1996 FA Cup Final

Event

1995–96 FA Cup

Liverpool	Manchester United

0	1

Date

11 May 1996

Venue

Wembley Stadium, London

Man of the Match

Roy Keane (Manchester United)

Referee

Dermot Gallagher (Oxfordshire)

Attendance

79,007

The 1996 FA Cup Final was the 51st to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War and was held between two of the biggest rivals in English football, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Build-up

A few days before the final, Manchester United had secured their third league title in four years (1992–93, 1993–94 and 1995–96, coming second in 1994–95). The final was also their third in three seasons, having beaten Chelsea 4–0 in 1994 and lost 1–0 to Everton in 1995.

Liverpool, on the other hand, were going through a barren spell in terms of trophies, having not won the league title since 1989–90 or an FA Cup since 1992, although they had tasted success in the League Cup in 1995.

Liverpool and Manchester United were the two top scoring sides in the FA Premier League in this season, and entered the game as the most attacking sides in English football, with Liverpool winning their last meeting 2–0 at Anfield, and United equalising at Old Trafford to get a 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture, with Robbie Fowler scoring all four of Liverpool's goals against United in both meetings.

Match summary

The match, despite the rivalry between the two teams, was a fairly unmemorable game, rarely sparking into life, with playmakers Eric Cantona and Steve McManaman, marked and closed out by Jamie Redknapp and John Barnes and Roy Keane and Nicky Butt respectively. Keane went on to stop virtually every attack the Liverpool midfield threw at United, and covering as commentator Peter Brackley described, "every blade of grass", to win the man of the match award.

The game started with a frenetic pace and Manchester United started with several positive chances before Liverpool came back into the game, but chances at either end were limited. Neither goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel for United and David James for Liverpool, was seriously tested throughout the majority of the game. However, with just five minutes remaining on the clock, David James tried to punch a corner clear. The ball landed just outside the penalty area, at the feet of United captain Eric Cantona, who had scored in his comeback game after a seven-month suspension at Old Trafford against Liverpool earlier that season in a game that ended 2–2. Cantona hit his shot goalwards, through the crowded penalty area and the ball nestled in the back of the goal, winning the game for United. Cantona had been marked out of the game, but true to his form all season, popped up with yet another magical moment.

Result

The win was United's third FA Cup win under Alex Ferguson, having also won in 1990 and 1994. They became the first club to win the competition nine times, and also became the first club to win the league championship and FA Cup double on two occasions.

Two notable absences from the Manchester United side were the club's two longest serving players Steve Bruce and Brian McClair, who were dropped in favour of younger players and missed out on a chance to add to their impressive list of honours at the club. Bruce never played for United again, as he was transferred to Birmingham City 11 days later, while McClair remained at the club for a further two seasons and added another league title to his personal honours.

Match details

Liverpool v Manchester United

11 May 1996
15:00 BST

Liverpool	0–1	Manchester United
	Report	Cantona 85'

Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 79,007
Referee: Dermot Gallagher (Oxfordshire)

Liverpool

Manchester United


GK	1	David James
CB	12	John Scales
CB	5	Mark Wright
CB	6	Phil Babb	60'
RWB	4	Jason McAteer
LWB	2	Rob Jones		86'
CM	15	Jamie Redknapp	40'
CM	10	John Barnes (c)
AM	17	Steve McManaman
CF	23	Robbie Fowler
CF	8	Stan Collymore		74'
Substitutes:
GK	26	Tony Warner
MF	16	Michael Thomas		86'
FW	9	Ian Rush		74'
Manager:
Roy Evans


GK	1	Peter Schmeichel
RB	3	Denis Irwin
CB	6	Gary Pallister
CB	12	David May
LB	23	Phil Neville	69'
RM	24	David Beckham		90'
CM	16	Roy Keane
CM	19	Nicky Butt
LM	11	Ryan Giggs
SS	7	Eric Cantona (c)
CF	17	Andy Cole		64'
Substitutes:
DF	20	Gary Neville		90'
MF	5	Lee Sharpe
FW	22	Paul Scholes		64'
Manager:
Alex Ferguson

Match officials

Assistant referees:
- Anthony Bates (Staffordshire)
- Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Fourth official: Paul Durkin (Dorset)

Man of the match

Roy Keane (Manchester United)

Match rules

90 minutes
30 minutes of extra time if necessary
Replay required if scores still level, to be played at 19:30 on 16 May 1996
Three named substitutes
Maximum of two substitutions

Post-match

For Liverpool, the match was perhaps most notable for being the final appearance of goalscoring legend Ian Rush, who had scored 346 goals for the club since joining them in 1980 (sandwiched by a one-season spell at Juventus in the late 1980s) and left at the end of the season to sign for Leeds United.^[1]

The only Manchester United player whose involvement with the club ended with this game was unused substitute Lee Sharpe, who joined Rush at Leeds United just before the 1996–97 season began, after eight years at Old Trafford.

The match was also notable for a non-football reason, having been picked up by the British tabloids for its pre-match formalities because the Liverpool team turned up in Emporio Armani cream-coloured suits, outlandish, striped ties, and white Gucci shoes, causing much press conjecture to follow regarding the side's "Spice Boys" image, which began shortly after Liverpool were defeated in this game.^[2]

References

External links

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