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| Event | 1995–96 FA Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 11 May 1996 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Roy Keane (Manchester United) | ||||||
| Referee | Dermot Gallagher (Oxfordshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 79,007 | ||||||
←1995 1997 → | |||||||
The1996 FA Cup final was the 51st to be held atWembley Stadium after theSecond World War and was held between two of the biggestrivals inEnglish football,Manchester United andLiverpool.
A few days before the final, Manchester United had secured their third league title in four years (1992–93, 1993–94 and 1995–96, coming second in 1994–95). The final was also their third in three seasons, having beatenChelsea 4–0 in1994 and lost 1–0 toEverton in1995.
Liverpool, on the other hand, were going through a barren spell in terms of trophies, having not won the league title since1989–90 or anFA Cup since1992, although they had tasted success in theLeague Cup in1995.
Liverpool and Manchester United were the two top scoring sides in theFA Premier League in this season, and entered the game as the most attacking sides in English football, with Liverpool winning their last meeting 2–0 atAnfield, and Manchester United equalising atOld Trafford to get a 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture, withRobbie Fowler scoring all four of Liverpool's goals against Manchester United in both meetings.
Both clubs released cup final songs, as was common at the time:Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove) (which reached number 4 in theUK Singles Chart)[1] andMove Move Move (The Red Tribe) (which reached number 6).
The match, despite the rivalry between the two teams, was a fairly unmemorable game, rarely sparking into life, with playmakersEric Cantona andSteve McManaman, marked and closed out byJamie Redknapp andJohn Barnes andRoy Keane andNicky Butt respectively. Keane went on to stop virtually every attack the Liverpool midfield threw at Manchester United, and covering as commentatorPeter Brackley described, "every blade of grass", to win the man of the match award.
The game started with a frenetic pace and Manchester United started with several positive chances before Liverpool came back into the game, but chances at either end were limited. Neither goalkeeper,Peter Schmeichel for Manchester United andDavid James for Liverpool, was seriously tested throughout the majority of the game. However, with just five minutes remaining on the clock, David James tried to punch a corner clear. The ball landed just outside the penalty area, at the feet of Manchester United captain Eric Cantona, who had scored in his comeback game after a seven-month suspension at Old Trafford against Liverpool earlier that season in a game that ended 2–2. Cantona hit his shot goalwards, through the crowded penalty area and the ball nestled in the back of the goal, winning the game for Manchester United.[2] Cantona had been marked out of the game, but reflecting his form all season, managed another match-winning moment.
          Liverpool |    Manchester United |
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Match officials
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The win was Manchester United's third FA Cup win underAlex Ferguson, having also won in1990 and 1994. They became the first club to win the competition nine times, and also became the first club to win theleague championship and FA Cup double twice.
After the match, the Manchester United team was presented with the FA Cup trophy byThe Duchess of Kent, wife of the President ofThe Football Association,Prince Edward. As the Manchester United players climbed the steps to the Royal Box to receive their medals, captain Eric Cantona was spat at by a spectator wearing a Liverpool shirt, while manager Alex Ferguson evaded a punch thrown by another.[3]
For Liverpool, the match was the final appearance of goalscoring legendIan Rush, who had scored 346 goals for the club since joining them in 1980 (sandwiched by a one-season spell atJuventus in the late 1980s) and left at the end of the season to sign forLeeds United.[4]Neil Ruddock was left out of the Liverpool squad despite having played in both the quarter and semi-final, as well as in each of the last six league matches of the season. Manchester United's two longest serving players,Steve Bruce andBrian McClair, were dropped in favour of younger players for the final. Bruce never played for Manchester United again, as he was transferred toBirmingham City 11 days later, while McClair remained at the club for a further two seasons. The only Manchester United player whose involvement with the club ended with this game was unused substituteLee Sharpe, who joined Rush at Leeds United just before the1996–97 season began, after eight years at Old Trafford.
The match gained notoriety for non-football reasons, having been picked up by theBritishtabloids for its pre-match formalities because the Liverpool team turned up in cream-colouredEmporio Armani suits, outlandish striped ties, and whiteGucci shoes, the outfit reportedly being picked by goalkeeper David James who had recently signed on to model that fashion label. Manchester United players, by contrast, wore traditional navy suits with a full button vest, black and white striped tie, and redcarnationboutonnière. One commentator suggested that if Liverpool "won the cup, it would have been legendary, reminiscent of Italian flamboyance and audacity - the likes of which hadn’t been seen in English football before."[5][6][7]
