1988 FA Cup final

The 1988 FA Cup final was the 107th final of the FA Cup. It took place on Saturday 14 May 1988 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Wimbledon and Liverpool, the dominant English club side of the 1980s and newly crowned league champions.

In one of the biggest shocks in the entire history of the competition, Lawrie Sanchez's solitary goal of the game ensured Wimbledon's 1–0 victory over Liverpool, and won them their only FA Cup in their history; they had just completed their second season in the First Division and had only been in the Football League for 11 years. The final also featured the first ever penalty save in an FA Cup final, by Dave Beasant from John Aldridge. Beasant is often mistakenly believed to have been the first goalkeeper to captain a winning side in an FA Cup Final but this honour falls to Major William Merriman of the Royal Engineers who captained his side to victory in 1875.

It was the last FA Cup final to be broadcast live simultaneously by both the BBC and ITV until 2022 - this happened at every final since 1958. Wimbledon's victory ended Liverpool's bid to become the first team to win the Double twice, a feat that was eventually achieved by rivals Manchester United in 1996. The game was the last that former England international Laurie Cunningham would play in England, before his death in Spain in 1989.

Road to Wembley

Liverpool RoundOppositionScore3rd ReplayStoke City (A) Stoke City (H)0–0 1–04thAston Villa (A)0–25thEverton (A)0–1QFManchester City (A)0–4SFNottingham Forest (N)2–1Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue.

Wimbledon RoundOppositionScore3rdWest Bromwich Albion (H)4–14thMansfield Town (A)1–25thNewcastle United (A)1–3QFWatford (H)2–1SFLuton Town (N)2–1Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue.

Build-up Liverpool was once again crowned champion of the First Division.They were the giants of English football during the 1980s. Wimbledon finished seventh in the First Division that season, only their second year in the top tier. Liverpool, with a team full of international star players, were favoured to win the FA Cup by experts, as they had secured their 17th league title by playing in an exciting and flamboyant style. Whereas Wimbledon, which had been playing in the semi-professional Southern Football League just eleven years earlier, were dismissed by many as being technically limited, relying primarily on their strength. They were thought to have almost no chance of beating their more prestigious opponents.

Match summary Wimbledon took the lead in the 37th minute, when Lawrie Sanchez's looping header from six yards out, from a Dennis Wise free kick on the left, went across goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar and into the right of the net. Liverpool created a host of chances, including a chipped goal over the goalkeeper by Peter Beardsley in the first half which was disallowed as the referee had already awarded a free kick to Liverpool, but were unable to find a way past Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant. The Merseysiders were awarded a penalty on the hour mark following a foul by Clive Goodyear on John Aldridge. However, Aldridge's penalty was saved by Beasant's diving save to his left, thus Beasant became the first keeper to save a penalty in a Wembley FA Cup final. The Londoners survived more pressure from Liverpool to secure their only major trophy and a notable upset in FA Cup Final history. Captain Beasant became the second goalkeeper to lift the FA Cup as a result (Royal Engineers goalkeeper and captain Major William Merriman lifted the Cup in 1875). After the final whistle John Motson, who was commentating for the BBC, delivered his famous line: "The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club."

Europe Although they had won the Cup, Wimbledon were prevented from competing in the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season due to the ongoing ban on all English teams from European competitions following the Heysel disaster in 1985. At the time of the final, it was hoped that the ban would be rescinded, but after a number of violent incidents involving English fans during the 1988 European Championships, the FA withdrew their application for readmission.

Match details

GK 1 Bruce GrobbelaarCB 2 Gary GillespieCB 3 Gary AblettCB 6 Alan Hansen (c)DM 5 Nigel Spackman RM 4 Steve NicolCM 9 Ray HoughtonCM 11 Steve McMahonLM 10 John BarnesCF 8 John Aldridge CF 7 Peter BeardsleySubstitutes:MF 12 Craig Johnston MF 14 Jan Mølby Manager: Kenny Dalglish GK 1 Dave Beasant (c)RB 2 Clive GoodyearCB 5 Eric YoungCB 6 Andy ThornLB 3 Terry PhelanCM 10 Lawrie SanchezCM 4 Vinnie JonesCM 11 Dennis WiseRF 8 Alan Cork CF 9 John FashanuLF 7 Terry Gibson Substitutes:DF 12 John Scales MF 14 Laurie Cunningham Manager: Bobby Gould Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary Replay if scores still level Two named substitutes Maximum of two substitutions

1988 FA Cup final

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