Liverpool FC FA Cup Record

In spite of Liverpool’s long and illustrious history, which was filled with major silverware long before the 1970s and 1980s made the club the most successful in the land, the FA Cup was a trophy that they Reds struggled to win for some time.

Whilst modern football fans can take or leave the FA Cup, largely thanks to the manner in which the Football Association itself has repeatedly undervalued the competition, it used to be seen as nearly as important as the First Division title and was a trophy Bill Shankly set his sights on early on in his tenure. There were some near misses, but mainly the Reds struggled to get the trophy in the cabinet.

Lovely picture of the great Bill Shankly in the Anfield trophy room – standing proudly next to the FA Cup trophy won by #LFC for the first time in 1965. pic.twitter.com/9d7vet4ipS

— Carl Clemente (@clemente_carl) October 27, 2019

Not that those responsible for maintaining the cabinet are likely to have minded that much. There were six First Division titles, four Second Division trophies and a Charity Shield that they had to fit in already, to say nothing of the likes of the Lancashire League. Yet for the players and Shankly in particular, the FA Cup was an itch that they desperately wanted to scratch.

In the club’s more formative years, the Reds seemed to either get knocked out in the early rounds or else make it all the way to the semi-final, which happened in 1896-1897, 1898-1899 and 1905-1906, with the latter almost being a double winning season.

The league has always been the bread and butter for Liverpool, but winning some FA Cups and League Cups along the way has been a good way of being able to keep things ticking over when it seemed as though the title was out of our grasp. It is thanks to success in all competitions that the Reds are one of most successful English clubs ever.

Liverpool in the FA Cup

Taking a Closer Look at Liverpool’s FA Cup Wins

It took until the 1964-1965 season for Liverpool to get their first FA Cup in the Anfield trophy cabinet. Whilst it would be lovely to suggest that at that point the dam broke and the Reds couldn’t stop winning it, the truth is that FA Cup wins haven’t been as frequent for Liverpool as most other tournaments. In fact, in terms of major trophies, it is only the European Cup that the Reds have won fewer times and it is entirely fair to say that that is a much tougher competition to succeed in.

Here, then, is a closer look at the times that Liverpool have climbed the Wembley (or Cardiff) stairs in order to lift the FA Cup trophy:

1965 (Liverpool 2 Leeds United 1 After Extra-Time)

Liverpool had only made it to the FA Cup final on two occasions prior to the 1964-1965 campaign, so it is perhaps little wonder that Bill Shankly was all but obsessed with winning it. Both the Reds and their opposition in the final, Leeds United, had entered the competition in the third round, where Liverpool defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1. In the fourth round they had to take on Stockport County, with a 1-1 home draw suggesting that it might not be their year. A 2-0 away win put Shankly’s men into the fifth round, however, where a 1-0 away win over Bolton Wanderers was enough to secure a quarter-final berth.

That was against Leicester City, with a 0-0 draw initially being followed up with a 1-0 win at Anfield, which saw Liverpool up against Chelsea in the semi-final. That resulted in a 2-0 win and setup the final, which ended up being watched by 100,000 people. The match is perhaps best-known for the fact that Liverpool’s defender Gerry Byrne broke his collarbone early on but carried on playing as it was the age before substitutes. A 0-0 draw after 90 minutes saw the game go to extra-time and Leeds came from behind after a Roger Hunt goal for the Reds. Ian St John scored the winner in the 117th minute, handing Liverpool their first FA Cup.

1974 (Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 0)

Less than a decade later, Liverpool were once again climbing the Wembley steps in order to be handed the FA Cup trophy. This time, though, the final was a much less tense affair. The route to Wembley started in the third round with a win over Doncaster Rovers; albeit after a replay was needed. Another replay against Carlisle United in the fourth round setup a game against Ipswich Town in the fifth round, with a 2-0 win seeing Liverpool line up against Bristol City in the quarter-final. A 1-0 win there meant that it was Leicester City in the semi-final, which ended 0-0 at the first time of asking before a replay finished 3-1.

JUST A KID FROM KIRKBY. HERE'S WHAT HE WON.
7 League Titles:
1 FA Cup: 1973–74.
3 League Cups: 81 – 83,
6 Charity Shield's.
3 European Cups: 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81.
2 UEFA Cups: 1972–73, 1975–76.
1 Super Cup: 1977 #LFC #YNWA #LiverpoolFC #CaptainLaserhawk @Phil_Thompson4 pic.twitter.com/e1YEC1PXUm

— "YNWA" The Story of Liverpool FC (@LFCHistoryShow) March 16, 2024

It was Newcastle United that the Reds were up against in the final, which was an extremely emotional affair on account of the fact that it was to be Bill Shankly’s final game in charge. There were once again 100,000 people inside Wembley Stadium for the game, which was also televised. The BBC commentator, David Coleman, said that Newcastle’s defence had been ‘stripped naked’ by Liverpool, on account of the fact that the Reds notched up a 3-0 win. Two of the goals came from Kevin Keegan, whilst Steve Highway got the other one. It actually should’ve ended up 4-0, but Alec Lindsay had a goal incorrectly given as offside.

1986 (Liverpool 3 Everton 1)

The football world was in a state of shock as the 1985-1986 season got underway, with the Heysel Stadium disaster the year before resulting in English sides being banned from Europe. In some ways, therefore, Liverpool, whose fans had been largely responsible for the disaster, were not the most beloved of finalists. It was, though, a battle between the two best football teams in the country, with Liverpool having secured the title the year before by finishing ahead of Everton, who were also their opposition for the final. For Everton, it was their third FA Cup final in succession, having lost to Manchester United the year before.

Everton hopes soared when Gary Lineker put them ahead just before the half hour mark, meaning that they took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break. It wasn’t to be, however, with that scourge of Evertonians everywhere in the form of Ian Rush popped up and made it level after 56 minutes, then six minutes after that Craig Johnson gave Kenny Dalglish’s side the lead. It was Rush again who secured things, making it 3-1 with less than ten minutes left on the clock, ensuring that Liverpool completed the double in Dalglish’s first season in charge. The final was replayed in 2006, raising money for the Marina Dalglish Appeal.

1989 (Liverpool 3 Everton 2 After Extra-Time)

It was another all-Merseyside FA Cup three years later, but in decidedly more emotionally charged circumstances. Just a month before, 97 Liverpool supporters had lost their lives because of police negligence at Hillsborough Stadium, leaving the city absolutely devastated. Although the rivalry on the pitch with Everton has always been a strong one, off the pitch the Blues have always been great when it matters and they stood up to be counted when it felt like the reputation of the city itself was under attack. There was a minute’s silence before kick-off, with both sets of players wearing black armbands.

@liverpoolarchives

Liverpool & Everton fans react to the FA Cup final in 1989 #lfc #liverpool #liverpoolfc #efc #everton #facupfinal #footballtiktok #football #fyp #foryou #foryoupage

♬ original sound – Liverpool Archives

On the pitch it was a close affair, with extra-time being needed to separate the two sides thanks to a goal after just four minutes by John Aldridge being cancelled out by a Stuart McCall strike in second-half injury time. Ian Rush had been decidedly quiet given it was Everton he was up against, but a goal after 95 minutes gave Liverpool the lead before McCall struck again to level things. Just two minutes later, however, it was time for Rush to step up to the plate once more, finding the back of the net and ensuring that the Reds won 3-2. McCall had become the first substitute to score two goals in a final, with Rush equalling the record.

1992 (Liverpool 2 Sunderland 0)

It is fair to say that Graeme Souness’s Liverpool career can best be thought of in two parts: Souness the player and Souness the manager. The player is someone who is thought of by many as one of the best ever midfielders to play for the club, whilst the manager’s time will always and forever be marred by an interview that he did with the S*n newspaper, which appeared in print on the day of the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster. That came after Liverpool’s semi-final win over Portsmouth, with Souness recovering from heart surgery and speaking to the much-hated newspaper about the two events.

For many, it was seen as a sackable offence, but he kept his job and limped along in charge for another year or so. Although he picked the team and the tactics for the final against Sunderland, it was actually Ronnie Moran who took charge of the match in Souness’s absence. The Reds won 2-0 thanks to goals from Michael Thomas and Ian Rush (who else?), both of which came in the second-half. It was the youngest player on the pitch in Steve McManaman who stood out, being named the Man of the Match. When Liverpool captain Mark Wright lifted the trophy, the players were accidentally given the losers’ medals, with Sunderland getting the winners’ ones.

2001 (Liverpool 2 Arsenal 1)

In terms of Liverpool FA Cup finals, perhaps none of them have been as ‘smash and grab’ as the one that took place in 2001. The Reds had made it the final, which was being played at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium thanks to the fact that Wembley was being rebuilt, by defeating Rotherham United, Leeds United, Manchester City, Tranmere Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers on the way. Their opponents, Arsenal, were the dominant team for the majority of the game and it was only through some fortuitous defending, which the Video Assistant Referee might well have given a few penalties for, that Liverpool were still in the game.

@rfootball101

Arsenal vs Liverpool FA Cup Final 2001 #arsenal #liverpoolfc #liverpool #lfc #afc #facupfinal #uk #football

♬ original sound – rfootball101

The final saw Arsène Wenger and Gérard Houllier going up against one another, which was the first time that two managers from outside the British Isles had been in charge for the showpiece event. Wenger thought his side had won it when they took the lead in the 72nd minute, but a quick brace from Michael Owen, scoring in the 83rd and 88th minute, snatched the win away from them. For Liverpool, the win was part of a treble that also included wins over Birmingham City in the League Cup final and Alavés in the UEFA Cup final, allowing hundreds of thousands of supporters to line the streets of the city for the victory parade.

2006 (Liverpool 3 West Ham 3 – Liverpool win on Penalties)

A year before, Liverpool had been involved in the greatest European Cup final of all time when coming from 3-0 down in order to defeat AC Milan and lift the trophy for the fifth time, the first since the rebrand to the Champions League. The FA Cup final against West Ham United was supposed to be an easier one for the defending European champions to cope with, but it ended up being nearly as exciting. Rafael Benítez had got his feet under the table and begun to install some defensive solidity into his Liverpool side, but a Jamie Carragher own goal after 21 minutes put the Hammers in the driving seat at the Millennium Stadium.

One of Liverpool's greatest managers since their birth, Rafael Benítez turns 64 today. Rafa joined the Anfielders almost 20 years ago & went on to manage the Reds exactly 350 times over six seasons, adding the Champions League, European Super Cup & FA Cup to #LFC's trophy cabinet pic.twitter.com/bG11VDp952

— Carl Clemente (@clemente_carl) April 16, 2024

If Liverpool thought they were under the kosh at that point then it was confirmed seven minutes later when Dean Ashton doubled West Ham’s lead. Djibril Cissé got one back for the Reds just after the half hour mark, then Steven Gerrard made it level after 54 minutes. West Ham took the lead once more when future Liverpool player Paul Konchesky scored and it looked like that would be enough. Then, just as the added time was announced at the end of the second-half, Gerrard scored one of the best goals you’ll see in a final to take it to penalties, which Liverpool won 3-1 thanks to misses from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand.

2022 (Liverpool 0 Chelsea 0 – Liverpool win on Penalties)

The 2021-2022 season was the closest that any side had come to winning a quadruple, thanks to the fact that Liverpool had already beaten Chelsea on penalties in order to win the League Cup final earlier in the season, missed out on the title by a point to Manchester City and made it to the final of the Champions League, which they would go on to lose to Real Madrid. It was 150 years since the first FA Cup final was played and was the first time since 1993 that the two clubs that played out the League Cup final also met in the FA Cup final. The game itself was rather dull, ending in a 0-0 draw and going to extra-time.

2005 League Cup final 2012 FA Cup final 2022 League Cup final 2022 FA Cup final 2024 League Cup finalLiverpool & Chelsea will play each other in a fifth English domestic cup final — the most between two teams.

— Premier League News (@premierleagu.bsky.social) 2024-01-25T01:00:43.617Z

When extra-time also ended 0-0, it meant that penalties were required to separate the two teams. Having already defeated Chelsea in a thrilling penalty shootout at Wembley a few months before, Liverpool will have been feeling confident that they could get the job done, whilst Chelsea were staring a record third consecutive defeat in the FA Cup final in the face. James Milner, Thiago Alcantara and Roberto Firmino all scored their penalties to give the Reds the lead after César Azpilicueta missed his, but a miss by Sadio Mané handed Chelsea a lifeline. It was short-lived, however, with Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas scoring but Mason Mount missing.