 Chelsea celebrating their 5th title | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 762 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Chelsea(5th title) |
| Runners-up | Everton |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Nicolas Anelka Matty Fryatt Gary Hooper Robin van Persie Craig Westcarr (4 goals each) |
The2008–09 FA Cup (known asThe FA Cup sponsored byE.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 128th season of the world's oldestfootball knockout competition; theFA Cup. A record 762 clubs were accepted for the competition; one club,South Normanton Athletic, folded before the fixtures were released, leaving 761 clubs to appear in the draw.[1] Two more clubs,Brierley Hill & Withymoor andStapenhill, folded after the draws for the early rounds were made, giving their opponents a walkover.
The competition started on 16 August 2008 with theExtra preliminary round and concluded on 30 May 2009 with theFinal, held atWembley Stadium. Because winnersChelsea qualified for the2009–10 UEFA Champions League by finishing 3rd in the2008–09 Premier League, losing finalistsEverton qualified for theplay-off round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. BecauseEverton also happened to qualify for a Europa League berth by finishing 5th in the Premier League, that berth was awarded to the 6th place team (Aston Villa), whose berth (which was available because2009–10 Football League Cup winnersManchester United qualified for the Champions League as Premier League winners) was in turn awarded to the 7th place team (Fulham).
Premier League sidePortsmouth were the defending champions, but were elimated in the fourth round bySwansea City.
This season's competition saw the beginning of a new television contract for the tournament, withITV andSetanta Sports taking over the domestic rights from theBBC andSky Sports, however this would prove to be the only season in which Setanta broadcast the competition, as it went into administration and closed down a few weeks after the final.
| Round | Main date | Number of fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round | Prize money | Player of the Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | 16 August 2008 | 203 | 761 → 558 | 406: 356th–761st | £750 | n/a |
| Preliminary round | 30 August 2008 | 166 | 558 → 392 | 129: 227th–355th | £1,500 | n/a |
| First round qualifying | 13 September 2008 | 116 | 392 → 276 | 66: 161st–226th | £3,000 | Derren Ibrahim (Dartford)[2] |
| Second round qualifying | 27 September 2008 | 80 | 276 → 196 | 44: 117th–160th | £4,500 | Dean Lodge (Kingstonian)[3] |
| Third round qualifying | 11 October 2008 | 40 | 196 → 156 | none | £7,500 | Craig Davis (AFC Totton)[4] |
| Fourth round qualifying | 25 October 2008 | 32 | 156 → 124 | 24: 93rd–116th | £12,500 | Sam Hatton (AFC Wimbledon)[5] |
| First round proper | 8 November 2008 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48: 45th–92nd | £20,000 | Jon Adams (AFC Telford United)[6] |
| Second round proper | 29 November 2008 | 20 | 84 → 64 | none | £30,000 | Lindon Meikle (Eastwood Town)[7] |
| Third round proper | 3 January 2009 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44: 1st–44th | £75,000 | Nathan Tyson (Nottingham Forest)[8] |
| Fourth round proper | 24 January 2009 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £100,000 | Scott Parker (West Ham United)[9] |
| Fifth round proper | 14 February 2009 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | £200,000 | Mikel Arteta (Everton)[10] |
| Sixth round proper | 7 March 2009 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | £400,000 | Robin van Persie (Arsenal)[11] |
| Semi-finals | 18 April 2009 19 April 2009 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | Winners: £1,000,000 Losers: £500,000 | Phil Jagielka (Everton)[12] |
| Final | 30 May 2009 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | Winner: £2,000,000 Loser: £1,000,000 |
All teams that entered the competition, but were not members of thePremier League orThe Football League, had to compete in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 places available in the first round proper.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereCurzon Ashton,Kettering Town,Barrow,Kidderminster Harriers,Cambridge United,Altrincham,Droylsden,Histon,Alfreton Town,Blyth Spartans,Mansfield Town,AFC Telford United,Fleetwood Town,Eastwood Town,Stevenage Borough,Brackley Town,Ebbsfleet United,Oxford United,AFC Wimbledon,Team Bath,Dorchester Town,Eastbourne Borough,Forest Green Rovers,Bury Town,Harlow Town,Grays Athletic,Evesham United,Sutton United,Torquay United,Leiston,Havant & Waterlooville andAFC Hornchurch. These teams came from the following levels:
Three 'phoenix' clubs were appearing in the main draw for the first time: AFC Telford United reached this stage four years after the demise of the originalTelford United F.C., AFC Wimbledon were here four years afterWimbledon F.C. becameMilton Keynes Dons and AFC Hornchurch qualified for the main draw three years after the demise of the originalHornchurch F.C. Of the other teams, Curzon Ashton, Brackley Town, Evesham United and Leiston were also appearing in the competition proper for the first time while Dorchester Town had last done so in2000-01, Eastwood Town had last done so in1999-2000, Blyth Spartans had last done so in1997-98, Sutton United in1995-96, Harlow Town in1991-92 and Bury Town in1968-69.
All of the 24League One and 24League Two teams entered in this round, along with the winners of the previous round, the fourth qualifying round.
The draw took place on 26 October 2008. The matches were played between 7 and 9 November 2008.[13]
† – Afterextra time
‡ – Grays' replay with Carlisle was abandoned the first time it was played after 20 minutes because of floodlight failure with Grays leading 1–0.[14]
Blyth Spartans,Droylsden andHiston beat teams from two levels higher.Kettering Town were the fourth non-league team to beat a league club.Curzon Ashton were the only club to beat a team from four levels higher, beatingExeter City.
The draw was held on 9 November 2008 and involved the 40 winning teams from the previous round. These were from the following levels:
The draw was conducted byLawrie Sanchez andRay Parlour.[15] Matches in the second round proper were played over the weekend of 29 November 2008, with the exception of the match betweenCrewe Alexandra andCarlisle United, which was played on 3 December, due to the abandonment of the first-round game between Carlisle United andGrays Athletic.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1‡ | Chesterfield (4) | 2 – 2 | Droylsden (6) | 5,698 |
| replay‡ | Droylsden (6) | 2 – 1 | Chesterfield (4) | 2,824 |
| Droylsden expelled for fielding an ineligible player; Chesterfield progress[16] | ||||
| 2 | Peterborough United (3) | 0 – 0 | Tranmere Rovers (3) | 5,980 |
| replay | Tranmere Rovers (3) | 1 – 2† | Peterborough United (3) | 3,139 |
| 3 | Eastwood Town (7) | 2 – 0 | Wycombe Wanderers (4) | 1,955 |
| 4 | Notts County (4) | 1 – 1 | Kettering Town (5) | 4,451 |
| replay | Kettering Town (5) | 2 – 1 | Notts County (4) | 3,019 |
| 5 | Leicester City (3) | 3 – 2 | Dagenham & Redbridge (4) | 7,791 |
| 6 | Barrow (5) | 2 – 1 | Brentford (4) | 3,532 |
| 7 | Bradford City (4) | 1 – 2 | Leyton Orient (3) | 5,065 |
| 8 | Southend United (3) | 3 – 1 | Luton Town (4) | 4,111 |
| 9 | Forest Green Rovers (5) | 2 – 0 | Rochdale (4) | 1,715 |
| 10 | Histon (5) | 1 – 0 | Leeds United (3) | 4,103 |
| 11 | Scunthorpe United (3) | 4 – 0 | Alfreton Town (6) | 4,249 |
| 12 | Torquay United (5) | 2 – 0 | Oxford United (5) | 2,647 |
| 13 | Fleetwood Town (6) | 2 – 3 | Hartlepool United (3) | 3,280 |
| 14 | Morecambe (4) | 2 – 3 | Cheltenham Town (3) | 1,758 |
| 15 | Gillingham (4) | 0 – 0 | Stockport County (3) | 4,419 |
| replay | Stockport County (3) | 1 – 2 | Gillingham (4) | 3,329 |
| 16 | Millwall (3) | 3 – 0 | Aldershot Town (4) | 6,159 |
| 17 | Carlisle United (3) | 0 – 2 | Crewe Alexandra (3) | 2,755 |
| 18 | AFC Bournemouth (4) | 0 – 0 | Blyth Spartans (6) | 4,165 |
| replay | Blyth Spartans (6) | 1 – 0 | AFC Bournemouth (4) | 4,040 |
| 19 | Kidderminster Harriers (5) | 2 – 0 | Curzon Ashton (8) | 2,070 |
| 20 | Port Vale (4) | 1 – 3 | Macclesfield Town (4) | 4,684 |
† – Afterextra time
‡ – Droylsden's first visit to Chesterfield was abandoned at half time due to fog.[17] The first replay, two weeks later, was then abandoned after 70 minutes due to floodlight failure.[18]
6 non-league clubs beat league clubs:Leeds United lost toHiston, whileLeague Two clubs lost toEastwood Town,Blyth Spartans,Barrow,Forest Green Rovers andKettering Town.
The draw was held on 30 November 2008. The draw was carried out bySir Trevor Brooking andRay Clemence atSoho Square. The 20Premier League and 24Championship teams enter at this stage, along with the 20 winners from the previous round. These 20 teams came from the following levels:
The matches were played between 2 and 5 January 2009, with the exception of the ties betweenBirmingham City andWolverhampton Wanderers,Histon andSwansea City,Cheltenham Town andDoncaster Rovers, andLeyton Orient andSheffield United, which were postponed until 13 January 2009.[19][20][21]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portsmouth (1) | 0 – 0 | Bristol City (2) | 14,446 |
| replay | Bristol City (2) | 0 – 2 | Portsmouth (1) | 14,302 |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday (2) | 1 – 2 | Fulham (1) | 18,377 |
| 3 | Preston North End (2) | 0 – 2 | Liverpool (1) | 23,046 |
| 4 | Birmingham City (2) | 0 – 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 22,232 |
| 5 | West Ham United (1) | 3 – 0 | Barnsley (2) | 28,869 |
| 6 | Middlesbrough (1) | 2 – 1 | Barrow (5) | 25,132 |
| 7 | Hull City (1) | 0 – 0 | Newcastle United (1) | 20,557 |
| replay | Newcastle United (1) | 0 – 1 | Hull City (1) | 31,380 |
| 8 | Hartlepool United (3) | 2 – 0 | Stoke City (1) | 5,367 |
| 9 | Chelsea (1) | 1 – 1 | Southend United (3) | 41,090 |
| replay | Southend United (3) | 1 – 4 | Chelsea (1) | 11,314 |
| 10 | Manchester City (1) | 0 – 3 | Nottingham Forest (2) | 31,869 |
| 11 | Cardiff City (2) | 2 – 0 | Reading (2) | 12,448 |
| 12 | Ipswich Town (2) | 3 – 0 | Chesterfield (4) | 12,524 |
| 13 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 1 – 1 | Norwich City (2) | 12,615 |
| replay | Norwich City (2) | 0 – 1 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 13,997 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion (1) | 1 – 1 | Peterborough United (3) | 18,659 |
| replay | Peterborough United (3) | 0 – 2 | West Bromwich Albion (1) | 10,735 |
| 15 | Torquay United (5) | 1 – 0 | Blackpool (2) | 3,654 |
| 16 | Leyton Orient (3) | 1 – 4 | Sheffield United (2) | 4,527 |
| 17 | Southampton (2) | 0 – 3 | Manchester United (1) | 31,901 |
| 18 | Millwall (3) | 2 – 2 | Crewe Alexandra (3) | 5,754 |
| replay | Crewe Alexandra (3) | 2 – 3 | Millwall (3) | 3,060 |
| 19 | Histon (5) | 1 – 2 | Swansea City (2) | 2,821 |
| 20 | Forest Green Rovers (5) | 3 – 4 | Derby County (2) | 4,836 |
| 21 | Queens Park Rangers (2) | 0 – 0 | Burnley (2) | 8,896 |
| replay | Burnley (2) | 2 – 1† | Queens Park Rangers (2) | 3,760 |
| 22 | Leicester City (3) | 0 – 0 | Crystal Palace (2) | 15,976 |
| replay | Crystal Palace (2) | 2 – 1 | Leicester City (3) | 6,023 |
| 23 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 3 – 1 | Wigan Athletic (1) | 34,040 |
| 24 | Cheltenham Town (3) | 0 – 0 | Doncaster Rovers (2) | 4,417 |
| replay | Doncaster Rovers (2) | 3 – 0 | Cheltenham Town (3) | 5,345 |
| 25 | Arsenal (1) | 3 – 1 | Plymouth Argyle (2) | 59,424 |
| 26 | Kettering Town (5) | 2 – 1 | Eastwood Town (7) | 5,090 |
| 27 | Blyth Spartans (6) | 0 – 1 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 3,445 |
| 28 | Macclesfield Town (4) | 0 – 1 | Everton (1) | 6,008 |
| 29 | Watford (2) | 1 – 0 | Scunthorpe United (3) | 8,690 |
| 30 | Sunderland (1) | 2 – 1 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 20,685 |
| 31 | Coventry City (2) | 2 – 0 | Kidderminster Harriers (5) | 13,652 |
| 32 | Gillingham (4) | 1 – 2 | Aston Villa (1) | 10,107 |
† – Afterextra time
Torquay United were the only team to beat a team from three levels higher, whileHartlepool United were the only team to beat a team from two levels higher.
The draw was held on 4 January 2009. It comprised teams from the following levels:
The draw was conducted byRoberto Di Matteo andDave Beasant.[22] Most of the matches were played on the weekend of 24 January 2009.[23]
A technical error duringITV's broadcast of the Everton–Liverpool replay meant that millions of viewers missedDan Gosling's winner for Everton late in extra time. Coverage of the match was temporarily interrupted by advertisements, only for viewers to see Everton's players celebrating upon the restoration of the feed. ITV received thousands of complaints about the mistake, with many viewers questioning ITV's ability to broadcast live football, especially given their £275 million contract withThe Football Association. ITV has subsequently apologised for the error.[24][25][26][27]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool (1) | 1 – 1 | Everton (1) | 43,524 |
| replay | Everton (1) | 1 – 0† | Liverpool (1) | 37,918 |
| 2 | Manchester United (1) | 2 – 1 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 75,014 |
| 3 | Hull City (1) | 2 – 0 | Millwall (3) | 18,639 |
| 4 | Sunderland (1) | 0 – 0 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 22,634 |
| replay | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 2 – 1† | Sunderland (1) | 10,112 |
| 5 | Hartlepool United (3) | 0 – 2 | West Ham United (1) | 6,849 |
| 6 | Sheffield United (2) | 2 – 1 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 15,957 |
| 7 | Cardiff City (2) | 0 – 0 | Arsenal (1) | 20,079 |
| replay | Arsenal (1) | 4 – 0 | Cardiff City (2) | 57,237 |
| 8 | Portsmouth (1) | 0 – 2 | Swansea City (2) | 17,357 |
| 9 | Chelsea (1) | 3 – 1 | Ipswich Town (2) | 41,137 |
| 10 | Doncaster Rovers (2) | 0 – 0 | Aston Villa (1) | 13,517 |
| replay | Aston Villa (1) | 3 – 1 | Doncaster Rovers (2) | 24,203 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion (1) | 2 – 2 | Burnley (2) | 18,294 |
| replay | Burnley (2) | 3 – 1 | West Bromwich Albion (1) | 6,635 |
| 12 | Torquay United (5) | 0 – 1 | Coventry City (2) | 6,018 |
| 13 | Kettering Town (5) | 2 – 4 | Fulham (1) | 5,406 |
| 14 | Watford (2) | 4 – 3 | Crystal Palace (2) | 10,006 |
| 15 | Derby County (2) | 1 – 1 | Nottingham Forest (2) | 32,035 |
| replay | Nottingham Forest (2) | 2 – 3 | Derby County (2) | 29,001 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 1 – 2 | Middlesbrough (1) | 18,013 |
† – Afterextra time
The draw was held on 25 January 2009. It comprised ten teams from thePremier League and six from theChampionship, and was conducted byGary Mabbutt andGary Pallister.[28] The fifth-round matches were played on the weekend of 14 February 2009, with the exception of the tie between Arsenal and Burnley, after Arsenal's fourth round replay with Cardiff City was postponed due to snow. The match was played on 8 March 2009.[29]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield United (2) | 1 – 1 | Hull City (1) | 22,283 |
| replay | Hull City (1) | 2 – 1 | Sheffield United (2) | 17,239 |
| 2 | Watford (2) | 1 – 3 | Chelsea (1) | 16,851 |
| 3 | West Ham United (1) | 1 – 1 | Middlesbrough (1) | 33,658 |
| replay | Middlesbrough (1) | 2 – 0 | West Ham United (1) | 15,602 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 2 – 2 | Coventry City (2) | 15,053 |
| replay | Coventry City (2) | 1 – 0 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 22,793 |
| 5 | Derby County (2) | 1 – 4 | Manchester United (1) | 32,103 |
| 6 | Swansea City (2) | 1 – 1 | Fulham (1) | 16,573 |
| replay | Fulham (1) | 2 – 1 | Swansea City (2) | 12,316 |
| 7 | Everton (1) | 3 – 1 | Aston Villa (1) | 35,439 |
| 8 | Arsenal (1) | 3 – 0 | Burnley (2) | 57,454 |
The draw was held on 15 February 2009. It comprised seven teams from thePremier League andCoventry City from theChampionship. It was conducted byFrank McLintock andGraeme Souness. The matches were played on the weekend of 7 March 2009,[30] with the exception of the tie between Arsenal and Hull City, which was played on 17 March.[31]
| Coventry City (2) | 0–2 | Chelsea (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Drogba 15'Alex 72' |
The draw was held on 8 March 2009, and was conducted byBob Wilson andJoe Royle. The semi-final matches were played atWembley Stadium, on the weekend of 18 April 2009.[32] Unlike the previous rounds, replays were not held if a match ended as a draw; if necessary, extra time was added and a penalty shoot-out was held immediately after the match.
| Manchester United (1) | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Everton (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
Berbatov Ferdinand Vidić  Anderson | 2–4 | CahillBainesNevilleVaughanJagielka |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[35] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nicolas Anelka | Chelsea | 4 |
 Robin van Persie | Arsenal | ||
| 3 |  Afonso Alves | Middlesbrough | 3 |
 Michael Ballack | Chelsea | ||
 Didier Drogba | Chelsea | ||
 Eduardo | Arsenal | ||
 Greg Halford | Sheffield United | ||
| Rob Hulse | Derby County | ||
 Paul Ifill | Crystal Palace | ||
| Andy Johnson | Fulham | ||
| Frank Lampard | Chelsea | ||
| James Milner | Aston Villa | ||
 Roman Pavlyuchenko | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
 Jason Scotland | Swansea City | ||
 Steven Thompson | Burnley | ||
| Craig Westcarr | Kettering Town |
In the United Kingdom,ITV regained the free to air broadcasting rights from theBBC who held on to it after seven seasons whileSetanta Sports took over the subscription broadcasting rights fromSky Sports who held on to it for 20 seasons.
The matches shown live onITV1 (most regions) were:
•Havant & Waterlooville 1-3Brentford (R1)
•Histon 1-0Leeds United (R2)
•Preston North End 0-2Liverpool (R3)
•Gillingham 1-2Aston Villa (R3)
•Southend United 1-4Chelsea (R3 Replay)
•Hartlepool United 0-2West Ham United (R4)
•Manchester United 2-1Tottenham Hotspur (R4)
•Everton 1-0Liverpool (R4 Replay)
•Swansea City 1-1Fulham (R5)
•Derby County 1-4Manchester United (R5)
•Middlesbrough 2-0West Ham United (R5 Replay)
•Coventry City 0-2Chelsea (QF)
•Fulham 0-4Manchester United (QF)
•Manchester United 0-0Everton (SF)
The matches shown live onSetanta Sports were:
•Leeds United 1-1Northampton Town (R1)
•AFC Wimbledon 1-4Wycombe Wanderers (R1)
•Tranmere Rovers 1-0Accrington Stanley (R1 Replay)
•Northampton Town 2-5Leeds United (R1 Replay)
•AFC Bournemouth 0-0Blyth Spartans (R2)
•Kettering Town 2-1Notts County (R2 Replay)
•Blyth Spartans 1-0AFC Bournemouth (R2 Replay)
•Tottenham Hotspur 3-1Wigan Athletic (R3)
•Southampton 0-3Manchester United (R3)
•Blyth Spartans 0-1Blackburn Rovers (R3)
•Bristol City 0-2Portsmouth (R3 Replay)
•Derby County 1-1Nottingham Forest (R4)
•Cardiff City 0-0Arsenal (R4)
•Arsenal 4-0Cardiff City (R4 Replay)
•Everton 3-1Aston Villa (R5)
•Hull City 2-1Sheffield United (R5 Replay)
•Everton 2-1Middlesbrough (QF)
International broadcasters
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Belgium | Prime |
 Canada | Setanta Sports |
| France | France Télévisions |
 Italy | SKY Italia |
