as big underdogs again, could they? They certainly had a chance against Erik ten Hag’s woeful Manchester United side, although the Red Devils decided to use this FA Cup semi-final in 2024 to showcase that – despite their poor results – there’s still plenty of quality in their squad.
Scott McTominay tapped in from close range to put United ahead in the first half at Wembley, before Harry Maguire’s header extended their advantage to 2-0 on the stroke of half-time. Game over? It certainly appeared that way when Bruno Fernandes’ shot on the hour mark was deflected into the Coventry net.
If nothing else, the Sky Blues were desperate to give their fans a goal to cheer, and they got exactly that after 71 minutes when Ellis Simms fired home. But that was nothing more than a consolation… right? Well, when Callum O’Hare netted after 79 minutes, Coventry were right back in the contest. They couldn’t, could they?
They could. Haji Wright nervelessly slotted home a penalty in the 91st minute after Aaron Wan Bissaka had handled, and the semi-final was heading for extra time. This extra period was far from dull, with both teams hitting the crossbar, before Victor Torp appeared to have sealed the most almighty of underdog victories for Coventry in the 132nd minute of play.
But he was cruelly adjudged to have strayed offside, the game went to penalties and, in a hammer blow to fans of the romance of the cup, it was United that held their nerve to progress to the final.
Watford 3 vs 2 Wolves (2019)
Although neither of these sides would be described as a powerhouse of modern football, that didn’t stop them putting on a slobberknocker of a semi-final in a game that meant so much to both clubs. For context, Wolves hadn’t reached an FA Cup final in 59 years, so they were understandably very keen to end their hoodoo back in 2019. They certainly set about that the right way, with goals from Matt Doherty and Raul Jimenez earning them a 2-0 lead.
But as is so often the case in these big games, one player can change the entire nature of the contest. Gerard Deulofeu was sent on as a substitute by Watford in a bid to alter the flow, and the Spaniard did exactly that. He scored a sublime goal to reduce the deficit, before acting as a key orchestrator of wave after wave of Watford attack – one such skirmish saw Troy Deeney dust himself down and score a 94th minute to send the tie into extra time.
A moment of magic or madness can be definitive in this extra 30 minutes, and on this fateful day it would be Deulofeu that would book the Hornets’ first FA Cup final appearance in 35 years – finishing smartly to send the yellow end of Wembley Stadium into raptures.
