 | This article includes alist of references,related reading, orexternal links,but its sources remain unclear because it lacksinline citations. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Liverpool |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Manchester United (7th title) |
| Runners-up | Crystal Palace |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer | Ian Rush (6) |
The1989–90 FA Cup was the 109th season of the world's oldestfootball knockout competition,The Football Association Challenge Cup, orFA Cup for short. The competition started in September 1989 with the Preliminary Round and continued through to the Final Replay in May 1990 in whichManchester United defeatedCrystal Palace.
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 wereNorthwich Victoria,Billingham Synthonia,Whitley Bay,Marine,Tow Law Town,Darlington,Congleton Town,Bishop Auckland,Stafford Rangers,Redditch United,Halesowen Town,Kidderminster Harriers,Welling United,Slough Town,Farnborough Town,Dartford,Matlock Town,Barnet,Aylesbury United,Bromsgrove Rovers,Merthyr Tydfil,Dorchester Town,Hayes,Basingstoke Town,Gloucester City,Woking,Yeovil Town andBath City.
Appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Whitley Bay and Congleton Town. Of the others, Dorchester Town had last featured at this stage in1981–82, Matlock Town had last done so in1976-77, Marine had last done so in1975-76, Redditch United and Basingstoke Town had last done so in1971-72 and Gloucester City had not done so since1950-51.
Meanwhile, Darlington matched the achievements of Lincoln City two seasons previously in winning promotion back to the Football League at the first attempt after being relegated to the Football Conference. The Quakers managed to hold off a challenge from Barnet to take the Conference championship, and advanced to the third round of the FA Cup where Fourth DivisionCambridge United needed a replay to end their run.
The 48 teams from theFootball League Third andFourth Divisions entered in this round along with the 28 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds andTelford United,Macclesfield Town,Kettering Town andSutton United who were given byes. The first round of games was played over the weekend 17–19 November 1989, with a first round of replays being played on the 21st–22nd. The Bristol Rovers–Reading match went to a second replay, on the 27th. Billingham Synthonia and Tow Law Town, from theNorthern League at Step 8 of English football, were the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
The second round of games was played on 9 December 1989, with the first round of replays being played on the 12th–13th. Two games went to second replays and one of these went to a third replay. The round featured two teams from Step 7 of the English football system: Whitley Bay from theNorthern Premier League First Division, and Woking from theIsthmian League First Division.
Teams from theFootball League First andSecond Division entered in this round. The third round of games in the FA Cup was played over the weekend 6–7 January 1990, with the first set of replays being played on the 9th–10th. Two games went to second replays, which were completed during the following week. Whitley Bay (Step 7) was again the lowest-ranked team in the draw, and they and Darlington were the last non-league clubs left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool (3) | 1–0 | Burnley (4) | 6 January 1990 |
| 2 | Bristol City (3) | 2–1 | Swindon Town (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 3 | Rochdale (4) | 1–0 | Whitley Bay (7) | 6 January 1990 |
| 4 | Watford (2) | 2–0 | Wigan Athletic (3) | 6 January 1990 |
| 5 | Reading (3) | 2–1 | Sunderland (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 6 | Leicester City (2) | 1–2 | Barnsley (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest (1) | 0–1 | Manchester United (1) | 7 January 1990 |
| 8 | Blackburn Rovers (2) | 2–2 | Aston Villa (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Aston Villa | 3–1 | Blackburn Rovers | 10 January 1990 |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough (2) | 0–0 | Everton (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | 10 January 1990 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | 17 January 1990 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 2–0 | Wimbledon (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| 12 | Sheffield United (2) | 2–0 | AFC Bournemouth (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 1–3 | Southampton (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| 14 | Manchester City (1) | 0–0 | Millwall (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Millwall | 1–1 | Manchester City | 9 January 1990 |
| Replay | Millwall | 3–1 | Manchester City | 15 January 1990 |
| 15 | Northampton Town (3) | 1–0 | Coventry City (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion (2) | 4–1 | Luton Town (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| 17 | Plymouth Argyle (2) | 0–1 | Oxford United (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 18 | Hull City (2) | 0–1 | Newcastle United (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 19 | Crystal Palace (1) | 2–1 | Portsmouth (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 20 | Chelsea (1) | 1–1 | Crewe Alexandra (3) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Crewe Alexandra | 0–2 | Chelsea | 10 January 1990 |
| 21 | Exeter City (4) | 1–1 | Norwich City (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Norwich City | 2–0 | Exeter City | 10 January 1990 |
| 22 | Huddersfield Town (3) | 3–1 | Grimsby Town (4) | 6 January 1990 |
| 23 | Cardiff City (3) | 0–0 | Queens Park Rangers (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 2–0 | Cardiff City | 10 January 1990 |
| 24 | Port Vale (2) | 1–1 | Derby County (1) | 7 January 1990 |
| Replay | Derby County | 2–3 | Port Vale | 10 January 1990 |
| 25 | Charlton Athletic (1) | 1–1 | Bradford City (2) | 7 January 1990 |
| Replay | Bradford City | 0–3 | Charlton Athletic | 10 January 1990 |
| 26 | Leeds United (2) | 0–1 | Ipswich Town (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 27 | Torquay United (4) | 1–0 | West Ham United (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| 28 | Hereford United (4) | 2–1 | Walsall (3) | 6 January 1990 |
| 29 | Stoke City (2) | 0–1 | Arsenal (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| 30 | Birmingham City (3) | 1–1 | Oldham Athletic (2) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Oldham Athletic | 1–0 | Birmingham City | 10 January 1990 |
| 31 | Cambridge United (4) | 0–0 | Darlington (5) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Darlington | 1–3 | Cambridge United | 9 January 1990 |
| 32 | Swansea City (3) | 0–0 | Liverpool (1) | 6 January 1990 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 8–0 | Swansea City | 9 January 1990 |
The fourth round of games was played over the weekend 27–28 January 1990, with replays being played on the 30th–31st. Fourth Division sides Rochdale, Torquay United, Hereford United and Cambridge United were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Torquay United | 27 January 1990 |
| 2 | Bristol City | 3–1 | Chelsea | 27 January 1990 |
| 3 | Rochdale | 3–0 | Northampton Town | 27 January 1990 |
| 4 | Southampton | 1–0 | Oxford United | 27 January 1990 |
| 5 | Reading | 3–3 | Newcastle United | 27 January 1990 |
| Replay | Newcastle United | 4–1 | Reading | 31 January 1990 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 6–0 | Port Vale | 27 January 1990 |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–2 | Everton | 28 January 1990 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–0 | Charlton Athletic | 27 January 1990 |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 1–1 | Watford | 27 January 1990 |
| Replay | Watford | 1–2 | Sheffield United | 30 January 1990 |
| 10 | Barnsley | 2–0 | Ipswich Town | 27 January 1990 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 0–0 | Liverpool | 28 January 1990 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 3–1 | Norwich City | 31 January 1990 |
| 12 | Millwall | 1–1 | Cambridge United | 27 January 1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 1–0 | Millwall | 30 January 1990 |
| 13 | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27 January 1990 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 4–0 | Huddersfield Town | 27 January 1990 |
| 15 | Arsenal | 0–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 27 January 1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 2–0 | Arsenal | 31 January 1990 |
| 16 | Hereford United | 0–1 | Manchester United | 28 January 1990 |
The fifth set of games was played over the weekend 17–18 February 1990, with a first round of replays being played on the 21st. Each of these finished in a draw, meaning a second round of replays had to be completed. Rochdale and Cambridge United were again the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 2–2 | Queens Park Rangers | 18 February 1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 0–0 | Blackpool | 21 February 1990 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 3–0 | Blackpool | 26 February 1990 |
| 2 | Bristol City | 0–0 | Cambridge United | 17 February 1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 1–1 | Bristol City | 21 February 1990 |
| Replay | Cambridge United | 5–1 | Bristol City | 27 February 1990 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3–0 | Southampton | 17 February 1990 |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 0–2 | Aston Villa | 17 February 1990 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 2–2 | Barnsley | 18 February 1990 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 0–0 | Sheffield United | 21 February 1990 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 0–1 | Sheffield United | 5 March 1990 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2–3 | Manchester United | 18 February 1990 |
| 7 | Oldham Athletic | 2–2 | Everton | 17 February 1990 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–1 | Oldham Athletic | 21 February 1990 |
| Replay | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Everton | 10 March 1990 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Rochdale | 17 February 1990 |
Most of the sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 10–11 March 1990, with the Oldham Athletic – Aston Villa game and the Liverpool – QPR replay being played on the 14th.
Alex Ferguson continued to defy the odds with a Manchester United side that was struggling in the league but performing wonders in the cup, as they defeated Sheffield United 1–0.
Liverpool built up their hopes of a unique seconddouble (which had eluded them in dramatic fashion during the previous two seasons) by beating QPR in a quarter-final replay.
Aston Villa's double hopes were ended when they crashed 3–0 to an Oldham Athletic team that hadn't played top-division football since 1923.
Cambridge United was the last club from the First Round left in the competition, but their hopes of becoming the first Fourth Division team to reach the FA Cup semi-finals were ended with a 1–0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, who moved closer to a first FA Cup final but were first faced with the task of overcoming a Liverpool side that had crushed them 9–0 in the league earlier in the season.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield United | 0–1 | Manchester United | 11 March 1990 |
| 2 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–2 | Liverpool | 11 March 1990 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 14 March 1990 |
| 3 | Oldham Athletic | 3–0 | Aston Villa | 14 March 1990 |
| 4 | Cambridge United | 0–1 | Crystal Palace | 10 March 1990 |
The semi-final matches were played on 8 April 1990.
Seven months after losing 9–0 to them in a league game,Crystal Palace found a 10-goal improvement to defeatLiverpool 4–3 and give them their first FA Cup final appearance as well as ending their opposition's hopes of a seconddouble – the third season running that Liverpool had suffered a late blow to their double hopes.
Oldham Athletic, a Second Division side, opened the scoring againstManchester United through Earl Barrett in a game that eventually ended 3–3, forcing a replay. United won the replay 2–1.
| Crystal Palace | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
Bright 46'O'Reilly 70'Gray 88'Pardew 109' | Report | Rush 14' McMahon 81'Barnes 83' (pen.) |
| Manchester United | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Oldham Athletic |
|---|---|---|
| Robson 29' Webb 72'Wallace 92' | Report | Barrett 5' Marshall 75'Palmer 113' |
| Oldham Athletic | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Ritchie 81' | Report | McClair 50' Robins 114' |
Crystal Palace, playing in their first FA Cup final, took on aManchester United side that already had six FA Cups to its name, and a thrilling game ended 3–3 with Palace taking the lead twice and United once before a late equaliser byMark Hughes (his second goal of the game) forced a replay.
| Manchester United | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Robson 35' Hughes 62',109' | O'Reilly 18' Wright 72',92' |
          Manchester United |    Crystal Palace |
Lee Martin, a 22-year-old defender who nearly did not play due toAlex Ferguson's doubts about his fitness, scored the winning goal asManchester United sealed their first major trophy in five years and their first under Ferguson's management, ending months of speculation that his job was at risk due to dismal league performances.
Crystal Palace were controversially denied a clear penalty by Allan Gunn, a referee from Brighton - who instead awarded a free-kick outside the penalty area.
Les Sealey played in goal for Manchester United, following Jim Leighton’s poor performance in the first match.
    Manchester United |    Crystal Palace |
For the second consecutive season in the United Kingdom, theBBC were the free to air broadcasters.[citation needed]
The matches shown live on the BBC were:Nottingham Forest vsManchester United (R3);Norwich City vsLiverpool (R4);Newcastle United vsManchester United (R5);Queens Park Rangers vsLiverpool (QF); bothCrystal Palace vsLiverpool andManchester United vsOldham Athletic (SF);Manchester United vsOldham Athletic (SF replay); andCrystal Palace vsManchester United in both the Final and its replay.
This was the first season to feature both semi-finals being televised live in full; they were shown on the same Sunday afternoon with anEastEnders omnibus edition scheduled in between, though this was altered when the Liverpool vs Crystal Palace match required extra time. The semi-final replay, shown on the following Wednesday evening, coincided withITV showing the First Division match between Arsenal and Aston Villa. This was the first occasion on whichBBC1 and ITV had shown different English club matches on the same evening. The cup replay kicked off at 19:45, with the league match kicking off twenty minutes later at 20:05, with the cup replay having to allow for the possibility of extra time, meaning viewers may have changed channels in time to see Aston Villa'sChris Price score the only goal.