Manchester United vs Arsenal, Leeds stunned and a Liverpool thriller – greatest FA Cup finals ever

It should have been the FA Cup final today, with Wembley resplendent in rays of sunshine. Two teams ready to battle for the glorious moment of triumph, lifting the magnificent trophy in front of their adoring supporters and millions watching from home. Manchester City won the FA Cup last season by thrashing Watford in the final at Wembley Sadly, the FA Cup, is delayed for now, due to the coronavirus pandemic but its time will come again. Instead we can remember the good old days, the late winners, the moments of mesmeric skills, and the sensational saves across the years which sealed victory. It’s not just English eyes which have been captivated either. It’s the most famous cup competition in world football. Many foreign stars reach these shores dreaming they can one day lift the trophy. There have been some classic encounters over the years too and talkSPORT.com have taken a look back at some of the greatest finals ever. DAS FOOT Coman returns and Gnabry misses out – How Bayern should line-up against Frankfurt predicted Sancho to start this time? How BVB could line up against Wolfsburg on Saturday bitter Wenger asked for FA to ban throw-ins due to Arsenal’s dismal record against Stoke TOON BOON Newcastle job would ‘excite’ Pochettino as boss says he wants Premier League job PL bound Chelsea target Coutinho ‘will leave’ Bayern this summer: ‘He’s not been that good’ ‘priority’ Mauricio Pochettino drops hint about future amid links with Newcastle job for the culture Forest’s story, Wales’ journey… what to expect on Jonny Owen and Friends happy Pochettino breaks silence on Mourinho’s Spurs appointment and makes surprising claim listen Bayern vs Frankfurt live: Bundesliga leaders resume title charge on talkSPORT 2 game on Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund live on talkSPORT: Sancho, Haaland and co. in action Leeds United 0-1 Sunderland, 1973 We start with one of the biggest cup upsets of all time, from 1973. Lowly Sunderland from Division Two went up against the holders Leeds United in a proverbial ‘David v Goliath’ battle. The Black Cats emerged victorious, however, as Ian Porterfield scored the only goal of the game to secure a famous win. Ian Porterfield scores for Sunderland against Leeds Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers, 1953 Even though Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick, it was teammate Stanley Matthews who took all the accolades from this final – even having it named after him. The silky winger was unplayable as the Seasiders overturned a 3-1 deficit to clinch glory. Stanley Matthews gets his FA Cup winners’ medal from the Queen in 1953 Manchester United 2-3 Arsenal, 1979 This highlights clip for this final would have been really easy to create, as the best of the action happened within five minutes! Arsenal were 2-0 and cruising until Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy scored in the 86th and 88th minutes respectively to level the scores. Despite the momentum seemingly with the Red Devils, Alan Sunderland netted a terrific header in the dying embers of the game to send the cup back to north London. Arsenal’s Alan Sunderland gets to the ball before United defender Arthur Albiston to win the FA Cup Coventry City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur, 1987 Although Tottenham were favourites heading into this game, Coventry found themselves level with the Lilywhites at 2-2 thanks to one of the greatest FA Cup goals ever – Keith Houchen’s diving header. After five minutes of added time, an unfortunate deflection off Gary Mabbutt’s knee gave the Sky Blues the famous trophy. Coventry star Keith Houchen scores his magical diving header past Ray Clemence Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool, 2001 If it was a game of FIFA, you would have thrown your controller at the screen. The Gunners were dominating and took the lead with 18 minutes to go thanks to Freddie Ljungberg’s goal. But Michael Owen had other plans and used his pace and clinical finishing ability to strike two crushing blows in the final ten minutes to win it for Liverpool and leave the watching Cardiff crowd stunned. Michael Owen celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Arsenal in 2001 Liverpool 3-3 West Ham United (AET), 2006 Liverpool win 3-1 on penalties  The game that had it all, with more ups and downs than a roller coaster and some of the most incredible goals the competition has ever seen. West Ham flew out of the blocks and took a 2-0 lead. But Alan Pardew’s men were soon pegged back by the Reds and the game was finely poised. Paul Konchesky’s looping cross somehow found its way past Pepe Reina, and the cup seemed to be heading to east London for the first time since 1980. But Steven Gerrard wasn’t giving up and lamped home from long range. It went to penalties and the Reds came out victors. Liverpool players celebrate Steven Gerrard’s wonderstrike,
TalkSport