1979 FA Cup final

1979 FA Cup final
	Match programme cover
Event	1978–79 FA Cup
Date	12 May 1979
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Referee	Ron Challis (Kent)
Attendance	99,219
	← 1978 1980 →

The 1979 FA Cup final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final.^[1]^[2] For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking a 2–0 half time lead through goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton. In the 86th minute, however, Gordon McQueen scored following a set-piece, and two minutes later Sammy McIlroy dribbled past two Arsenal players to score a dramatic equaliser. With the game poised for extra time, United's celebrations proved short-lived, as Alan Sunderland scored a last-minute winner, making the final result Arsenal 3–2 Manchester United. This match is often referred to as the "Five-minute Final".

The 1979 FA Cup was the only major trophy that Arsenal won during the seven-year management of Terry Neill, who was appointed in 1976 after Bertie Mee's retirement. He was dismissed in 1983.

It was also the only cup final that Manchester United reached under the management of Dave Sexton, who had been appointed as manager in 1977 and remained there until 1981 when he was sacked having failed to bring a major trophy to the club.

Match details

12 May 1979

Arsenal	3–2	Manchester United
Talbot 12' Stapleton 43' Sunderland 89'	Report	McQueen 86' McIlroy 88'

Wembley, London

Attendance: 99,219

Referee: Ron Challis (Kent)

Arsenal

Manchester United


GK	1	Pat Jennings
RB	2	Pat Rice (c)
LB	3	Sammy Nelson
CM	4	Brian Talbot
CB	5	David O'Leary
CB	6	Willie Young
RM	7	Liam Brady
CF	8	Alan Sunderland
CF	9	Frank Stapleton
CM	10	David Price	83'
LM	11	Graham Rix
Substitute:
DF	12	Steve Walford	83'
Manager:
Terry Neill


GK	1	Gary Bailey
RB	2	Jimmy Nicholl
LB	3	Arthur Albiston
CM	4	Sammy McIlroy
CB	5	Gordon McQueen
CB	6	Martin Buchan (c)
RM	7	Steve Coppell
CF	8	Jimmy Greenhoff
CF	9	Joe Jordan
CM	10	Lou Macari
LM	11	Mickey Thomas
Substitute:
DF	12	Brian Greenhoff
Manager:
Dave Sexton

References

^ "1979 FA Cup Final". BBC Manchester. 13 May 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
^ "What a finish!". TheFA.com. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

External links

Match Report

[1] "1979 FA Cup Final". BBC Manchester. 13 May 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

[2] "What a finish!". TheFA.com. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

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