The 10 greatest FA Cup final goals ever

Analysis

FT Desk

The FA Cup final has a habit of delivering moments that stick with you. Not just goals, but the kind you replay in your head for years - volleys hit just right, solo dribbles that shouldn’t be possible and sensational finishes.

It’s the one day in English football where anything can happen, and often does with millions watching at home.

So here’s a look at ten of the greatest FA Cup final goals ever - the ones that lit up Wembley (or the Millennium Stadium), swung finals, and became part of the game’s folklore.

Ricky Villa v Man City (1981)

Possibly the greatest FA Cup final goal ever is the earliest one on our list and it came courtest of Ricky Villa in Tottenham's replay against Manchester City after the teams initially played out a 1-1 draw.

Five days later, with the scoreline locked at 2-2, Villa, having opened the scoring early on, earned his second with a slaloming dribble and finish that is now legendary.

After a penetrating run down the left by Tony Galvin, Villa collects the ball inside and, with four City players around him, dances his way into the penalty area, faking to shoot before sliding a finish under oncoming keeper Jor Corrigan.

Steve MacKenzie v Tottenham (1981)

Remarkably, two of the greatest FA Cup final goals ever came in the same game as, following Villa's opening goal, Steve MacKenzie equalised a few minutes later in the 11th minute with a volley struck with such ferocity that the television camera struggled to keep up with it.

The ball dropped out to him from a nodded Tommy Hutchison pass, and he met it first time with a sweet volley from distance that flew in beautifully.

What makes it memorable is how clean and natural it looked. It had that rare mix of power, timing, and pure technique, which is why people still talk about it as one of the great FA Cup final goals

Keith Houchen vs Tottenham (1987)

There is only one header in our top 10 but what a bloody header it was.

Heading into the last 30 minutes of the 1987 final, Keith Houchen put Coventry 2-1 up against Spurs with one of the best diving headers you'll see as it combined technique with a real bravery and element of athleticism.

What made it special was the sheer guts of it and it certainly proved important, as even though Spurs equalised to take the game into extra-time, Coventry won the FA Cup after a heartbreaking own-goal from Gary Mabbutt.

Roberto Di Matteo v Middlesbrough (1997)

Roberto Di Matteo’s FA Cup final goal was one of those dream starts. Inside the opening minute of the 1997 final for Chelsea against Middlesbrough, he drove forward and smashed in a long-range shot that flew past the keeper and into the net off the bar.

It was the kind of goal that instantly grabs a final by the scruff of the neck. Chelsea were suddenly in front, and Di Matteo’s strike gave the whole game a jolt before Middlesbrough had really settled.

What people remember most is how cleanly he hit it. There was no fuss about it at all, just a bold run, a perfect connection, and a finish that made Wembley erupt.

Michael Owen v Arsenal (2001)

Michael Owen's individual run and finish against Arsenal was one of those outrageous late-game turns that only seem to happen in cup finals. He latched onto a loose ball to level it, then almost straight away broke free again and slid in the winner.

What people remember most is the way he changed the match in a matter of moments. Liverpool had been hanging on, but Owen’s sharpness suddenly turned the final upside down, and Arsenal barely had time to react.

The 21-year-old latched onto a pass into space from Patrik Berger and left two of the most celebrated England defenders of their generation, Tony Adams and Lee Dixon, looking foolish with his pace and running power before finishing.

Ray Parlour v Chelsea (2002)

Ray Parlour was a class act in the middle of the park for Arsenal and it was a moment of real quality from him that opened the scoring in the 2002 final against Chelsea.

A tight affair for the first hour with no goals scored, he latched on to a pass in behind the Chelsea defence by Sylvain Wiltord. Knowing the limitations of his pace, he cleverly checked back, allowing the opposition defenders to pass him by to create a couple of yards of space.

He took advantage of that bit of space by curling a beauty into the top right corner which sent the Gunners on their way to the 2-0 win and cup final glory.

Steven Gerrard v West Ham (2006)

Heading towards the closing seconds of the 2006 final between Liverpool and West Ham, the Hammers were dreaming of their first FA Cup triumph since 1980. Then, the ball fell nicely to Steven Gerrard.

The Liverpool captain has since admitted that he was exhausted and simply wanted to attempt one, final shot at goal to bring the game level, with West Ham leading 3-2 at the time.

As Gerrard tends to do, he caught as sweet a half-volley as you will ever see from 35 yards out that rocketed into the corner beyond Shaka Hislop.

Ben Watson v Man City (2013)

This goal isn't in our list because of technical excellence but rather because of the moment itself.

Wigan Athletic went into the 2013 final as monumental outsiders against the might of Manchester City but, somehow, overcame all odds to finish the day as FA Cup champions.

Roberto Martinez's side were up against the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure, but it would be Wigan's Ben Watson who would emerge as the hero of the day, glancing a superb header into the net from a corner as the Latics won it in the 91st minute.

Youri Tielemans v Chelsea (2021)

The 2021 FA Cup final was noted for having just 20,000 spectators inside Wembley Stadium as the UK government began to pilot large-scale groups of people coming together again towards the end of the pandemic.

And, Youri Tielemans' screamer for Leicester against Chelsea certainly deserved a bigger audience in person.

Picking up possession in a central area, he tries his luck with a long-range strike that arrows straight into the top left corner. It proved to be the winner, too, as Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

Ilkay Gundogan v Man Utd (2023)

Manchester City won the treble in 2023 and Ilkay Gundogan played a major role in that, scoring not one, but two goals in the FA Cup final against rivals Man Utd.

It was the stuff of dreams, really, as the ball fell out of the sky perfectly for the City skipper with mere seconds on the clock.

He kept his eye on the ball and dipped a spectacular volley high into the top right corner as United found themselves on the back foot before they'd even barely touched the ball.

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FT Desk

FootballTransfers' desk

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