| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Manchester United |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Liverpool(3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Everton |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer | Ian Rush (6) |
The1985–86 FA Cup was the 105th season of the world's oldest knockoutfootball competition,The Football Association Challenge Cup, orFA Cup. The competition was won byLiverpool, who defeated local rivalsEverton 3–1 atWembley in the first everMerseyside derby final. Liverpool thus became only the fifth club to winthe league and FA Cup double.
Most participating clubs that were not members of theFootball League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 28 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereFrickley Athletic,South Liverpool,Whitby Town,Scarborough,Morecambe,Chorley,Macclesfield Town,Runcorn,Enfield,Dagenham,Nuneaton Borough,Leyton-Wingate,Wycombe Wanderers,Chelmsford City,VS Rugby,Halesowen Town,Bishop's Stortford,Aylesbury United,Dartford,Yeovil Town,Farnborough Town,Slough Town,Bath City,Windsor & Eton,Fareham Town,Maidstone United,Bognor Regis Town andWeymouth.
For only the third time since the introduction of qualifying rounds, all 28 clubs advancing to the first round had appeared in the competition proper before. However, Bath City had not featured at this stage since1977–78, South Liverpool had not done so since1972-73, Halesowen Town and Leyton-Wingate (asLeyton F.C.) had not done so since1955-56, and Aylesbury United had not done so since1951-52.
On the other hand, Yeovil Town was advancing from the qualifying rounds for a new record-establishing 36th time. They did this in the absence from this season's main draw ofKettering Town, who had jointly set the previous marks with Yeovil in each of the preceding five tournaments.
The 48 teams from theFootball League Third andFourth Divisions entered in this round along with the 28 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds andWealdstone,Boston United,Altrincham andTelford United who were given byes. The first round of games were played over the weekend 16–17 November 1985. Replays were played on the 19th-20th. The round included two clubs from Step 8 of the English football pyramid: Whitby Town from theNorthern League and Halesowen Town from theWest Midlands (Regional) League.
The second round of games were played over 7–9 December 1985, with replays being played on the 10th. Whitby Town from the Northern League (Step 8) was again the lowest-ranked team in the draw.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 1–2 | Altrincham (5) | 7 December 1985 |
| 2 | AFC Bournemouth | 4–1 | Dagenham (5) | 7 December 1985 |
| 3 | Bristol City | 1–2 | Exeter City | 7 December 1985 |
| 4 | Reading | 2–0 | Hereford United | 7 December 1985 |
| 5 | Gillingham | 6–1 | Bognor Regis Town (6) | 7 December 1985 |
| 6 | Notts County | 2–2 | Wrexham | 7 December 1985 |
| Replay | Wrexham | 0–3 | Notts County | 10 December 1985 |
| 7 | Derby County | 6–1 | Telford United (5) | 9 December 1985 |
| 8 | Tranmere Rovers | 1–1 | Bury | 7 December 1985 |
| Replay | Bury | 2–1 | Tranmere Rovers | 10 December 1985 |
| 9 | Wycombe Wanderers (5) | 2–0 | Chelmsford City (6) | 7 December 1985 |
| 10 | Plymouth Argyle | 3–0 | Maidstone United (5) | 7 December 1985 |
| 11 | Scunthorpe United | 2–2 | Rochdale | 7 December 1985 |
| Replay | Rochdale | 2–1 | Scunthorpe United | 10 December 1985 |
| 12 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Walsall | 8 December 1985 |
| Replay | Walsall | 2–1 | Port Vale | 10 December 1985 |
| 13 | Newport County | 1–1 | Torquay United | 7 December 1985 |
| Replay | Torquay United | 2–3 | Newport County | 10 December 1985 |
| 14 | Runcorn (5) | 1–1 | Wigan Athletic | 7 December 1985 |
| Replay | Wigan Athletic | 4–0 | Runcorn | 10 December 1985 |
| 15 | York City | 3–1 | Whitby Town (8) | 7 December 1985 |
| 16 | Rotherham United | 4–1 | Burnley | 7 December 1985 |
| 17 | Peterborough United | 1–0 | Bath City (5) | 7 December 1985 |
| 18 | Orient | 2–2 | Slough Town (6) | 7 December 1985 |
| Replay | Slough Town | 2–3 | Orient | 10 December 1985 |
| 19 | Swansea City | 1–2 | Bristol Rovers | 7 December 1985 |
| 20 | Hartlepool United | 0–1 | Frickley Athletic (5) | 7 December 1985 |
Teams from theFootball League First andSecond Divisions entered in this round. Most of the third round of games in the FA Cup were played over the weekend 4–6 January 1986, however various matches and replays were played as late as 16 January. Wycombe Wanderers, Altrincham and Frickley Athletic from theAlliance Premier League at Step 5 of English football were the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury (3) | 2–0 | Barnsley (2) | 13 January 1986 |
| 2 | Liverpool (1) | 5–0 | Norwich City (2) | 4 January 1986 |
| 3 | Walsall (3) | 1–3 | Manchester City (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| 4 | Gillingham (3) | 1–1 | Derby County (3) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Derby County | 3–1 | Gillingham | 13 January 1986 |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest (1) | 1–1 | Blackburn Rovers (2) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Blackburn Rovers | 3–2 | Nottingham Forest | 13 January 1986 |
| 6 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 2–2 | West Bromwich Albion (1) | 13 January 1986 |
| Replay | West Bromwich Albion | 2–3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 16 January 1986 |
| 7 | Grimsby Town (2) | 3–4 | Arsenal (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| 8 | Middlesbrough (2) | 1–3 | Southampton (1) | 13 January 1986 |
| 9 | Sunderland (2) | 2–0 | Newport County (3) | 4 January 1986 |
| 10 | Everton (1) | 1–0 | Exeter City (4) | 5 January 1986 |
| 11 | Shrewsbury Town (2) | 0–1 | Chelsea (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| 12 | Sheffield United (2) | 2–0 | Fulham (2) | 13 January 1986 |
| 13 | Ipswich Town (1) | 4–4 | Bradford City (2) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Bradford City | 0–1 | Ipswich Town | 13 January 1986 |
| 14 | Newcastle United (1) | 0–2 | Brighton & Hove Albion (2) | 4 January 1986 |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 3–1 | Leicester City (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| 16 | Coventry City (1) | 1–3 | Watford (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| 17 | Portsmouth (2) | 2–2 | Aston Villa (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Aston Villa | 3–2 | Portsmouth | 13 January 1986 |
| 18 | Manchester United (1) | 2–0 | Rochdale (4) | 9 January 1986 |
| 19 | Millwall (2) | 3–1 | Wimbledon (2) | 4 January 1986 |
| 20 | Hull City (2) | 2–2 | Plymouth Argyle (3) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Hull City | 7 January 1986 |
| 21 | Carlisle United (2) | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers (1) | 13 January 1986 |
| 22 | Oldham Athletic (2) | 1–2 | Orient (4) | 6 January 1986 |
| 23 | Crystal Palace (2) | 1–2 | Luton Town (1) | 6 January 1986 |
| 24 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 0–0 | Reading (3) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Reading | 2–1 | Huddersfield Town | 13 January 1986 |
| 25 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 0–1 | West Ham United (1) | 5 January 1986 |
| 26 | York City (3) | 2–0 | Wycombe Wanderers (5) | 4 January 1986 |
| 27 | Stoke City (2) | 0–2 | Notts County (3) | 13 January 1986 |
| 28 | Wigan Athletic (3) | 3–0 | AFC Bournemouth (3) | 4 January 1986 |
| 29 | Peterborough United (4) | 1–0 | Leeds United (2) | 4 January 1986 |
| 30 | Birmingham City (1) | 1–2 | Altrincham (5) | 14 January 1986 |
| 31 | Oxford United (1) | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 4 January 1986 |
| Replay | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–1 | Oxford United | 8 January 1986 |
| 32 | Frickley Athletic (5) | 1–3 | Rotherham United (3) | 4 January 1986 |
The fourth round of games were played over the weekend 25–26 January 1986. Replays took place on 28–29 January, or 3–6 February.Altrincham was the lowest-ranked team in the draw and the last non-league club left in the competition.
The fifth round of games were intended to be played on 15 February 1986, but, due to bad weather and an amazing 8 replays over the 8 ties, some of the ties were not determined until just under a month later. Holders Manchester United were eliminated by West Ham United. Fourth Division side Peterborough United was the lowest-ranked team in the round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton | 0–0 | Millwall | 15 February 1986 |
| Replay | Millwall | 0–1 | Southampton | 5 March 1986 |
| 2 | Watford | 1–1 | Bury | 5 March 1986 |
| Replay | Bury | 0–3 | Watford | 8 March 1986 |
| 3 | Derby County | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 26 February 1986 |
| Replay | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–0 | Derby County | 5 March 1986 |
| 4 | Luton Town | 2–2 | Arsenal | 15 February 1986 |
| Replay | Arsenal | 0–0 | Luton Town | 3 March 1986 |
| Replay | Luton Town | 3–0 | Arsenal | 5 March 1986 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–2 | Everton | 4 March 1986 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 1–1 | Manchester United | 5 March 1986 |
| Replay | Manchester United | 0–2 | West Ham United | 9 March 1986 |
| 7 | York City | 1–1 | Liverpool | 15 February 1986 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 3–1 | York City | 18 February 1986 |
| 8 | Peterborough United | 2–2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 15 February 1986 |
| Replay | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–0 | Peterborough United | 3 March 1986 |
The sixth round of FA Cup games were played either at the weekend on 8 March or midweek on 11-12 1986. Replays were played in the following midweek fixture.
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–2 | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| Moran Cockerill |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | West Ham United |
|---|---|---|
| Worthington Shutt | Cottee |
| Everton | 1–0 | Luton Town |
|---|---|---|
Lineker 16' |
Everton reached their third consecutive FA Cup final.
| Liverpool | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| Rush 99',104' | Report |
          Liverpool |   Everton |