
Parlour? Villa? Gerrard? Ranking best FA Cup final goals
Parlour? Villa? Gerrard? Ranking best FA Cup final goalsByAlex BysouthBBC Sport Senior JournalistPublished18 minutes agoThere's something magical about those seconds before the FA Cup final kicks off. Trumpets and...
South Korea vs Czechia — KG Var/Yok (Dünya Kupası 🏆)
Breaking news from the world of sport: Ranking best FA Cup final goalsByAlex BysouthBBC Sport Senior JournalistPublished18 minutes agoThere's something magical about those seconds before the FA Cup final kicks off. Trumpets and tin-foil trophies, players as tense as the travelling fans, gaffers pacing the dugout in full club suits. The anticipation of a new hero emerging.
Everyone has an era in which they can reel off the details of every final - those childhood-turned-teenage years when the kits, colours, goalscorers and captains traipsing Wembley's steep steps are etched in the memory. Don't ask me what happened a couple of years ago... but Paul Rideout in '95?
Match Details
Eric Cantona against Liverpool? All there in vivid detail. Some goals, though, are written in FA Cup folklore, rolled out for every cup final montage - they're the belters, the moments of individual magic, the strikes that sealed shock wins.
I've attempted to rank the top 10 below. Image source, Getty Images10. Youri Tielemans - Leicester v Chelsea 2021The real Leicester City miracle was winning a 5,000-1 shot Premier League title five years earlier, but clinching a first FA Cup in 2021 was almost as special.
And it was sealed with an absolute rasper. Youri Tielemans received a pass inside the Chelsea half, took two touches to shift it out of his feet before angling a bullet-like drive into Kepa Arrizabalaga's top corner. Covid restrictions meant only 20,000 were at Wembley to witness it but, as they head into League One five years on, Foxes fans will hold on to those fond cup-winning memories.
Reactions and Expectations
Image source, Getty Images9. Ben Watson - Wigan v Man City 2013This isn't as technically satisfying as many of the efforts on the list, although a well-executed set-piece is not to be sniffed at, but not many goals come close to producing as big a shock as Wigan Athletic's win over Manchester City in 2013. That the winner came in the 91st minute only added to the drama, Ben Watson rising like an Atlantic salmon to meet Shaun Maloney's corner at the front post and flick a looping header into the far corner against a City side who had won their first Premier League title the year before.
Wigan fans were back in London three days later, this time to watch their side get relegated from the Premier League after a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal. Image source, Getty Images8. Charlie George - Arsenal v Liverpool 1971The celebration is iconic.
Charlie George donned in yellow, laying down on his back, arms outstretched, lifting his head and scruffily sideburned cheeks before he is mobbed by Arsenal team-mates after scoring the winner against Liverpool deep into extra time. You can almost sense the burning quads and cramping calf muscles through the grainy footage as George plays a one-two before lashing a strike beyond Ray Clemence from the edge of the box to seal Arsenal a league and cup double. "As soon as it left my foot, I knew it was a goal," said the maverick Gunners forward.
The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.





