 The match took place atWembley Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 2021–22 FA Cup | ||||||
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| Afterextra time Liverpool won 6–5 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 14 May 2022 (2022-05-14) | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Luis Díaz (Liverpool)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Craig Pawson(Sheffield & Hallamshire)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 84,897 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||||
←2021 2023 → | |||||||
The2022 FA Cup final was anassociation football match played atWembley Stadium in London, England, on 14 May 2022.[3]Chelsea andLiverpool were the finalists, the same as in the2022 EFL Cup final earlier in the season. This was the first time that the same pair of teams met in both the EFL Cup and FA Cup finals of the same season sinceArsenal andSheffield Wednesday in 1993.[4] Organised bythe Football Association (FA), it was the141st final of theFootball Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) and the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition. The match also marked 150 years since thefirst FA Cup Final was played in 1872. The match was televised live in the United Kingdom on free-to-air channelsBBC One andITV (the first time since1988 that both channels have simultaneously broadcast an FA Cup Final). In the UK, live radio coverage was provided byBBC Radio 5 Live andTalksport.
Liverpool won the trophy on penalties after the game remained goalless after extra time; it was the first final to finish goalless since 2005 and the first to go to penalties since Liverpool's previous victory in2006 and the first FA Cup final held atWembley to be decided by spot-kicks. Liverpool managerJürgen Klopp became the first German-born manager to win the FA Cup.[5] Chelsea set a record by losing a third consecutive final, after defeats to Arsenal andLeicester City in the2020 and2021 finals, respectively.[6]
As current title holders, Liverpool qualified for theUEFA Champions League tournament by their position in the2021–22 Premier League, the2022–23 UEFA Europa League position went to the sixth-placed Premier League team,Manchester United.[7]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Chesterfield (H) | 5–1 |
| 4th | Plymouth Argyle (H) | 2–1 |
| 5th | Luton Town (A) | 3–2 |
| QF | Middlesbrough (A) | 2–0 |
| SF | Crystal Palace (N) | 2–0 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) =Neutral venue | ||
As aPremier League team, Chelsea entered the tournament in the third round and had the home advantage when they defeated Chesterfield 5–1 atStamford Bridge.[8] They had home advantage again when they facedPlymouth Argyle in the fourth round, but this was harder work, as they were held to a 1–1 draw in 90 minutes beforeCésar Azpilicueta scored the winner in extra time.[9] In the fifth round away to Luton Town atKenilworth Road, the home side took the lead twice in the first half, but goals fromTimo Werner andRomelu Lukaku after the break put Chelsea through.[10]
They had to travel again for the sixth round againstMiddlesbrough at theRiverside Stadium, where goals from Lukaku andHakim Ziyech were enough to put them through to the semi-finals.[11] Against Crystal Palace at Wembley, Chelsea scored twice in the second half to give them a 2–0 win and a third straight FA Cup final, their fifth in six seasons.[12]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Shrewsbury Town (H) | 4–1 |
| 4th | Cardiff City (H) | 3–1 |
| 5th | Norwich City (H) | 2–1 |
| QF | Nottingham Forest (A) | 1–0 |
| SF | Manchester City (N) | 3–2 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) =Neutral venue | ||
Liverpool also entered the tournament in the third round, as one of the 20 Premier League teams. They were drawn against Shrewsbury Town atAnfield, and despite going 1–0 down, they came back to win 4–1.[13] They made it through their fourth round tie at home to Cardiff City more comfortably, going 3–0 up before a late consolation for the visitors made it 3–1.[14] A first-half brace fromTakumi Minamino gave them a 2–1 win at home to Norwich City in the fifth round, holding off a second-half comeback.[15] The sixth round gave them their first away draw of the competition, a trip to face Nottingham Forest at theCity Ground, butDiogo Jota's 78th-minute goal was enough to see them through to the semi-finals.[16] At Wembley, they took a 3–0 first-half lead against Manchester City, thanks to Konaté and a brace from Mané; Jack Grealish pulled one back for City early in the second half, but the only other goal came fromBernardo Silva in injury time, and Liverpool held on to win 3–2 and reach their first FA Cup final in 10 years.[17]
This was the sides' second meeting in an FA Cup final, having met in2012, when Chelsea won 2–1. They also met in four other title-deciding matches; the2005 and2022 League Cup finals, the2006 FA Community Shield, and the2019 UEFA Super Cup; Chelsea won the 2005 meeting and Liverpool won the other three.[citation needed] The two teams had met earlier in the season, in the 2022 EFL Cup Final, with Liverpool winning onpenalties, with both matches between the teams in the2021–22 Premier League ending in draws, 1–1 at Anfield and 2–2 at Stamford Bridge. This was the first time that the same pair of teams met in both the EFL Cup Final and the FA Cup Final of the same season sinceArsenal andSheffield Wednesday in 1993.[4]
In the 8th minute,Trent Alexander-Arnold passed into the path ofLuis Díaz who ran in on goal and shot low from the left which was saved byÉdouard Mendy and eventually cleared. In the 23rd minute,Christian Pulisic shot past the left post for Chelsea after a low cross from the right.[18]
Chelsea had another chance in the 27th minute withAlisson getting down to block a shot from the left byMarcos Alonso. In the 47th minute, Alisson again got down to his right to save a shot from Pulisic. A minute later Marcos Alonso hit a free-kick from the right against the back left post. In the 83rd minute, Luis Díaz shot from the right of the penalty area which went wide off the outside of the right past. A minute laterAndy Robertson hit a shot against the left post from close range after a cross from the right byJames Milner. Luis Díaz curled another shot just past the right post in the 90th minute.[19]
After no goals in extra time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. The shoot-out took place at the east end of the stadium. César Azpilicueta hit the post with Chelsea's second penalty, which mean after four successful penalties by Liverpool,Sadio Mané had the chance to win the shoot-out; however, his penalty was saved by hisSenegal international teammate Mendy down low to his left, forcing sudden death. AfterHakim Ziyech andDiogo Jota dispatched their penalties, Alisson saved down to his left fromMason Mount, allowingKostas Tsimikas to win it for Liverpool, sending Mendy the wrong way and shooting it low into the left corner.[20]
         Chelsea |      Liverpool |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[21]
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