The FA Cup semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.

Location

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Since 2008, the new Wembley Stadium has been the home of the FA Cup semi-final.

The semi-finals have always been contested at neutral venues. Since 2008, all semi-finals have been held at the new Wembley. In the past any suitably large ground which was not the home ground of a team in that semi-final was used. Villa Park in Birmingham, Old Trafford in Manchester, and Hillsborough in Sheffield were common hosts. All semi-finals between 1871 and 1881 were played at Kennington Oval. The first neutral semi-final match outside London took place in 1882 in Huddersfield.[1]

The 1989 semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, Sheffield, turned into tragedy when 97 supporters were killed in the stands due to overcrowding.[2] The Hillsborough disaster had wide-ranging effects on future stadium design. Liverpool were granted a special dispensation to avoid playing their 2012 semi-final match against Everton on the 23rd anniversary of the disaster.[3]

The 1991 North London derby semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur was the first to be played at Wembley, the traditional venue for the FA Cup Final. Two years later both semi-finals were held at Wembley after the first FA Cup Steel City derby–between Sheffield clubs Wednesday and United–was switched from the original venue of Elland Road, Leeds, after fans of both Sheffield sides protested.[4]

This was repeated in 1994, although a replay between Manchester United and Oldham Athletic was held at Maine Road, Manchester. From 1995 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2004 other neutral grounds were used, though in 2000 both matches were played at the old Wembley, in its final year of operation. In 2005 both semi-finals were played at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. However, in 2006 the FA decided to revert to the neutral ground system, with Villa Park and Old Trafford hosting the games.

In 2003, it was announced that all future semi-finals would be played at the new Wembley Stadium, once it had opened;[5] this took effect in 2008. The decision was mainly for financial reasons, to allow the FA to recoup some of the costs of rebuilding the stadium. However, the move was opposed by traditionalists and drew criticism from some supporters' groups.[6][7] Over a decade after the move, Aston Villa (amongst others) have called for the semi-finals to be regionalised once again.[8]

Tottenham Hotspur's 2018 semi-final was to some extent a home match for them, as they played their home games at Wembley that season while their new stadium was under construction. However, for the semi-final, it was treated as a neutral venue.[9][10]

Format

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Highfield Road in Coventry (1982 image) hosted the only semi-final third replay in 1979–80.

In the past, there would be a replay if a semi-final match was drawn. If the replay was also drawn, there would be a second replay. In theory, an unlimited number of games could be played to obtain a winner. For example, in 1980 it took four games to decide the tie between Arsenal and Liverpool. This was the most games needed to settle an FA Cup semi-final, although there were several occasions when three games were played. Prior to the 1992 semi-finals, the only semi-final played under different rules to this was the rearranged 1989 semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, for which it had been declared in advance that the game would be decided by extra time and penalties if necessary due to the Hillsborough Stadium disaster.

Queen's Park chose not to contest the 1871–72 replay match with Wanderers.

There were no semi-finals played in the 1872–73 competition. Under the rules at the time, holders Wanderers received a bye to the final. Queen's Park again decided not to contest a semi-final, so Oxford University advanced automatically.[11]

Between 1877 and 1881 only one semi-final was played due to the format of the competition leaving three teams remaining.

In 1991 the FA decided that only one replay should be played (starting with the 1991–92 competition). If this game ended in a draw, extra time would be played, followed by penalty kicks if the match was still even. From the 1999-2000 competition it was decided that the semi-finals should be decided in one game, with extra time and penalties if the score was level after 90 minutes. Replays are still used in earlier rounds, however, though they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2016. The last FA Cup semi-final replay, in 1999, saw Manchester United take on Arsenal at Villa Park.[12] This turned out to become one of the most memorable semi-finals of all time, with Peter Schmeichel saving a last-minute penalty from Dennis Bergkamp and a Ryan Giggs extra time goal deciding the outcome in Manchester United's favour. In 2003 this goal was voted the greatest ever in FA Cup history.

From 2016 to 2017, a fourth substitute was allowed in semi-final matches if the game went into extra time.[13]

Records

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Villa Park in Birmingham hosted 55 semi-final matches between 1901 and 2007, more than any other stadium.

Villa Park is the most used stadium in FA Cup semi–final history, having hosted 57 semi–finals.[14]

The highest attendance for an FA Cup semi-final is 88,141 for Everton's penalty win over Manchester United on 19 April 2009.[15] It was the fourth semi-final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium.

The highest winning margin was Newcastle United's 6–0 victory over Fulham in the 1908 Anfield semi-final. The highest post-war winning margin was Stoke City's 5–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the second 2011 semi-final on 17 April 2011. The highest-scoring match was Hull City's 5–3 victory over Sheffield United in the second 2014 semi-final.

List of FA Cup semi-finals

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* Match went to extra time
Match decided by a penalty shoot-out after extra time
Bold Winning team won The Double
Italics Team from outside the top level of English football
(since the formation of The Football League in 1888)

Results

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Contents
1870s · 1880s · 1890s · 1900s · 1910s · 1920s · 1930s · 1940s · 1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s · 2010s · 2020s
Year SF Winners Losers Score Venue
1872 1 Royal Engineers Crystal Palace 0–0 Kennington Oval
3–0 Kennington Oval
2 Wanderers Queen's Park 0–0 Kennington Oval
w/o [note 1]
1873 1 Oxford University Queen's Park w/o [note 2]
Bye Wanderers (holders)
1874 1 Oxford University Clapham Rovers 1–0 Kennington Oval
2 Royal Engineers Swifts 2–0 Kennington Oval
1875 1 Old Etonians Shropshire Wanderers 1–0 Kennington Oval
2 Royal Engineers Oxford University 1–1 Kennington Oval
1–0 Kennington Oval
1876 1 Old Etonians Oxford University 1–0 Kennington Oval
2 Wanderers Swifts 2–1 Kennington Oval
1877 1 Wanderers Cambridge University 1–0 Kennington Oval
Bye Oxford University
1878 1 Royal Engineers Old Harrovians 2–1 Kennington Oval
Bye Wanderers
1879 1 Old Etonians Nottingham Forest 2–1 Kennington Oval
Bye Clapham Rovers
1880 1 Oxford University Nottingham Forest 1–0 Kennington Oval
Bye Clapham Rovers
1881 1 Old Carthusians Darwen 4–1 Kennington Oval
Bye Old Etonians
1882 1 Blackburn Rovers The Wednesday 0–0 Fartown Ground
5–1 Whalley Range
2 Old Etonians Marlow 5–0 Kennington Oval
1883 1 Blackburn Olympic Old Carthusians 4–0 Whalley Range
2 Old Etonians Notts County 2–1 Kennington Oval
1884 1 Blackburn Rovers Notts County 1–0 Aston Lower Grounds
2 Queen's Park Blackburn Olympic 4–1 Trent Bridge
1885 1 Blackburn Rovers Old Carthusians 5–1 Trent Bridge
2 Queen's Park Nottingham Forest 1–1 Racecourse Ground
3–0 Merchiston Castle School
1886 1 Blackburn Rovers Swifts 2–1 Racecourse Ground
2 West Bromwich Albion Small Heath Alliance 4–0 Aston Lower Grounds
1887 1 Aston Villa Rangers 3–1 Alexandra Recreation Ground
2 West Bromwich Albion Preston North End 3–1 Trent Bridge
1888 1 Preston North End Crewe Alexandra 4–0 Anfield
2 West Bromwich Albion Derby Junction 3–0 Victoria Ground
1889 1 Preston North End West Bromwich Albion 1–0 Bramall Lane
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers 1–1 Alexandra Recreation Ground
3–1 Alexandra Recreation Ground
1890 1 Blackburn Rovers Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Racecourse Ground
2 The Wednesday[note 3] Bolton Wanderers 2–1 Wellington Road
1891 1 Blackburn Rovers West Bromwich Albion 3–2 Victoria Ground
2 Notts County Sunderland 3–3 Bramall Lane
2–0 Bramall Lane
1892 1 Aston Villa Sunderland 4–1 Bramall Lane
2 West Bromwich Albion Nottingham Forest[note 3] 1–1 Molineux
1–1 Molineux
6–2 Racecourse Ground
1893 1 Everton Preston North End 2–2 Bramall Lane
0–0 Bramall Lane
2–1 Ewood Park
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers 2–1 Town Ground
1894 1 Bolton Wanderers The Wednesday 2–1 Fallowfield Stadium
2 Notts County[note 4] Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Bramall Lane
1895 1 Aston Villa Sunderland 2–1 Ewood Park
2 West Bromwich Albion The Wednesday 2–0 Racecourse Ground
1896 1 The Wednesday Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Goodison Park
3–1 Town Ground
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby County 2–1 Wellington Road
1897 1 Aston Villa Liverpool 3–0 Bramall Lane
2 Everton Derby County 3–2 Victoria Ground
1898 1 Derby County Everton 3–1 Molineux
2 Nottingham Forest Southampton[note 3] 1–1 Bramall Lane
2–0 Crystal Palace
1899 1 Derby County Stoke City 3–1 Molineux
2 Sheffield United Liverpool 2–2 City Ground
4–4 Burnden Park
[note 5] Fallowfield Stadium
1–0 Baseball Ground
1900 1 Bury Nottingham Forest 1–1 Victoria Ground
3–2 Bramall Lane
2 Southampton[note 3] Millwall Athletic[note 3] 0–0 Crystal Palace
3–0 Elm Park
1901 1 Sheffield United Aston Villa 2–2 City Ground
3–0 Baseball Ground
2 Tottenham Hotspur[note 3] West Bromwich Albion 4–0 Villa Park
1902 1 Sheffield United Derby County 2–2 The Hawthorns
1–1 Molineux
1–0 City Ground
2 Southampton[note 3] Nottingham Forest 3–1 White Hart Lane
1903 1 Bury Aston Villa 3–0 Goodison Park
2 Derby County Millwall Athletic[note 3] 3–0 Villa Park
1904 1 Bolton Wanderers[note 4] Derby County 1–0 Molineux
2 Manchester City The Wednesday 3–0 Goodison Park
1905 1 Aston Villa Everton 1–1 Victoria Ground
2–1 City Ground
2 Newcastle United The Wednesday 1–0 Hyde Road
1906 1 Everton Liverpool 2–0 Villa Park
2 Newcastle United Woolwich Arsenal 2–0 Victoria Ground
1907 1 Everton West Bromwich Albion[note 4] 2–1 Burnden Park
2 The Wednesday Woolwich Arsenal 3–1 St Andrew's
1908 1 Newcastle United Fulham[note 4] 6–0 Anfield
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers[note 4] Southampton[note 4] 2–0 Stamford Bridge
1909 1 Bristol City Derby County[note 4] 1–1 Stamford Bridge
2–1 St Andrew's
2 Manchester United Newcastle United 1–0 Bramall Lane
1910 1 Barnsley[note 4] Everton 0–0 Elland Road
3–0 Old Trafford
2 Newcastle United Swindon Town[note 3] 2–0 White Hart Lane
1911 1 Bradford City Blackburn Rovers 3–0 Bramall Lane
2 Newcastle United Chelsea[note 4] 3–0 St Andrew's
1912 1 Barnsley[note 4] Swindon Town[note 3] 0–0 Stamford Bridge
1–0 Meadow Lane
2 West Bromwich Albion Blackburn Rovers 0–0 Anfield
1–0* Hillsborough
1913 1 Aston Villa Oldham Athletic 1–0 Ewood Park
2 Sunderland Burnley[note 4] 0–0 Bramall Lane
3–2 St Andrew's
1914 1 Burnley Sheffield United 0–0 Old Trafford
1–0 Goodison Park
2 Liverpool Aston Villa 2–0 White Hart Lane
1915 1 Chelsea Everton 2–0 Villa Park
2 Sheffield United Bolton Wanderers 2–1 Ewood Park
1920 1 Aston Villa Chelsea 3–1 Bramall Lane
2 Huddersfield Town[note 4] Bristol City[note 4] 2–1 Stamford Bridge
1921 1 Tottenham Hotspur Preston North End 2–1 Hillsborough
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers[note 4] Cardiff City[note 4] 0–0 Anfield
3–1 Old Trafford
1922 1 Huddersfield Town Notts County[note 4] 3–1 Turf Moor
2 Preston North End Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Hillsborough
1923 1 Bolton Wanderers Sheffield United 1–0 Old Trafford
2 West Ham United[note 4] Derby County[note 4] 5–2 Stamford Bridge
1924 1 Aston Villa Burnley 3–0 Bramall Lane
2 Newcastle United Manchester City 2–0 St Andrew's
1925 1 Cardiff City Blackburn Rovers 3–1 Meadow Lane
2 Sheffield United Southampton[note 4] 2–0 Stamford Bridge
1926 1 Bolton Wanderers Swansea Town[note 4] 3–0 White Hart Lane
2 Manchester City Manchester United 3–0 Bramall Lane
1927 1 Arsenal Southampton[note 4] 2–1 Stamford Bridge
2 Cardiff City Reading[note 4] 3–0 Molineux
1928 1 Blackburn Rovers Arsenal 1–0 Filbert Street
2 Huddersfield Town Sheffield United 2–2 Old Trafford
0–0 Goodison Park
1–0 Maine Road
1929 1 Bolton Wanderers Huddersfield Town 3–1 Anfield
2 Portsmouth Aston Villa 1–0 Highbury
1930 1 Arsenal Hull City[note 4] 2–2 Elland Road
1–0 Villa Park
2 Huddersfield Town Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 Old Trafford
1931 1 Birmingham Sunderland 2–0 Elland Road
2 West Bromwich Albion[note 4] Everton[note 4] 1–0 Old Trafford
1932 1 Arsenal Manchester City 1–0 Villa Park
2 Newcastle United Chelsea 2–1 Leeds Road
1933 1 Everton West Ham United[note 4] 2–1 Molineux
2 Manchester City Derby County 3–2 Leeds Road
1934 1 Manchester City Aston Villa 6–1 Leeds Road
2 Portsmouth Leicester City 4–1 St Andrew's
1935 1 Sheffield Wednesday Burnley[note 4] 3–0 Villa Park
2 West Bromwich Albion Bolton Wanderers[note 4] 1–1 Elland Road
2–0 Victoria Ground
1936 1 Arsenal Grimsby Town 1–0 Leeds Road
2 Sheffield United[note 4] Fulham[note 4] 2–1 Molineux
1937 1 Preston North End West Bromwich Albion 4–1 Highbury
2 Sunderland Millwall[note 6] 2–1 Leeds Road
1938 1 Huddersfield Town Sunderland 3–1 Ewood Park
2 Preston North End Aston Villa[note 4] 2–1 Bramall Lane
1939 1 Portsmouth Huddersfield Town 2–1 Highbury
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Grimsby Town 5–0 Old Trafford
1946 1 Charlton Athletic Bolton Wanderers 2–0 Villa Park
2 Derby County Birmingham City 1–1 Hillsborough
4–1* Maine Road
1947 1 Charlton Athletic Newcastle United[note 4] 4–0 Elland Road
2 Burnley[note 4] Liverpool 0–0* Ewood Park
1–0 Maine Road
1948 1 Manchester United Derby County 3–1 Hillsborough
2 Blackpool Tottenham Hotspur[note 4] 3–1* Villa Park
1949 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Manchester United 1–1 Hillsborough
1–0 Goodison Park
2 Leicester City[note 4] Portsmouth 3–1 Highbury
1950 1 Liverpool Everton 2–0 Maine Road
2 Arsenal Chelsea 2–2 White Hart Lane
1–0* White Hart Lane
1951 1 Newcastle United Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–0 Hillsborough
2–1 Leeds Road
2 Blackpool Birmingham City[note 4] 0–0 Maine Road
2–1 Goodison Park
1952 1 Arsenal Chelsea 1–1 White Hart Lane
3–0 White Hart Lane
2 Newcastle United Blackburn Rovers[note 4] 0–0 Hillsborough
2–1 Elland Road
1953 1 Blackpool Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Villa Park
2 Bolton Wanderers Everton[note 4] 4–3 Maine Road
1954 1 Preston North End Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 Maine Road
2 West Bromwich Albion Port Vale[note 6] 2–1 Villa Park
1955 1 Manchester City Sunderland 1–0 Villa Park
2 Newcastle United York City[note 6] 1–1 Hillsborough
1–0 Roker Park
1956 1 Birmingham City Sunderland 3–0 Hillsborough
2 Manchester City Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Villa Park
1957 1 Aston Villa West Bromwich Albion 2–2 Molineux
1–0 St Andrew's
2 Manchester United Birmingham City 2–0 Hillsborough
1958 1 Bolton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers[note 4] 2–1 Maine Road
2 Manchester United Fulham[note 4] 2–2 Villa Park
5–3 Highbury
1959 1 Luton Town Norwich City[note 6] 1–1 White Hart Lane
1–0 St Andrew's
2 Nottingham Forest Aston Villa 1–0 Hillsborough
1960 1 Blackburn Rovers Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 Maine Road
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Aston Villa[note 4] 1–0 The Hawthorns
1961 1 Leicester City Sheffield United[note 4] 0–0 Elland Road
0–0* City Ground
2–0* St Andrew's
2 Tottenham Hotspur Burnley 3–0 Villa Park
1962 1 Burnley Fulham 1–1 Villa Park
2–1 Filbert Street
2 Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United 3–1 Hillsborough
1963 1 Leicester City Liverpool 1–0 Hillsborough
2 Manchester United Southampton[note 4] 1–0 Villa Park
1964 1 Preston North End[note 4] Swansea Town[note 4] 2–1 Villa Park
2 West Ham United Manchester United 3–1 Hillsborough
1965 1 Liverpool Chelsea 2–0 Villa Park
2 Leeds United Manchester United 0–0 Hillsborough
1–0 City Ground
1966 1 Everton Manchester United 1–0 Burnden Park
2 Sheffield Wednesday Chelsea 2–0 Villa Park
1967 1 Chelsea Leeds United 1–0 Villa Park
2 Tottenham Hotspur Nottingham Forest 2–1 Hillsborough
1968 1 Everton Leeds United 1–0 Old Trafford
2 West Bromwich Albion Birmingham City[note 4] 2–0 Villa Park
1969 1 Leicester City West Bromwich Albion 1–0 Hillsborough
2 Manchester City Everton 1–0 Villa Park
1970 1 Chelsea Watford[note 4] 5–1 White Hart Lane
2 Leeds United Manchester United 0–0 Hillsborough
0–0* Villa Park
1–0 Burnden Park
1971 1 Arsenal Stoke City 2–2 Hillsborough
2–0 Villa Park
2 Liverpool Everton 2–1 Old Trafford
1972 1 Arsenal Stoke City 1–1 Villa Park
2–1 Goodison Park
2 Leeds United Birmingham City[note 4] 3–0 Hillsborough
1973 1 Leeds United Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Maine Road
2 Sunderland[note 4] Arsenal 2–1 Hillsborough
1974 1 Liverpool Leicester City 0–0 Old Trafford
3–1 Villa Park
2 Newcastle United Burnley 2–0 Hillsborough
1975 1 Fulham[note 4] Birmingham City 1–1 Hillsborough
1–0* Maine Road
2 West Ham United Ipswich Town 0–0 Villa Park
2–1 Stamford Bridge
1976 1 Manchester United Derby County 2–0 Hillsborough
2 Southampton[note 4] Crystal Palace[note 6] 2–0 Stamford Bridge
1977 1 Manchester United Leeds United 2–1 Hillsborough
2 Liverpool Everton 2–2 Maine Road
3–0 Maine Road
1978 1 Arsenal Orient[note 4] 3–0 Stamford Bridge
2 Ipswich Town West Bromwich Albion 3–1 Highbury
1979 1 Arsenal Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Villa Park
2 Manchester United Liverpool 2–2 Maine Road
1–0 Goodison Park
1980 1 Arsenal Liverpool 0–0 Hillsborough
1–1* Villa Park
1–1* Villa Park
1–0 Highfield Road
2 West Ham United[note 4] Everton 1–1 Villa Park
2–1 Elland Road
1981 1 Manchester City Ipswich Town 1–0* Villa Park
2 Tottenham Hotspur Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2* Hillsborough
3–0 Highbury
1982 1 Queens Park Rangers[note 4] West Bromwich Albion 1–0 Highbury
2 Tottenham Hotspur Leicester City[note 4] 2–0 Villa Park
1983 1 Manchester United Arsenal 2–1 Villa Park
2 Brighton & Hove Albion Sheffield Wednesday[note 4] 2–1 Highbury
1984 1 Everton Southampton 1–0* Highbury
2 Watford Plymouth Argyle[note 6] 1–0 Villa Park
1985 1 Manchester United Liverpool 2–2* Goodison Park
2–1 Maine Road
2 Everton Luton Town 2–1* Villa Park
1986 1 Liverpool Southampton 2–0* White Hart Lane
2 Everton Sheffield Wednesday 2–1* Villa Park
1987 1 Coventry City Leeds United[note 4] 3–2* Hillsborough
2 Tottenham Hotspur Watford 4–1 Villa Park
1988 1 Liverpool Nottingham Forest 2–1 Hillsborough
2 Wimbledon Luton Town 2–1 White Hart Lane
1989 1 Liverpool Nottingham Forest P–P Hillsborough[note 7]
3–1 Old Trafford
2 Everton Norwich City 1–0 Villa Park
1990 1 Manchester United Oldham Athletic[note 4] 3–3* Maine Road
2–1* Maine Road
2 Crystal Palace Liverpool 4–3* Villa Park
1991 1 Nottingham Forest West Ham United[note 4] 4–0 Villa Park
2 Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal 3–1 Wembley Stadium (Original)
1992 1 Liverpool Portsmouth[note 4] 1–1* Highbury
0–0†[note 8] Villa Park
2 Sunderland[note 4] Norwich City 1–0 Hillsborough
1993 1 Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Wembley Stadium (Original)
2 Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield United 2–1* Wembley Stadium (Original)
1994 1 Chelsea Luton Town[note 4] 2–0 Wembley Stadium (Original)
2 Manchester United Oldham Athletic 1–1* Wembley Stadium (Original)
4–1 Maine Road
1995 1 Everton Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 Elland Road
2 Manchester United Crystal Palace 2–2* Villa Park
2–0 Villa Park
1996 1 Manchester United Chelsea 2–1 Villa Park
2 Liverpool Aston Villa 3–0 Old Trafford
1997 1 Chelsea Wimbledon 3–0 Highbury
2 Middlesbrough Chesterfield[note 6] 3–3* Old Trafford
3–0 Hillsborough
1998 1 Arsenal Wolverhampton Wanderers[note 4] 1–0 Villa Park
2 Newcastle United Sheffield United[note 4] 1–0 Old Trafford
1999 1 Manchester United Arsenal 0–0* Villa Park
2–1* Villa Park
2 Newcastle United Tottenham Hotspur 2–0* Old Trafford
2000 1 Aston Villa Bolton Wanderers[note 4] 0–0†[note 9] Wembley Stadium (Original)
2 Chelsea Newcastle United 2–1 Wembley Stadium (Original)
2001 1 Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Old Trafford
2 Liverpool Wycombe Wanderers[note 6] 2–1 Villa Park
2002 1 Arsenal Middlesbrough 1–0 Old Trafford
2 Chelsea Fulham 1–0 Villa Park
2003 1 Arsenal Sheffield United[note 4] 1–0 Old Trafford
2 Southampton Watford[note 4] 2–1 Villa Park
2004 1 Manchester United Arsenal 1–0 Villa Park
2 Millwall[note 4] Sunderland[note 4] 1–0 Old Trafford
2005 1 Arsenal Blackburn Rovers 3–0 Millennium Stadium
2 Manchester United Newcastle United 4–1 Millennium Stadium
2006 1 Liverpool Chelsea 2–1 Old Trafford
2 West Ham United Middlesbrough 1–0 Villa Park
2007 1 Manchester United Watford 4–1 Villa Park
2 Chelsea Blackburn Rovers 2–1* Old Trafford
2008 1 Portsmouth West Bromwich Albion[note 4] 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Cardiff City[note 4] Barnsley[note 4] 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2009 1 Chelsea Arsenal 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Everton Manchester United 0–0†[note 10] Wembley Stadium (New)
2010 1 Chelsea Aston Villa 3–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Portsmouth Tottenham Hotspur 2–0* Wembley Stadium (New)
2011 1 Manchester City Manchester United 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Stoke City Bolton Wanderers 5–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2012 1 Liverpool Everton 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur 5–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2013 1 Wigan Athletic Millwall[note 4] 2–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Manchester City Chelsea 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2014 1 Arsenal Wigan Athletic[note 4] 1–1†[note 10] Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Hull City Sheffield United[note 6] 5–3 Wembley Stadium (New)
2015 1 Arsenal Reading[note 4] 2–1* Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Aston Villa Liverpool 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2016 1 Manchester United Everton 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Crystal Palace Watford 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2017 1 Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Arsenal Manchester City 2–1* Wembley Stadium (New)
2018 1 Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Chelsea Southampton 2–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2019 1 Manchester City Brighton and Hove Albion 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Watford Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2* Wembley Stadium (New)
2020 1 Arsenal Manchester City 2–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Chelsea Manchester United 3–1 Wembley Stadium (New)
2021 1 Chelsea Manchester City 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Leicester City Southampton 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2022 1 Liverpool Manchester City 3–2 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Chelsea Crystal Palace 2–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2023 1 Manchester City Sheffield United[note 4] 3–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Manchester United Brighton & Hove Albion 0–0†[note 11] Wembley Stadium (New)
2024 1 Manchester City Chelsea 1–0 Wembley Stadium (New)
2 Manchester United Coventry City[note 4] 3–3†[note 10] Wembley Stadium (New)

Semi-finals table

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Playing in their first semi-final, Woolwich Arsenal (in dark shirts) faced Newcastle United (in striped shirts) at the Victoria Ground, Stoke in 1906.
Woolwich Arsenal versus The Wednesday at St Andrew's in 1907. The Arsenal would drop "Woolwich" from their name in 1914; The Wednesday would add "Sheffield" in 1929.
Arsenal against Blackburn Rovers was one of the 2005 semi-finals held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, taking the fixture out of England for the first time since 1885.
The pre-match line-ups at Villa Park for Middlesbrough versus West Ham United, 2006
Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea at Old Trafford in 2007: the last FA Cup semi-final before the event was moved to the new Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal versus Chelsea in 2009 was one of several London derbies held at the national stadium
Manchester clubs City and United have reached the FA Cup semi-final a combined 45 times. The Manchester derby has twice been a semi-final.
In amongst Hull City fans at the 2014 all-Yorkshire semi-final against Sheffield United
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur's rivalry dates back to the 1967 FA Cup final, and the clubs met again in the 2017 semi-final.

Teams shown with an asterisk beside their name are no longer in existence. This table is updated as of the 2023–24 FA Cup.

Team Appearances Won Lost
Arsenal 30 21 9
Aston Villa 21 11 10
Barnsley 3 2 1
Birmingham City 9 2 7
Blackburn Olympic 2 1 1
Blackburn Rovers 18 8 10
Blackpool 3 3 0
Bolton Wanderers 14 7 7
Bradford City 1 1 0
Brighton & Hove Albion 3 1 2
Bristol City 2 1 1
Burnley 8 3 5
Bury[note 12] 2 2 0
Cambridge University 1 0 1
Cardiff City[note 13] 4 3 1
Charlton Athletic 2 2 0
Chelsea 27 16 11
Chesterfield 1 0 1
Clapham Rovers* 1 0 1
Coventry City 2 1 1
Crewe Alexandra 1 0 1
Crystal Palace (1861)* 1 0 1
Crystal Palace (1905) 5 2 3
Darwen 1 0 1
Derby County 13 4 9
Derby Junction* 1 0 1
Everton 26 13 13
Fulham 6 1 5
Grimsby Town 2 0 2
Huddersfield Town 7 5 2
Hull City 2 1 1
Ipswich Town 3 1 2
Leeds United 8 4 4
Leicester City 8 5 3
Orient 1 0 1
Liverpool 25 15 10
Luton Town 4 1 3
Manchester City 19 13 6
Manchester United 32 22 10
Marlow 1 0 1
Middlesbrough 3 1 2
Millwall 5 1 4
Newcastle United 17 13 4
Norwich City 3 0 3
Nottingham Forest 12 3 9
Notts County 5 2 3
Old Carthusians 3 1 2
Old Etonians 5 5 0
Old Harrovians 1 0 1
Oldham Athletic 3 0 3
Oxford University 5 3 2
Plymouth Argyle 1 0 1
Port Vale 1 0 1
Portsmouth 7 5 2
Preston North End 10 7 3
Queen's Park[note 14] 3 2 1
Queens Park Rangers 1 1 0
Rangers[note 14] 1 0 1
Reading 2 0 2
Royal Engineers 4 4 0
Sheffield United 15 6 9
Sheffield Wednesday 16 6 10
Shropshire Wanderers* 1 0 1
Southampton 13 4 9
Stoke City 4 1 3
Sunderland 12 4 8
Swansea City[note 13] 2 0 2
Swifts* 3 0 3
Swindon Town 2 0 2
Tottenham Hotspur 21 9 12
Wanderers* 3 3 0
Watford 8 3 5
West Bromwich Albion 20 10 10
West Ham United 7 5 2
Wigan Athletic 2 1 1
Wimbledon[note 15] 2 1 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 15 8 7
Wycombe Wanderers 1 0 1
York City 1 0 1

Venues

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Semi-finals were held at Sheffield Wednesday's home ground Hillsborough for 85 years.
Maine Road (1985 image), dubbed the Wembley of the North, was used for semi-finals between 1928 and 1994.
In the 19th century, seventeen FA Cup semi-final matches were held at the Kennington Oval (1891 image).
Bramall Lane (1965 photo) hosted 17 semi-finals from 1889 to 1938; Sheffield has been host city on 51 occasions.
The original Wembley Stadium began hosting semi-finals in 1991 with the North London derby.
Three semi-final venues in Nottingham: Meadow Lane, the City Ground and Trent Bridge. A fourth venue, the Town Ground, was located at the bottom left of the image.
Venues that no longer exist or regularly host football matches are denoted with an asterisk.
Stadium City SF
matches
Year of
first SF
Most
recent SF
Kennington Oval* London 17 1872 1883
Fartown Ground* Huddersfield 1 1882 1882
Whalley Range* Manchester 2 1882 1883
Trent Bridge* West Bridgford 3 1884 1887
Racecourse Ground* Derby 5 1885 1890
Merchiston Castle School* Edinburgh, Scotland[note 16] 1 1885 1885
Alexandra Recreation Ground* Crewe 3 1887 1889
Anfield Liverpool 5 1888 1929
Victoria Ground* Stoke-on-Trent 7 1897 1935
Wellington Road* Perry Barr 2 1890 1896
Bramall Lane Sheffield 17 1889 1938
Molineux Wolverhampton 10 1892 1957
Ewood Park Blackburn 6 1893 1947
Town Ground* Nottingham 2 1893 1896
Fallowfield Stadium* Manchester 2 1894 1899
Goodison Park Liverpool 10 1896 1985
Crystal Palace* London 2 1898 1900
Burnden Park* Bolton 4 1899 1970
Baseball Ground* Derby 2 1899 1901
Elm Park* Reading 1 1900 1900
Villa Park Birmingham 57 1884 2007
City Ground West Bridgford 6 1899 1965
The Hawthorns West Bromwich 2 1902 1960
White Hart Lane* London 12 1902 1988
Hyde Road* Manchester 1 1905 1905
St Andrew's Birmingham 9 1907 1961
Stamford Bridge London 10 1910 1978
Elland Road Leeds 10 1910 1995
Old Trafford Manchester 22 1910 2007
Meadow Lane Nottingham 2 1912 1925
Hillsborough Sheffield 34 1912 1997
Turf Moor Burnley 1 1922 1922
Filbert Street* Leicester 2 1928 1962
Maine Road* Manchester 18 1928 1994
Highbury* London 12[16] 1929 1997
Leeds Road* Huddersfield 6 1932 1951
Roker Park* Sunderland 1 1955 1955
Highfield Road* Coventry 1 1980 1980
Wembley (1923)* London 7 1991 2000
Millennium Stadium Cardiff, Wales[note 17] 2 2005 2005
Wembley (2007) London 34 2008 2024

In Summary: (*Venue no longer exists or regularly host football matches)

  1. Villa Park 57
  2. Hillsborough 34, Wembley 34
  3. Old Trafford 22
  4. Maine Road* 18
  5. Bramall Lane, Kensington Oval* 17
  6. Highbury*, White Hart Lane* 12
  7. Elland Road, Goodison Park, Stamford Bridge, Molineux 10
  8. St Andrew’s 9
  9. Victoria Ground*, Wembley (1923)* 7
  10. City Ground, Ewood Park, Leeds Road* 6
  11. Anfield, Racecourse Ground* 5
  12. Burnden Park* 4
  13. Alexandra Recreation Ground*, Trent Bridge* 3
  14. Baseball Ground*, Crystal Palace*, Fallowfield Stadium*, Filbert Street*, Millenium Stadium*, Meadow Lane*, Town Ground*, Wellington Road*, Whalley Range* 2
  15. Elm Park*, Merchiston Castle School*, Fartown Ground*, Highfield Road*, Hyde Road*, Roker Park*, Turf Moor 1

Third-fourth place matches

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The FA Cup Third-fourth place matches were played to determine the order of third and fourth place in the FA Cup. They were introduced in 1970 replacing the traditional pre-final match between England and Young England. The third-fourth place matches were generally unpopular, with only the first one in 1970 getting some positive attention as an occasion, and they were abandoned after five seasons. The 1972 and 1973 third-fourth place matches were played at the start of the following season, and the 1974 third-fourth place match was played five days after the final. The 1972 third-fourth place match was the first FA Cup match to be decided on penalties. The five third-fourth place FA Cup matches were:

Season Date Winner Score Loser Venue Attendance
1969–70 10 April 1970 Manchester United 2–0 Watford Highbury 15,105[17]
1970–71 7 May 1971 Stoke City 3–2 Everton Selhurst Park 5,031
1971–72 5 August 1972 Birmingham City 0–0 (4–3 pen.) Stoke City St Andrew's 25,841[18]
1972–73 18 August 1973 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 Arsenal Highbury 21,038[19]
1973–74 9 May 1974 Burnley 1–0 Leicester City Filbert Street 6,458

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Queen's Park could not afford a second trip to London for their semi-final replay and were forced to withdraw.
  2. ^ Queen's Park once again withdrew from the FA Cup at the semi-final stage.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Non-League club
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by Club in second flight of league system
  5. ^ Match abandoned at half time due to a crush in the crowd and dark conditions.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Club in third flight of league system
  7. ^ Abandoned after 6 minutes (see Hillsborough Disaster).
  8. ^ 3–1 on penalties
  9. ^ 4–1 on penalties
  10. ^ a b c 4–2 on penalties
  11. ^ 7–6 on penalties
  12. ^ Bury has reformed as a phoenix club since their last appearance in a semi-final.
  13. ^ a b Welsh team
  14. ^ a b Scottish team that was invited to compete
  15. ^ Wimbledon FC was dissolved, the team relocating as Milton Keynes Dons in 2004. A phoenix club, AFC Wimbledon has formed since their last appearance in a semi-final.
  16. ^ Venue in nation other than England or Wales
  17. ^ Venue in Wales

References

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General

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  • FA Cup statistics
  • Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of The FA Cup. p. 795. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.

Specific

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  1. ^ "England - FA Challenge Cup 1881-1882".
  2. ^ Sawer, Patrick (27 June 2017). "What happened at Hillsborough in 1989?". The Telegraph.
  3. ^ "Wembley to mark Hillsborough date". BBC Sport.
  4. ^ Foster, Jonathan (19 March 1993). "Sheffield fans step up protest: Threat of legal moves to change FA Cup semi-final venue". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  5. ^ "New Wembley to host semis". BBC News. 3 January 2003. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Football Supporters Hail FA Cup Semi-final Decision" (Press release). Football Supporters Federation. 18 November 2005. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Moyes unhappy with Wembley semi". BBC News. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  8. ^ "Villa chief: We want FA Cup semi finals to return to Villa Park". 27 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Spurs beat Swansea to get 'home' FA Cup semifinal at Wembley". New York Daily News.
  10. ^ "No Wembley cup privileges for Spurs - report". 20 February 2018.
  11. ^ "England - FA Challenge Cup 1872-1873".
  12. ^ "F.a. Cup Semi-Final Facts, Stats and Trivia". 17 April 2015.
  13. ^ "FA Cup quarter-finals: Why are there four subs and no replays? A guide to the new rules".
  14. ^ "Did you know? All the facts and figures about the FA Cup".
  15. ^ Hughes, Rob (6 April 2008). "Nwanko Kanu repays Harry Redknapp's faith in one moment". London: TimesOnline. Retrieved 10 May 2008.[dead link]
  16. ^ "48. FA Cup Semi-Finals".
  17. ^ Jones, Trefor (1998). Watford Season by Season. p. 148. ISBN 0-9527458-1-X.
  18. ^ Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  19. ^ "Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 18 August 1973". Retrieved 4 January 2019.
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