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 Thematch programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 1993–94 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 14 May 1994 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Referee | David Elleray (London) | ||||||
| Attendance | 79,634 | ||||||
| Weather | Rain | ||||||
←1993 1995 → | |||||||
The1994 FA Cup final was anassociation football match that took place on 14 May 1994 atWembley Stadium inLondon to determine the winner of the1993–94 FA Cup. It was contested betweenChelsea andManchester United. Four goals in the second half fromEric Cantona (who scored twice),Mark Hughes andBrian McClair gave Manchester United their eighthFA Cup title.
It was the 49th FA Cup final to be held since theSecond World War. Manchester United went into the final asPremier League champions, having won the title by eight points overBlackburn Rovers. They were bidding to become only the fourth team of the 20th century to complete "the Double" and the first in their own history. Chelsea, on the other hand, were playing in their first FA Cup final since1970 and first major final since the1972 Football League Cup final; they also finished 14th in the Premier League.
Results of all1993–94 FA Cup matches:[1]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Barnet (A) | 0–0 |
| 3rd (r) | Barnet (H) | 4–0 |
| 4th | Sheffield Wednesday (H) | 1–1 |
| 4th (r) | Sheffield Wednesday (A) | 3–1 |
| 5th | Oxford United (A) | 2–1 |
| QF | Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) | 1–0 |
| SF | Luton Town (N) | 2–0 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) =Neutral venue; r = Replay. | ||
Chelsea entered the competition in the third round as a Premier League side.[2] Chelsea's cup run started with an away tie againstBarnet which was played atStamford Bridge instead ofUnderhill. The Second Division side held Chelsea to a 0–0 draw. The replay saw Chelsea prevail 4–0 thanks to goals byCraig Burley,Gavin Peacock,Neil Shipperley andMark Stein. In the fourth round, Chelsea were drawn at home toPremier League sideSheffield Wednesday. A 1–1 draw at home thanks to a goal by Gavin Peacock set up a replay atHillsborough. The replay was won 3–1 thanks to goals byJohn Spencer, Craig Burley and Gavin Peacock. In the fifth round, the Blues were drawn away toOxford United of the First Division. Chelsea won 2–1 atManor Ground with goals from John Spencer and Craig Burley, sending Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the competition. Oxford'sMike Ford also missed a late penalty as Chelsea hung on to progress to the next round.[3] In the quarter-finals, Chelsea narrowly won 1–0 against First DivisionWolverhampton Wanderers.[4] The semi-final which was held at the Old Wembley was played against First DivisionLuton Town. Two goals by Gavin Peacock sealed Chelsea's place in the 1994 FA Cup Final. This would be Chelsea's first appearance in an FA Cup Final in 24 years.[5]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Sheffield United (A) | 1–0 |
| 4th | Norwich City (A) | 2–0 |
| 5th | Wimbledon (A) | 3–0 |
| QF | Charlton Athletic (H) | 3–1 |
| SF | Oldham Athletic (N) | 1–1 |
| SF (r) | Oldham Athletic (N) | 4–1 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) =Neutral venue. | ||
Also as a Premier League side, Manchester United entered the FA Cup in the third round of the competition.[2] United started their run atBramall Lane against Premier LeagueSheffield United.[6] A second half goal byMark Hughes sealed a 1–0 win. In the fourth round, United won 2–0 atCarrow Road with goals fromRoy Keane andEric Cantona either side of half time.[6] In the fifth round, Manchester United were drawn at Premier League sideWimbledon.[6] Three goals from Cantona,Paul Ince andDenis Irwin confirmed the Red Devils' place in the quarter-finals. Manchester United won 3–1 against First DivisionCharlton Athletic with a goal from Mark Hughes and a brace byAndrei Kanchelskis.[7] In the semi-final at Wembley, United met relegation-threatenedOldham Athletic (a repeat of the 1990 FA Cup semi-final).[6][7] After a goalless draw, the Latics took the lead in extra time thanks toNeil Pointon. A 119th minute goal by Mark Hughes forced a replay atMaine Road.[7] In the replay, United won 4–1 thanks to goals by Irwin, Kanchelskis,Robson andGiggs.[7] This set up a first FA Cup Final for Manchester United since the1990 match againstCrystal Palace.
The match took place on a rainy May afternoon, and, in the first half, Chelsea were considered the better team.[8] Gavin Peacock had the best chance of the opening 45 minutes when his half-volley hit the crossbar in the 25th minute.[8]
In the second half, Manchester United took control of the match with three goals in the space of nine minutes, with the first two goals coming from the penalty spot. The first penalty came after a poor challenge byEddie Newton on Denis Irwin with Eric Cantona scoring the subsequent penalty in the bottom right corner, sendingDmitri Kharine the wrong way. The second penalty was considered more controversial afterSinclair had barged Andrei Kanchelskis. Cantona stepped up to take the penalty, opting for the same corner as the first penalty and again sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Mark Hughes wrapped up the match for the Red Devils with a low finish to the bottom left corner after a slip by Sinclair.[8] A fourth goal was scored in the second minute of stoppage time when Mark Hughes played a through ball to Paul Ince to leave him one on one with the goalkeeper. After going around Kharine in the Chelsea goal, Ince squared the ball forBrian McClair to tap the ball into an empty net.[8]
         Chelsea |   Manchester United |
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| Match rules
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By winning the final, Manchester United became only the fourth team in the 20th century to win both a League title and FA Cup in the same season.[8] The victory sealed a joint record eighth FA Cup victory for Manchester United, pulling level withTottenham Hotspur in the all-time rankings.[8]
RefereeDavid Elleray has since stated that he regrets giving the second penalty to Manchester United, stating "It was my big game and I made a disappointing decision."[9] Elleray explained post-match that he had a better view of Sinclair's challenge than the linesman.[8]
Chelsea, despite losing their first FA Cup Final since they won the trophy 24 years earlier, qualified for the1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup as United had also won the Premier League title and would be competing in theUEFA Champions League.[8] As a result of the League and cup victory for the Red Devils, Manchester United qualified for the1994 FA Charity Shield. United faced the runners-up of the1993–94 Premier League seasonBlackburn Rovers. Goals by Eric Cantona and Paul Ince saw United win the match 2–0.[10]
