The Greatest FA Cup Final Goals - The Top 10
Yesterday we brought you the first part of our Top 20 goals in the FA Cup Final over the last 50 years. There was some crackers there, from the likes of Louis Saha to Michael Owen, Stuart Pearce to Santi Cazorla, but which 10 do we think are worthy of our 10 Best FA Cup Final goals?
Counting down from 10 to the best strike in FA Cup Final history, according to Direct Soccer, we start with a great strike that sadly wasn't enough to win the Cup.
10. Steve MacKenzie - Manchester City (versus Tottenham Hotspur) - FA Cup Final (replay), 1981
Football did exist before the Premier League, and they even played replays in FA Cup finals. None has been better than the 1981 FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. City's Steve MacKenzie scored one of the best goals in Cup Final history with a volley from outside the box beating Spurs goalie Milija Aleksic after 11 minutes to equalise for City.
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9. Roberto di Matteo - Chelsea (versus Middlesbrough) - FA Cup Final, 1997
A famous goal in FA Cup Final history, Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo opened the scoring after just 42 seconds with a thunderous shot from 25 yards that beat Boro' keeper Ben Roberts to give the Blues the lead which they extended later on to win the Cup 2-0. Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit had the distinction of being the first non-British manager to lift the famous trophy.
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8. Jesse Lingard - Manchester United (versus Crystal Palace) - FA Cup Final, 2016
The King of the Dab, United's Jesse Lingard divides opinion among United fans. However there can be no disputing that he has an eye for goal and can score some great goals, including this one in last year's FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace to earn Louis van Gaal his only trophy during his spell in charge at Old Trafford. With the score locked at 1-1 in extra-time, a ball into the box from Antonio Valencia was half-cleared to Lingard who hit a first-time volley past Wayne Hennessey to win the cup for the Red Devils.
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7. Keith Houchen - Coventry City (versus Tottenham Hotspur) - FA Cup Final, 1987
How Coventry fans wish they could go back in time to 1987, following the club's relegation to League Two this season! Back then, the Sky Blues were a top team in the English First Division and John Sillett's team took on Spurs at Wembley in the 1987 Cup Final. A remarkable game saw Coventry edge it with a 3-2 win (sadly they were never given the chance to take part in the 87/88 Cup Winner's Cup due to English clubs being banned from European competition) which included a famous diving headed goal from Keith Houchen.
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6. Frank Lampard - Chelsea (versus Everton) - FA Cup Final, 2009
Lampard has a habit of scoring great goals from outside the box, which included this one to win the FA Cup for Chelsea in 2009. After Louis Saha gave Everton an early lead, Didier Drogba tied the game before Lampard won the game for the Londoners. A neat turn on the ball from about 30 yards out gave the England legend the space to place a precise shot past Tim Howard on the 72nd minute. From the Chelsea team that played in this final, only John Terry may possibly play at Wembley on Saturday.
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5. Alexis Sanchez - Arsenal (versus Aston Villa) - FA Cup Final, 2015
Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez has wowed the Premier League and the Emirates faithful since he arrived from Barcelona, and he scored one of his best goals in Arsenal colours in the 4-0 rout of Aston Villa during the FA Cup final in 2015. Picking the ball up in midfield and heading for the touchline, a quick turn gave Alexis room to move past a few Villa challenges before thundering in a shot off the underside of the bar past Shay Given.
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4. Norman Whiteside - Manchester United (versus Everton) - FA Cup Final, 1985
A memorable FA Cup Final. Everton were league champions and Cup Winner's Cup winners so were going for a treble and they looked to be sure of victory when United's Irish defender Kevin Moran earned notoriety for becoming the first man to be sent off in an FA Cup Final for a badly-timed tackle on Everton's Peter Reid. Ron Atkinson's United however were known for their ability to turn it on in cup play, and responded triumphantly thanks to a great goal in extra-time from Norman Whiteside who used Toffees defender Pat Van Den Hauwe as a screen to curl a shot from the corner of the box past Everton's Neville Southall and earn United a second FA Cup in 3 years.
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3. Ray Parlour - Arsenal (versus Chelsea) - FA Cup Final, 2002
The "Romford Pele" is an Arsenal legend, and he cemented his place in Gunners folklore with a brilliant goal in the 2002 Cup Final against Chelsea. Taking a pass from Sylvain Wiltord, Parlour advanced on the Chelsea goal and hit a beauty from 25 yards that Carlo Cudicini couldn't stop in the Chelsea net to hand Arsenal the lead.
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2. Ricky Villa - Tottenham Hotspur (versus Manchester City) - FA Cup Final (replay), 1981
One of the game's famous goals of all-time. Argentinian Ricky Villa joined Spurs in 1978 along with Ossie Ardiles following his nation's successful victory in the World Cup. With the 1981 Cup Final replay deadlocked at 2-2, Villa picked up the ball from a Tony Galvin pass and skipped past 4 defenders before slotting past City goalie Joe Corrigan to score what was rated as the best Wembley Goal of the Century in 2001. A great goal to win the Cup, but not enough to be our number 1...
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1. Steven Gerrard - Liverpool (versus West Ham United) - FA Cup Final, 2006
Our top FA Cup Final goal of all-time goes to a Liverpool legend. After inspiring the Reds to Champions League success in 2005, Gerrard again was instrumental in his side's success in the 2006 FA Cup Final against West Ham. The Hammers got off to a great start leading 2-0 before Djibril Cisse pulled a goal back before half-time. Stevie G then equalised for Liverpool in the 54th minute, but West Ham's Paul Konchesky (who moved to Liverpool later in his career) restored the London side's lead on 64 minutes. With time running out in added-on time, Gerrard took advantage of a poor clearance to hammer a shot in from 35 yards with a low half-volley to take the game to extra-time. The extra 3o minutes didn't produce a winner but Liverpool triumphed on penalty kicks, just as they did in Istanbul a year earlier, in what was to become known as the Gerrard Final.
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So there you have it, our top 20 goals over the last 50 years in the FA Cup Final. But who will win this Saturday's showpiece, Arsenal or Chelsea? Will one of the current players write their name into FA Cup history and score a top-class goal that will be remembered with joy, or angst, for years to come?
