| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Chelsea |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Arsenal(7th title) |
| Runners-up | Newcastle United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Andy Cole Alan Shearer Gareth Dodds (5 goals) |
The1997–98 FA Cup (known asThe FA Cup sponsored byLittlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 117th staging of theFA Cup. The competition was won byArsenal with a 2–0 victory againstNewcastle United atWembley Stadium.
| Round | Initial Matches | New Entries | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Saturday 30 August 1997 | 318 | 563 → 404 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 13 September 1997 | 129 | 404 → 260 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 27 September 1997 | none | 260 → 188 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 11 October 1997 | none | 188 → 152 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 25 October 1997 | 20 | 152 → 124 |
| First round proper | Saturday 15 November 1997 | 52 | 124 → 84 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 6 December 1997 | none | 84 → 64 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 3 January 1998 | 44 | 64 → 32 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday 24 January 1998 | none | 32 → 16 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday 14 February 1998 | none | 16 → 8 |
| Sixth round proper | Saturday 7 March 1998 | none | 8 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | Sunday 5 April 1998 | none | 4 → 2 |
| Final | Saturday 16 May 1998 | none | 2 → 1 |
Most participating clubs that were not members of thePremier League orFootball League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 28 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereGainsborough Trinity,Lincoln United,Colwyn Bay,Blyth Spartans,Northwich Victoria,Winsford United,Ilkeston Town,Emley,Solihull Borough,Morecambe,Southport,Boston United,Hereford United,Wisbech Town,Billericay Town,Tiverton Town,Boreham Wood,Margate,Basingstoke Town,Hendon,Farnborough Town,King's Lynn,Heybridge Swifts,Bromsgrove Rovers,Cheltenham Town,Hayes,Carshalton Athletic andSlough Town.
Billericay Town was appearing in the competition proper for the first time. Of the others, Basingstoke Town had last featured at this stage in1989–90, King's Lynn had last done so in1984-85, Gainsborough Trinity had last done so in1983-84, Margate had last done so in1972-73 and Ilkeston Town had last done so in1956-57.
Northern Premier League side Emley made national headlines when, after defeatingWorkington,Durham City,Belper Town andNuneaton Borough in the qualifying rounds and then seeing off Morecambe andLincoln City in the first two rounds of the competition proper, they only lost narrowly to aWest Ham United team containing the likes ofRio Ferdinand,David Unsworth,Eyal Berkovic,John Hartson andFrank Lampard in the third round.[1]
The 48 teams from theFootball League Second andThird Divisions entered in this round along with the 28 non-league qualifiers andWoking,Dagenham & Redbridge,Stevenage Borough andHednesford Town who were given byes. Tiverton Town, from theWestern League Premier Division at Step 8 of the football pyramid, was the lowest-ranked team in the draw - with the club going on to win this year'sFA Vase and be crowned undefeated champions of their league, their first-round Cup tie againstFootball Conference (Step 5) outfit Cheltenham Town represented their only senior-level competitive loss of the season.
The matches were played on 14 November 1997. There were fourteen replays, with four ties requiring a penalty shootout to settle the results.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 4–3 | Blyth Spartans (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 2 | Chester City | 2–1 | Winsford United (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 3 | Chesterfield | 1–0 | Northwich Victoria (5) | 15 November 1997 |
| 4 | Darlington | 1–1 | Solihull Borough (7) | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Solihull Borough | 3–3 | Darlington | 26 November 1997 |
| Darlington won 4–2 on penalties | ||||
| 5 | AFC Bournemouth | 3–0 | Heybridge Swifts (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 6 | Barnet | 1–2 | Watford | 15 November 1997 |
| 7 | Bristol City | 1–0 | Millwall | 15 November 1997 |
| 8 | Preston North End | 3–2 | Doncaster Rovers | 15 November 1997 |
| 9 | Rochdale | 0–2 | Wrexham | 15 November 1997 |
| 10 | Walsall | 2–0 | Lincoln United (7) | 15 November 1997 |
| 11 | Woking (5) | 0–2 | Southend United | 15 November 1997 |
| 12 | Notts County | 2–0 | Colwyn Bay (6) | 16 November 1997 |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 1–1 | Gainsborough Trinity (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Lincoln City | 3–2 | Gainsborough Trinity | 25 November 1997 |
| 14 | Luton Town | 0–1 | Torquay United | 15 November 1997 |
| 15 | Shrewsbury Town | 1–1 | Grimsby Town | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Grimsby Town | 4–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 25 November 1997 |
| 16 | Wycombe Wanderers | 2–2 | Basingstoke Town (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Basingstoke Town | 2–2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 25 November 1997 |
| Basingstoke Town won 5–4 on penalties | ||||
| 17 | Brentford | 2–2 | Colchester United | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Colchester United | 0–0 | Brentford | 25 November 1997 |
| Colchester United won 4–2 on penalties | ||||
| 18 | Bristol Rovers | 2–2 | Gillingham | 14 November 1997 |
| Replay | Gillingham | 0–2 | Bristol Rovers | 25 November 1997 |
| 19 | King's Lynn (6) | 1–0 | Bromsgrove Rovers (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 20 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | Cambridge United | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 3–2 | Plymouth Argyle | 25 November 1997 |
| 21 | Hull City | 0–2 | Hednesford Town (5) | 15 November 1997 |
| 22 | Carlisle United | 0–1 | Wigan Athletic | 15 November 1997 |
| 23 | Oldham Athletic | 1–1 | Mansfield Town | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Mansfield Town | 0–1 | Oldham Athletic | 25 November 1997 |
| 24 | Exeter City | 1–1 | Northampton Town | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Northampton Town | 2–1 | Exeter City | 25 November 1997 |
| 25 | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Scarborough | 15 November 1997 |
| 26 | Margate (7) | 1–2 | Fulham | 16 November 1997 |
| 27 | Cheltenham Town (5) | 2–1 | Tiverton Town (8) | 15 November 1997 |
| 28 | Southport (5) | 0–4 | York City | 15 November 1997 |
| 29 | Morecambe (5) | 1–1 | Emley (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Emley | 3–3 | Morecambe | 25 November 1997 |
| Emley won 3–1 on penalties | ||||
| 30 | Carshalton Athletic (6) | 0–0 | Stevenage Borough (5) | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Stevenage Borough | 5–0 | Carshalton Athletic | 24 November 1997 |
| 31 | Hereford United (5) | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 15 November 1997 |
| 32 | Rotherham United | 3–3 | Burnley | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Burnley | 0–3 | Rotherham United | 25 November 1997 |
| 33 | Hayes (5) | 0–1 | Boreham Wood (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 34 | Hendon (6) | 2–2 | Leyton Orient | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Leyton Orient | 0–1 | Hendon | 25 November 1997 |
| 35 | Ilkeston Town (7) | 2–1 | Boston United (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 36 | Slough Town (5) | 1–1 | Cardiff City | 15 November 1997 |
| Replay | Cardiff City | 3–2 | Slough Town | 25 November 1997 |
| 37 | Swansea City | 1–4 | Peterborough United | 14 November 1997 |
| 38 | Farnborough Town (5) | 0–1 | Dagenham & Redbridge (6) | 15 November 1997 |
| 39 | Hartlepool United | 2–4 | Macclesfield Town | 15 November 1997 |
| 40 | Billericay Town (7) | 2–3 | Wisbech Town (7) | 15 November 1997 |
The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday 6 December 1997, with nine replays and three penalty shootouts required, each of which featured a team who won on penalties in the previous round. Wisbech Town and Ilkeston Town, from theSouthern League Midland Division at Step 7 of English football, were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester City | 0–2 | Wrexham | 5 December 1997 |
| 2 | AFC Bournemouth | 3–1 | Bristol City | 7 December 1997 |
| 3 | Preston North End | 2–2 | Notts County | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Notts County | 1–2 | Preston North End | 16 December 1997 |
| 4 | Wisbech Town (7) | 0–2 | Bristol Rovers | 6 December 1997 |
| 5 | Grimsby Town | 2–2 | Chesterfield | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Chesterfield | 0–2 | Grimsby Town | 16 December 1997 |
| 6 | Macclesfield Town | 0–7 | Walsall | 6 December 1997 |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 2–2 | Emley (6) | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Emley | 3–3 | Lincoln City | 17 December 1997 |
| Emley won 4–3 on penalties | ||||
| 8 | Hednesford Town (5) | 0–1 | Darlington | 6 December 1997 |
| 9 | Fulham | 1–0 | Southend United | 6 December 1997 |
| 10 | Northampton Town | 1–1 | Basingstoke Town (6) | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Basingstoke Town | 0–0 | Northampton Town | 16 December 1997 |
| Northampton Town won 4–3 on penalties | ||||
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Blackpool | 6 December 1997 |
| 12 | Scunthorpe United | 1–1 | Ilkeston Town (7) | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Ilkeston Town | 1–2 | Scunthorpe United | 17 December 1997 |
| 13 | Cardiff City | 3–1 | Hendon (6) | 6 December 1997 |
| 14 | Cheltenham Town (5) | 1–1 | Boreham Wood (6) | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Boreham Wood | 0–2 | Cheltenham Town | 16 December 1997 |
| 15 | Torquay United | 1–1 | Watford | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Watford | 2–1 | Torquay United | 16 December 1997 |
| 16 | Rotherham United | 6–0 | King's Lynn (6) | 6 December 1997 |
| 17 | Wigan Athletic | 2–1 | York City | 6 December 1997 |
| 18 | Peterborough United | 3–2 | Dagenham & Redbridge (6) | 6 December 1997 |
| 19 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Hereford United (5) | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Hereford United | 1–1 | Colchester United | 16 December 1997 |
| Hereford United won 5–4 on penalties | ||||
| 20 | Cambridge United | 1–1 | Stevenage Borough (5) | 6 December 1997 |
| Replay | Stevenage Borough | 2–1 | Cambridge United | 15 December 1997 |
The third round was scheduled for Saturday 3 January 1998, although six matches were postponed until later dates. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, thePremiership and theFootball League First Division, entered the competition. There were eight replays, with two of those games requiring a penalty shootout to settle the results. Emley, from Step 6, was the lowest-ranked team in the draw.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington (4) | 0–4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 14 January 1998 |
| 2 | AFC Bournemouth (3) | 0–1 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 13 January 1998 |
| 3 | Liverpool (1) | 1–3 | Coventry City (1) | 3 January 1998 |
| 4 | Preston North End (3) | 1–2 | Stockport County (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 5 | Watford (3) | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 3 January 1998 |
| Replay | Sheffield Wednesday | 0–0 | Watford | 14 January 1998 |
| Sheffield Wednesday won 5–3 on penalties | ||||
| 6 | Leicester City (1) | 4–0 | Northampton Town (3) | 3 January 1998 |
| 7 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 4–2 | Wigan Athletic (3) | 3 January 1998 |
| 8 | Grimsby Town (3) | 3–0 | Norwich City (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 9 | Crewe Alexandra (2) | 1–2 | Birmingham City (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 3–1 | Stoke City (2) | 13 January 1998 |
| 11 | Derby County (1) | 2–0 | Southampton (1) | 3 January 1998 |
| 12 | Everton (1) | 0–1 | Newcastle United (1) | 4 January 1998 |
| 13 | Swindon Town (2) | 1–2 | Stevenage Borough (5) | 3 January 1998 |
| 14 | Sheffield United (2) | 1–1 | Bury (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| Replay | Bury | 1–2 | Sheffield United | 13 January 1998 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 3–1 | Fulham (3) | 5 January 1998 |
| 16 | Manchester City (2) | 2–0 | Bradford City (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 17 | Queens Park Rangers (2) | 2–2 | Middlesbrough (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 2–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 13 January 1998 |
| 18 | Barnsley (1) | 1–0 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 3 January 1998 |
| 19 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 1–1 | Ipswich Town (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| Replay | Ipswich Town | 1–0 | Bristol Rovers | 13 January 1998 |
| 20 | Portsmouth (2) | 2–2 | Aston Villa (1) | 3 January 1998 |
| Replay | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Portsmouth | 14 January 1998 |
| 21 | West Ham United (1) | 2–1 | Emley (6) | 3 January 1998 |
| 22 | Crystal Palace (1) | 2–0 | Scunthorpe United (4) | 3 January 1998 |
| 23 | Chelsea (1) | 3–5 | Manchester United (1) | 4 January 1998 |
| 24 | Wimbledon (1) | 0–0 | Wrexham (3) | 4 January 1998 |
| Replay | Wrexham | 2–3 | Wimbledon | 13 January 1998 |
| 25 | Cardiff City (4) | 1–0 | Oldham Athletic (3) | 3 January 1998 |
| 26 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 4–1 | Nottingham Forest (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 27 | Arsenal (1) | 0–0 | Port Vale (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| Replay | Port Vale | 1–1 | Arsenal | 14 January 1998 |
| Arsenal won 4–3 on penalties | ||||
| 28 | Cheltenham Town (5) | 1–1 | Reading (2) | 13 January 1998 |
| Replay | Reading | 2–1 | Cheltenham Town | 20 January 1998 |
| 29 | Leeds United (1) | 4–0 | Oxford United (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 30 | Hereford United (5) | 0–3 | Tranmere Rovers (2) | 13 January 1998 |
| 31 | Rotherham United (4) | 1–5 | Sunderland (2) | 3 January 1998 |
| 32 | Peterborough United (4) | 0–2 | Walsall (3) | 13 January 1998 |
The fourth round ties were played with the 32 winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for Saturday 24 January 1998. There were five replays, with one penalty shootout. Stevenage Borough, from theFootball Conference at Step 5, was the lowest-ranked team in the draw and the last non-league club left in the competition.
The fifth-round matches were scheduled for Saturday 14 February 1998. There were four replays, with one penalty shootout.
The biggest surprise of the round was arguably Barnsley's 3–2 win (in the replay that followed a 1–1 draw) over Manchester United. Barnsley were in their first season as a top division side (and ended it with relegation), while United were defending league champions and were also in contention for the league title and theEuropean Cup at this time, although they ended the season trophyless.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Coventry City | 14 February 1998 |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 1–0 | Reading | 13 February 1998 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 1–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 14 February 1998 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 2–2 | Blackburn Rovers | 14 February 1998 |
| Replay | Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | West Ham United | 25 February 1998 |
| West Ham United won 5–4 on penalties | ||||
| 5 | Manchester United | 1–1 | Barnsley | 15 February 1998 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 3–2 | Manchester United | 25 February 1998 |
| 6 | Wimbledon | 1–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14 February 1998 |
| Replay | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–1 | Wimbledon | 25 February 1998 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 0–0 | Crystal Palace | 15 February 1998 |
| Replay | Crystal Palace | 1–2 | Arsenal | 25 February 1998 |
| 8 | Leeds United | 3–2 | Birmingham City | 14 February 1998 |
The sixth round ties were scheduled for the weekend of 7 and 8 March 1998. Two replays were played on the 17th, both of which went to penalties.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United, Division One sides, both progressed to the semi-finals at the expense of Premier League sides. Wolverhampton Wanderers were particularly impressive in doing this, as the side they eliminated from the cup (Leeds United) went on to finish fifth in the Premier League.
| Coventry City | 1–1 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
Dublin 32' (pen.) | Marcelo 45' |
| Arsenal | 1–1 | West Ham United |
|---|---|---|
| Bergkamp 26' (pen.) | Pearce 12' |
Sheffield United won 3–1 on penalties.
| West Ham United | 1–1 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Hartson 81' | Anelka 45' Bergkamp  |
Arsenal won 4–3 on penalties.
The two semi-final matches were played on Sunday 5 April 1998. Both ties were played at neutral venues and resulted in victories for Arsenal and Newcastle United, who went on to meet in the final atWembley. The losing sides were both Division One teams, who endured further disappointment over the next few weeks by being pipped to promotion.
The 1998 FA Cup Final was contested byArsenal andNewcastle United atWembley on 16 May 1998. Arsenal won 2–0, with goals byMarc Overmars andNicolas Anelka to complete theirsecond league title/FA Cup double. They joined Manchester United as only the second English team to achieve this, although Arsenal did so with an entirely different set of players (their first double was in 1971, whereas United's doubles were in 1994 and 1996).
         Arsenal |      Newcastle United |
In the United Kingdom,ITV were the free to air broadcasters, taking over from theBBC, whileSky Sports were the subscription broadcasters for the tenth consecutive season.[citation needed] with the BBC retaining free-to-air highlights. The 1998 FA Cup Final wasBrian Moore's last domestic football commentary for ITV before his retirement after the World Cup
The matches shown live onITV Sport were:
•Everton 0-1Newcastle United (R3)
•Manchester City 1-2West Ham United (R4)
•Arsenal 0-0Crystal Palace (R5)
•Arsenal 1-1West Ham United (QF)
•Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1Arsenal (SF)
•Arsenal 2-0Newcastle United (Final)
The matches shown live onSky Sports were:
•Swansea City 1-4Peterborough United (R1)
•Burnley 0-3Rotherham United (R1 Replay)
•Chester City 0-2Wrexham (R2)
•AFC Bournemouth 3-1Bristol City (R2)
•Basingstoke Town 0-0Northampton Town (R2 Replay)
•Chelsea 3-5Manchester United (R3)
•Tottenham Hotspur 3-1Fulham (R3)
•Port Vale 1-1Arsenal (R3 Replay)
•Stevenage Borough 1-1Newcastle United (R4)
•Sheffield Wednesday 0-3Blackburn Rovers (R4)
•Newcastle United 2-1Stevenage Borough (R4 Replay)
•Manchester United 1-1Barnsley (R5)
•Barnsley 3-2Manchester United (R5 Replay)
•Newcastle United 3-1Barnsley (QF)
•West Ham United 1-1Arsenal (QF Replay)
•Newcastle United 1-0Sheffield United (SF)
•Arsenal 2-0Newcastle United (Final)