| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Manchester United |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tottenham Hotspur (8th title) |
| Runners-up | Nottingham Forest |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer | Paul Gascoigne (6) |
The1990–91 FA Cup was the 110th season of the world's oldest knockoutfootball competition,The Football Association Challenge Cup, orFA Cup for short.Tottenham Hotspur won the competition after coming from 1–0 behind in the final againstNottingham Forest to win 2–1 and take the trophy. It gave Tottenham their eighth victory in nineFA Cup Finals and their first since their wins in 1981 and 1982.
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 wereFleetwood Town,Stafford Rangers,Witton Albion,Altrincham,Chorley,Spennymoor United,Bishop Auckland,Whitley Bay,Runcorn,Aylesbury United,Tamworth,Halesowen Town,Telford United,Barnet,Atherstone United,Chelmsford City,Boston United,Kidderminster Harriers,Yeovil Town,Farnborough Town,Littlehampton Town,Tiverton Town,Woking,Hayes,Wycombe Wanderers,Merthyr Tydfil,Welling United andCheltenham Town.
Appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Littlehampton Town and Tiverton Town, while Fleetwood Town had not featured in the first round since1980–81 and Witton Albion had not done so since1966-67. All other successful qualifiers had participated in the main draw of the Cup on at least one occasion in the previous five seasons.
Curiously, this would be the last time (as of 2025) that Wycombe Wanderers featured in the FA Cup qualifying rounds. Awarded byes to the first round in the next two seasons, the club would be promoted into the Football League in 1993. Again as of 2025, they are the only club to have joined the League via promotion in the 20th century and enjoyed continuous membership since.
The 48 teams from theFootball League Third andFourth Divisions entered in this round along with the 28 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds andBarrow,Leek Town,Colchester United andSutton United who were given byes. The first round of games were played over the weekend 17–18 November 1990, with replays being played on 20–21 November. The round included three clubs from the various competitions at Step 8 of the English football system: Spennymoor United from theNorthern Counties East League, Tiverton Town from theWestern League, and Littlehampton Town from theSussex County League. Spennymoor's transfer to the Northern Counties East League during the previous summer meant that this was the first Cup competition since1970-71 in which no clubs from theNorthern League qualified for the first round.
The second round of games were played either over the weekend 7–8 December 1990, with replays being played on 11–12 December; or they were played in the midweek, from 10 to 12 December, with replays being played on 17 December. Whitley Bay, from theNorthern Premier League First Division at Step 7 of English football, was the lowest-ranked team in the round.
Teams from theFootball League First andSecond Division entered in this round. The third round of games in the FA Cup were played over the weekend 5–7 January 1991, with replays being played on 8, 9, 16, 21 and 28 January. The lowest-ranked team in the draw,Woking from theIsthmian League Premier Division at Step 6, defeated Second Division opponentsWest Bromwich Albion 4–2 atThe Hawthorns.
The fourth round of games were mainly played over the weekend 26–27 January 1991, with replays being played on 29–30 January. The Arsenal-Leeds United game ended in a draw three times, with the two extra replays being played on 13 and 16 February. Because Nottingham Forest did not finish their third-round tie until 28 January, their fourth round match was not played until 13 February with a replay on 18 February. Woking was again the lowest-ranked team in the draw and, by this stage, was the last non-league club left in the competition.
The fifth set of games were mainly played over the weekend 16–18 February 1991, with replays being played on 20 February. TheMerseyside derby went to an extra replay played on 27 February, the last FA Cup tie to go to multiple replays before a rule change the following season limited ties to one replay.Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool's manager between the two replays.[1] Because Nottingham Forest did not win their fourth round tie until 18 February, their fifth round match was not played until 25 February with a replay on 4 March. Similarly, Arsenal were late beating Leeds United in the previous round and so played Shrewsbury Town on 27 February. Shrewsbury, Crewe Alexandra and Cambridge United, from the Third Division, were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw, with Cambridge defeating Second Division Sheffield Wednesday to progress to the Sixth Round for the second consecutive season.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 0–0 | Everton | 17/02/1991 |
| Replay | Everton | 4–4 | Liverpool | 20/02/1991 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–0 | Liverpool | 27/02/1991 |
| 2 | Southampton | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | 25/02/1991 |
| Replay | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Southampton | 04/03/1991 |
| 3 | Notts County | 1–0 | Manchester City | 16/02/1991 |
| 4 | Shrewsbury Town | 0–1 | Arsenal | 27/02/1991 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 1–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 16/02/1991 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 1–0 | Crewe Alexandra | 16/02/1991 |
| 7 | Norwich City | 2–1 | Manchester United | 18/02/1991 |
| 8 | Cambridge United | 4–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 16/02/1991 |
| Arsenal | 2 – 1 | Cambridge United |
|---|---|---|
Campbell 19'Adams 61' | Dublin 52' |
| Norwich City | 0 – 1 | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Keane 61' |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2 – 1 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Short 52' (o.g.) Gascoigne 83' | O'Riordan 41' |
| West Ham United | 2 – 1 | Everton |
|---|---|---|
| Foster 33' Slater 60' | Watson 86' |
Tottenham's 3–1 triumph over Arsenal, marked by aPaul Gascoigne goal from 35 yards, ended their opposition's chances ofthe double.[2]
Nottingham Forest beat Second Division West Ham United 4–0 to reach their first FA Cup final for 32 years and giveBrian Clough the chance of winning his first FA Cup to add to the two European Cups, one league title and four League Cups that he had already won with them.
| Nottingham Forest | 4 – 0 | West Ham United |
|---|---|---|
| Crosby 50' Keane 60'Pearce 72'Charles 83' | Report |  26'Gale |
An own goal byDes Walker in extra time gaveTottenham Hotspur their eighth FA Cup triumph, a record at the time.Paul Gascoigne went off with a knee injury in the opening 15 minutes, andGary Lineker had a first-half penalty saved byNottingham Forest goalkeeperMark Crossley.
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Stewart 55' Walker 94' (o.g.) | Pearce 16' |
For the third consecutive season in the United Kingdom, theBBC were the free to air broadcasters whileSky Sports (formerly The Sports Channel on BSB), were the subscription broadcasters.
The live matches on the BBC were:Crystal Palace vsNottingham Forest (R3);Arsenal vsLeeds United (R4);Liverpool vsEverton (R5);Tottenham Hotspur vsNotts County (QF); bothTottenham Hotspur vsArsenal andNottingham Forest vsWest Ham United (SF); andTottenham Hotspur vsNottingham Forest (Final). The BBC did not show a goal live until the quarter-finals.