 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 674 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Liverpool(7th title) |
| Runners-up | West Ham United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Neil Danns Paul Hayes Steve Basham (5 goals each) |
The2005–06 FA Cup was the 125th staging of the world's oldestfootball competition, theFA Cup.
The competition began on 20 August 2005, with the lowest-ranked of the 674 entrants competing in the Extra preliminary round. For the top 44 clubs, the FA Cup began in the third round in January.
Ties are all single-legged and take place at the stadium of the club drawn first. If scores are level at the end of a match, it is replayed at the away club's stadium, usually 10 days later. If the scores are still level, extra-time and penalties (if necessary) are used to determine a winner. However, from the semi-finals onwards, the ties take place at a neutral stadium, and there are no replays. That is to say, extra-time and penalties are played if necessary to determine a winner in a single match.
At the special request ofEngland national team managerSven-Göran Eriksson, the quarter-finals (i.e., 6th round proper) were held on weeknights (they would normally take place at weekends). This action was made to ensure that the season finishes as early as possible, allowing players a full month's rest before the2006 World Cup finals.
The semi-finals were staged at neutral venues and, like the final, would not be replayed in the event of a draw.
The Football Association had hoped to stage the final at the newly rebuiltWembley Stadium,London on 13 May 2006, but due to the uncertainty of the new stadium being completed in time, theMillennium Stadium inCardiff hosted the final, which was contested betweenLiverpool andWest Ham United.
| Round | Date | Matches | Clubs | Byes | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | Saturday 20 August 2005 | 86 | 674 → 588 | none | £500 |
| Preliminary round | Saturday 27 August 2005 | 182 | 588 → 406 | 278: 225th-502nd | £1,000 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 10 September 2005 | 124 | 406 → 282 | 66: 159th-224th | £2,250 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 24 September 2005 | 84 | 282 → 198 | 44: 115th-158th | £3,750 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 8 October 2005 | 42 | 198 → 156 | none | £5,000 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 22 October 2005 | 32 | 156 → 124 | 22: 93rd-114th | £10,000 |
| First round proper | Saturday 5 November 2005 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48: 45th-92nd | £16,000 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 3 December 2005 | 20 | 84 → 64 | none | £24,000 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 7 January 2006 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44: 1st-44th | £40,000 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday 28 January 2006 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £60,000 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday 18 February 2006 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | £120,000 |
| Sixth round proper | Wednesday 22 March 2006 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | £300,000 |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 22 April 2006 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | £900,000 |
| Final | Saturday 13 May 2006 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | £1,000,000 |
All participating clubs that were not members of thePremier League orFootball League entered the competition in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 places available in the first round proper.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereHarrogate Town,Tamworth,Southport,Burscough,Chasetown,Northwich Victoria,York City,Leamington,Worcester City,Hednesford Town,Burton Albion,Halifax Town,Morecambe,Hereford United,Braintree Town,Kettering Town,Burnham,Welling United,Aldershot Town,Histon,Grays Athletic,Nuneaton Borough,Stevenage Borough,Woking,Chippenham Town,Merthyr Tydfil,Cambridge City,Folkestone Invicta,Ramsgate,Dagenham & Redbridge,Weymouth andEastbourne Borough.
Chasetown, Braintree Town, Burnham, Eastbourne Borough and Folkestone Invicta were appearing in the competition proper for the first time, with Invicta being the first club from Folkestone to feature at this stage sinceFolkestone F.C. in1982-83. Of the others, Weymouth had last qualified for the first round in1985–86, Leamington had last done so in1983-84 (although the club had been inactive from 1988-2000), Burscough had last done so in1980-81, Ramsgate had last done so in1955-56 and Chippenham Town had last done so in1951-52.
All ties took place on the weekend of Saturday 5 November 2005. Replays, played in the week of 14 November 2005, are shown in italics. Ties are shown in order of the draw.
Step 9 sides Chasetown and Leamington, from theMidland Alliance, were the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
The 40 clubs to have made it through the first round, play off to reduce the number of remaining clubs to 20.
All ties took place between Friday 2 and Sunday 4 December 2005. Replays took place on 13 December. Ties are shown in order of the draw.
Burscough, from theNorthern Premier League Premier Division, was the lowest-ranked team in the round.
The 20 clubs to have made it through Round Two meet the 24 clubs from theFootball League Championship and the 20Premier League clubs, including holdersArsenal.
All ties took place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January 2006. Replays took place on 17 and 18 January, and are shown in italics. Ties are shown in order of the draw.
One of the most significant games of the round, if not the entire competition, was the goalless draw between Premier League giants Manchester United and Conference National underdogs Burton Albion in the first match at thePirelli Stadium. However, United were in no mood for unpleasant surprises in the replay atOld Trafford and easily overcame Albion 5-0.
Conference North sides Northwich Victoria and Nuneaton Borough were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.
This round featured the 32 clubs to have made it through Round Three.
All ties took place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January 2006. Replays took place on 7 and 8 February, and are shown in italics. Ties are shown in order of the draw.
League Two sides Cheltenham Town and Leyton Orient were the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke City (2) | 2–1 | Walsall (3) | 8,834 |
| 2 | Cheltenham Town (4) | 0–2 | Newcastle United (1) | 7,022 |
| 3 | Coventry City (2) | 1–1 | Middlesbrough (1) | 28,120 |
| replay | Middlesbrough (1) | 1–0 | Coventry City (2) | 14,131 |
| 4 | Reading (2) | 1–1 | Birmingham City (1) | 23,762 |
| replay | Birmingham City (1) | 2–1 | Reading (2) | 16,644 |
| 5 | Portsmouth (1) | 1–2 | Liverpool (1) | 17,247 |
| 6 | Leicester City (2) | 0–1 | Southampton (2) | 20,427 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 1–0 | Arsenal (1) | 13,326 |
| 8 | Aston Villa (1) | 3–1 | Port Vale (3) | 30,434 |
| 9 | Brentford (3) | 2–1 | Sunderland (1) | 11,698 |
| 10 | Manchester City (1) | 1–0 | Wigan Athletic (1) | 30,811 |
| 11 | Everton (1) | 1–1 | Chelsea (1) | 29,742 |
| replay | Chelsea (1) | 4–1 | Everton (1) | 39,301 |
| 12 | Preston North End (2) | 1–1 | Crystal Palace (2) | 9,489 |
| replay | Crystal Palace (2) | 1–2 | Preston North End (2) | 7,356 |
| 13 | West Ham United (1) | 4–2 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 23,700 |
| 14 | Colchester United (3) | 3–1 | Derby County (2) | 5,933 |
| 15 | Charlton Athletic (1) | 2–1 | Leyton Orient (4) | 22,029 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 0–3 | Manchester United (1) | 28,333 |
Initial matches were played on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 February 2006. Replays are shown in italics, and took place on 14 and 15 March. Ties are shown in order of the draw. All eight ties were won by Premier League clubs, with League One sides Colchester United and Brentford being the lowest-ranked teams participating.
Liverpool's 1-0 win over Manchester United ended their arch rivals' hopes of an FA Cup/League Cup double, as well as ending Liverpool's 85-year wait for a win over Manchester United in an FA Cup tie.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preston North End (2) | 0–2 | Middlesbrough (1) | 19,877 |
| 2 | Newcastle United (1) | 1–0 | Southampton (2) | 40,975 |
| 3 | Aston Villa (1) | 1–1 | Manchester City (1) | 23,847 |
| replay | Manchester City (1) | 2–1 | Aston Villa (1) | 33,006 |
| 4 | Chelsea (1) | 3–1 | Colchester United (3) | 41,810 |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic (1) | 3–1 | Brentford (3) | 22,098 |
| 6 | Liverpool (1) | 1–0 | Manchester United (1) | 44,039 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 0–0 | West Ham United (1) | 17,120 |
| replay | West Ham United (1) | 2–1 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 24,685 |
| 8 | Stoke City (2) | 0–1 | Birmingham City (1) | 18,768 |
The most significant game of the round was undoubtedly Liverpool's 7-0 win at Birmingham City, one of the biggest ever scorelines in an FA Cup quarter-final tie.[citation needed]
This was a rare occurrence in which all eight quarter-finalists were members of the top flight.
| Charlton Athletic (1) | 0–0 | Middlesbrough (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Manchester City (1) | 1–2 | West Ham United (1) |
|---|---|---|
Musampa 84' | Report | Ashton 40',68' |
| Chelsea (1) | 1–0 | Newcastle United (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Terry 3' | Report |
| Birmingham City (1) | 0–7 | Liverpool (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Hyypiä 1' Crouch 4',37'Morientes 59'Riise 69'Tébily 76' (o.g.)Cissé 88' |
| Middlesbrough (1) | 4–2 | Charlton Athletic (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Rochemback 10' Morrison 25'Hasselbaink 72'Viduka 76' | Report | Hughes 12' Southgate 75' (o.g.) |
Chelsea's hopes of theleague title and FA Cup double were ended as they lost 2–1 to Liverpool, while Middlesbrough's defeat to West Ham United ended their hopes of an FA Cup/UEFA Cup double.
West Ham's victory meant that they would be contesting their first FA Cup final for 26 years, with this victory coming just five days after the death ofJohn Lyall, manager of the West Ham side that had won the cup that year.
| Middlesbrough (1) | 0–1 | West Ham United (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Harewood 77' |
In the final, an injury-time equaliser by Liverpool's Steven Gerrard forced a 3–3 draw, and his side went on to win the penalty shoot-out and secure the seventh FA Cup triumph of their history. West Ham'sAlan Pardew was the first Englishman to manage an FA Cup finalist side sinceAston Villa'sJohn Gregory six years earlier.
| Liverpool | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | West Ham United |
|---|---|---|
| Cissé 34' Gerrard 54',90+1' | (Report) | Carragher 21' (o.g.) Ashton 28'Konchesky 64' |
| Penalties | ||
Hamann Hyypiä  Gerrard Riise | 3–1 | ZamoraSheringhamKoncheskyFerdinand |
      Liverpool |   West Ham |
From the first round (qualifying) onward, a panel includingSky Sports'Jeff Stelling andFA Chief ExecutiveBrian Barwick nominated players for the award. The winners were voted by visitors of thefa.com.
The player with the most votes each round won £1000 worth of football equipment for a local school or club, as well as an engraved silver salver.
| Round | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| First round qualifying | Jamie Laidlaw | Gosport Borough |
| Second round qualifying | Paul Brayson | Northwich Victoria |
| Third round qualifying | Alex Rodman | Leamington |
| Fourth round qualifying | Stuart Tuck | Eastbourne Borough |
| First round proper | Paul Brayson | Northwich Victoria |
| Second round proper | Dave Mulligan | Doncaster Rovers |
| Third round proper | Gez Murphy | Nuneaton Borough |
| Fourth round proper | Ricardo Gardner | Bolton Wanderers |
| Fifth round proper | Jamie Carragher | Liverpool |
| Sixth round proper | Steven Gerrard | Liverpool |
| Semi-finals | Luis García | Liverpool |
No vote was made for the final tie.
In the United Kingdom, theBBC were the free to air broadcasters for the fifth consecutive season whileSky Sports were the subscription broadcasters for the eighteenth consecutive season.[citation needed]
The matches shown live on theBBC were:
Chasetown 1-1Oldham Athletic (R1)
Worcester City 0-1Huddersfield Town (R2)
Hull City 0-1Aston Villa (R3)
Luton Town 3-5Liverpool (R3)
Leicester City 3-2Tottenham Hotspur (R3)
Manchester United 5-0Burton Albion (R3 Replay)
Cheltenham Town 0-2Newcastle United (R4)
Bolton Wanderers 1-0Arsenal (R4)
Portsmouth 1-2Liverpool (R4)
Chelsea 4-1Everton (R4 Replay)
Liverpool 1-0Manchester United (R5)
Newcastle United 1-0Southampton (R5)
Aston Villa 1-1Manchester City (R5)
West Ham United 2-1Bolton Wanderers (R5 Replay)
Manchester City 1-2West Ham United (QF)
Chelsea 1-0Newcastle United (QF)
Charlton Athletic 0-0Middlesbrough (QF)
Middlesbrough 4-2Charlton Athletic (QF Replay)
Liverpool 3-3West Ham United (Final)
The matches shown live onSky Sports were:
Merthyr Tydfil 1-2Walsall (R1)
Weymouth 0-2Nottingham Forest (R1 Replay)
Mansfield Town 3-0Grays Athletic (R2)
Brentford 1-0Oldham Athletic (R2 Replay)
Burton Albion 0-0Manchester United (R3)
Leeds United 3-3Wigan Athletic (R3 Replay)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3Manchester United (R4)
Birmingham City 2-1Reading (R4 Replay)
Chelsea 3-1Colchester United (R5)
Manchester City 2-1Aston Villa (R5 Replay)
Birmingham City 0-7Liverpool (QF)
Middlesbrough 0-1West Ham United (SF)
Liverpool 3-3West Ham United (Final)
