1989–90 FA Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Manchester United |
| Runner-up | Crystal Palace |
The FA Cup 1989–90 was the 109th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. The competition started in September 1989 for teams outside the football league who played in a qualifying competition.
First round proper
The first round of games was played over the weekend 17–19 November 1989, with a first round of replays being played on the 21st-22nd. The Bristol Rovers – Reading match went to a second replay, on the 27th.
Second round proper
The second round of games was played on 9 December 1989, with the first round of replays being played on the 12th-13th. Two games went to second replays and one of these went to a third replay.
Third round proper
The third round of games in the FA Cup was played over the weekend 6–7 January 1990, with the first set of replays being played on the 9th-10th. Two games went to second replays, which were completed the week after.
Fourth round proper
The fourth round of games was played over the weekend 27–28 January 1990, with replays being played on the 30th-31st.
Fifth round proper
The fifth set of games was played over the weekend 17–18 February 1990, with a first round of replays being played on the 21st. Each of these finished in a draw, meaning a second round of replays had to be completed.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 2–2 | Queens Park Rangers | 18 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 0–0 | Blackpool | 21 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 3–0 | Blackpool | 26 Feb 1990 |
| 2 | Bristol City | 0–0 | Cambridge United | 17 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 1–1 | Bristol City | 21 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 5–1 | Bristol City | 27 Feb 1990 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3–0 | Southampton | 17 Feb 1990 |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 0–2 | Aston Villa | 17 Feb 1990 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 2–2 | Barnsley | 18 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 0–0 | Sheffield United | 21 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 0–1 | Sheffield United | 5 Mar 1990 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2–3 | Manchester United | 18 Feb 1990 |
| 7 | Oldham Athletic | 2–2 | Everton | 17 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–1 | Oldham Athletic | 21 Feb 1990 |
| Replay | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Everton | 10 Mar 1990 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Rochdale | 17 Feb 1990 |
Sixth round proper
Most of the sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 10–11 March 1990, with the Oldham Athletic – Aston Villa game and the Liverpool – QPR replay being played on the 14th.
Alex Ferguson continued to defy the odds with a Manchester United side that was struggling in the league but performing wonders in the cup, as they defeated Sheffield United 1-0.
Liverpool built up their hopes of a unique second double (which had eluded them in dramatic fashion during the previous two seasons) by beating QPR in a quarter-final replay.
Aston Villa's double hopes were ended when they crashed 3-0 to an Oldham Athletic team that hadn't even played top division football since 1923.
Cambridge United's hopes of becoming the first Fourth Division team to reach the FA Cup semi-finals were ended with a 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, who moved closer to a first FA Cup final but were first faced with the task of overcoming a Liverpool side that had crushed them 9-0 in the league earlier in the season.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield United | 0–1 | Manchester United | 11 Mar 1990 |
| 2 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–2 | Liverpool | 11 Mar 1990 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 14 Mar 1990 |
| 3 | Oldham Athletic | 3–0 | Aston Villa | 14 Mar 1990 |
| 4 | Cambridge United | 0–1 | Crystal Palace | 10 Mar 1990 |
Semi-finals
The semi-final matches were played on 8 April 1990.
Oldham Athletic, a Second Division side, gave Manchester United a real run for their money with a 3-3 draw that forced a replay. United won the replay 2-1, but the game was marred by controversy when referee Joe Worrall failed to award Oldham Athletic an early goal after Nick Henry's shot clearly crossed the line.
Seven months after losing 9-0 to them in a league game, Crystal Palace found a 10-goal improvement to defeat Liverpool 4-3 and give them their first FA Cup final appearance as well as ending their opposition's hopes of a second double - the third season running that Liverpool had suffered a late blow to their double hopes.
| Manchester United | 3 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Oldham Athletic |
|---|---|---|
Robson  29'Webb 72'Wallace 92' |
Barrett 5' Marshall 75'Palmer 113' |
| Oldham Athletic | 1 – 2 (a.e.t.) | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Ritchie 81' |
McClair 50' Robins 114' |
| Crystal Palace | 4 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Bright 46' O'Reilly 70'Gray 88'Pardew 109' |
Rush 14' McMahon 81'Barnes 83' (pen.) |
Final
Crystal Palace, playing in their first FA Cup final, took on a Manchester United side that already had six FA Cups to its name, and a thrilling game ended 3-3 with Manchester United taking the lead twice and Crystal Palace once before a late equaliser by Mark Hughes (his second goal of the game) forced a replay.
| Manchester United | 3 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Robson 35' Hughes 62', 109' |
O'Reilly 18' Wright 72', 92' |
       Manchester United
|
   Crystal Palace
|
Replay
Lee Martin, a 21-year-old defender who nearly didn't play due to Alex Ferguson's doubts about his fitness, scored the winning goal as Manchester United sealed their first major trophy in five years and their first under the management of Alex Ferguson, ending months of speculation that his job was at risk due to dismal league performances.
| Manchester United | 1 – 0 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Martin 59' |
  Manchester United
|
   Crystal Palace
|
References
External links
- The FA Cup at TheFA.com
- FA Cup at BBC.co.uk
- FA Cup news at Reuters.co.uk