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.[1][2]
In one of the biggest shocks in the entire history of the competition, Lawrie Sanchez' solitary goal of the game won Wimbledon their only FA Cup final win in their history; they had just completed their second season in the Football League First Division and had only been in the Football League for a total of 11 years.[3][4] 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.[5] 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,[6][7] 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.[8]
Liverpool had just been crowned once again as champions of Division One and were the all-conquering giants of English football throughout the 1980s.[10] Wimbledon had just finished seventh in the Division One table that season, only their second year in the top tier, but had surprised everyone[who?] as they were expected to finish much lower than that. Liverpool, with a team full of international star players, were strongly expected and favoured to win the FA Cup by all the experts, as they had secured their 17th league title by playing in an exciting and flamboyant style, whereas Wimbledon, who had been playing in the semi-professional Southern Football League just eleven years earlier, were derided by many pundits as being technically limited and dismissed as relying only on their strength, and were expected to have almost no chance of beating their illustrious opponents.
Match summaryedit
Wimbledon took the lead shortly before half-time, when Lawrie Sanchez's looping header, from a Dennis Wise free kick on the left, went across goalkeeperBruce Grobbelaar and into the net.[11] Liverpool created a host of chances, including a chipped goal over the goalkeeper by Peter Beardsley 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.[12] 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.[13] The Londoners survived more pressure from Liverpool to secure their first major trophy and a notable upset in FA Cup Final history. Captain Dave 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).[14] After the final whistle John Motson who was commentating for the BBC delivered his famous line: "The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club."[15]
Europeedit
Although they had won the Cup, Wimbledon were prevented from competing in the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup the following season due to the ongoing ban on all English teams from European competitions, following the actions of a group of Liverpool supporters in the 1985 European Cup Final Heysel disaster. 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.[citation needed]
^Phillips-Knight, Rob (12 May 2010). "Beasant and the 'Crazy Gang' stun Liverpool". ESPN.co.uk. from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^. statto.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^Beasant, Dave (15 May 2010). "14 May 1988: The first FA Cup final penalty save". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^"English FA Cup Finalists 1980 – 1989". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^"Quirky Facts". Goalkeepersaredifferent.com. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
^Hosking, Patrick; Wighton, David (14 March 2004). "Caught in Time: Wimbledon's Crazy Gang chase FA Cup glory in 1988". The Times. London. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^Reddy, Luke (4 January 2015). "Wimbledon v Liverpool: How the Crazy Gang made FA Cup history". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
^"Laurie Cunningham Player Statistics". Soccerbase. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
^. statto.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^"The girl in the Gang - being Wimbledon's physio". BBC Sport.
^"Bobby Gould recalls Wimbledon's FA Cup win". Reuters. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
^Johnston, Clay (2 May 2020). "My favourite game: Liverpool v Wimbledon, 1988 FA Cup final". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^"Dave and his wombles may have done us a favor". Glasgow Herald. 16 May 1988. p. 12. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
^"Quirky Facts". Goalkeepersaredifferent.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
^"When the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club: Wimbledon v Liverpool FA Cup flashback". Liverpool Echo. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
External linksedit
Game facts 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine at soccerbase.com
Match at BBC
April 09, 2024
1988, final, women, event, 1988, final, 107th, final, took, place, saturday, 1988, wembley, stadium, contested, between, wimbledon, liverpool, dominant, english, club, side, 1980s, newly, crowned, league, champions, event1987, cupliverpool, wimbledon0, 1date14. For the women s event see 1988 WFA 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 1 2 1988 FA Cup finalEvent1987 88 FA CupLiverpool Wimbledon0 1Date14 May 1988 1988 05 14 VenueWembley Stadium LondonMan of the MatchDave BeasantRefereeBrian Hill Northamptonshire Attendance98 203WeatherSunny 19871989 In one of the biggest shocks in the entire history of the competition Lawrie Sanchez solitary goal of the game won Wimbledon their only FA Cup final win in their history they had just completed their second season in the Football League First Division and had only been in the Football League for a total of 11 years 3 4 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 5 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 6 7 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 8 Contents 1 Road to Wembley 1 1 Liverpool 1 2 Wimbledon 2 Build up 3 Match summary 4 Europe 5 Match details 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksRoad to Wembley editMain article 1987 88 FA Cup 9 Liverpool edit Round Opposition Score3rd Replay Stoke City A Stoke City H 0 0 1 04th Aston Villa A 0 25th Everton A 0 1QF Manchester City A 0 4SF Nottingham Forest N 2 1Key H Home venue A Away venue N Neutral venue Wimbledon edit Round Opposition Score3rd West Bromwich Albion H 4 14th Mansfield Town A 1 25th Newcastle United A 1 3QF Watford H 2 1SF Luton Town N 2 1Key H Home venue A Away venue N Neutral venue Build up editLiverpool had just been crowned once again as champions of Division One and were the all conquering giants of English football throughout the 1980s 10 Wimbledon had just finished seventh in the Division One table that season only their second year in the top tier but had surprised everyone who as they were expected to finish much lower than that Liverpool with a team full of international star players were strongly expected and favoured to win the FA Cup by all the experts as they had secured their 17th league title by playing in an exciting and flamboyant style whereas Wimbledon who had been playing in the semi professional Southern Football League just eleven years earlier were derided by many pundits as being technically limited and dismissed as relying only on their strength and were expected to have almost no chance of beating their illustrious opponents Match summary editWimbledon took the lead shortly before half time when Lawrie Sanchez s looping header from a Dennis Wise free kick on the left went across goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar and into the net 11 Liverpool created a host of chances including a chipped goal over the goalkeeper by Peter Beardsley 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 12 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 13 The Londoners survived more pressure from Liverpool to secure their first major trophy and a notable upset in FA Cup Final history Captain Dave 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 14 After the final whistle John Motson who was commentating for the BBC delivered his famous line The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club 15 Europe editAlthough they had won the Cup Wimbledon were prevented from competing in the 1988 89 European Cup Winners Cup the following season due to the ongoing ban on all English teams from European competitions following the actions of a group of Liverpool supporters in the 1985 European Cup Final Heysel disaster 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 citation needed Match details edit14 May 198815 00 BSTLiverpool0 1WimbledonReport Sanchez nbsp 37 Wembley Stadium LondonAttendance 98 203Referee Brian Hill nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Liverpool nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp WimbledonGK 1 nbsp Bruce GrobbelaarRB 4 nbsp Steve NicolCB 2 nbsp Gary GillespieCB 6 nbsp Alan Hansen c LB 3 nbsp Gary AblettRM 9 nbsp Ray HoughtonCM 5 nbsp Nigel Spackman nbsp 74 CM 11 nbsp Steve McMahonLM 10 nbsp John BarnesCF 7 nbsp Peter BeardsleyCF 8 nbsp John Aldridge nbsp 64 Substitutes MF 12 nbsp Craig Johnston nbsp 64 MF 14 nbsp Jan Molby nbsp 74 Manager nbsp Kenny Dalglish GK 1 nbsp Dave Beasant c RB 2 nbsp Clive GoodyearCB 5 nbsp Eric YoungCB 6 nbsp Andy ThornLB 3 nbsp Terry PhelanCM 10 nbsp Lawrie SanchezCM 4 nbsp Vinnie JonesCM 11 nbsp Dennis WiseRF 8 nbsp Alan Cork nbsp 56 CF 9 nbsp John FashanuLF 7 nbsp Terry Gibson nbsp 63 Substitutes DF 12 nbsp John Scales nbsp 63 MF 14 nbsp Laurie Cunningham nbsp 56 Manager nbsp Bobby GouldMatch rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra time if necessary Replay if scores still level Two named substitutes Maximum of two substitutionsSee also editCrazy GangReferences edit Phillips Knight Rob 12 May 2010 Beasant and the Crazy Gang stun Liverpool ESPN co uk Archived from the original on 21 July 2011 Retrieved 24 June 2011 English Division One 1987 1988 Final Table statto com Archived from the original on 17 August 2011 Retrieved 24 June 2011 Beasant Dave 15 May 2010 14 May 1988 The first FA Cup final penalty save The Guardian London Retrieved 24 June 2011 English FA Cup Finalists 1980 1989 Historical Football Kits Retrieved 24 June 2011 Quirky Facts Goalkeepersaredifferent com Retrieved 31 October 2019 Hosking Patrick Wighton David 14 March 2004 Caught in Time Wimbledon s Crazy Gang chase FA Cup glory in 1988 The Times London Retrieved 24 June 2011 Reddy Luke 4 January 2015 Wimbledon v Liverpool How the Crazy Gang made FA Cup history BBC Sport Retrieved 6 January 2015 Laurie Cunningham Player Statistics Soccerbase Retrieved 6 April 2020 FA Cup 1987 1988 Results statto com Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 24 June 2011 The girl in the Gang being Wimbledon s physio BBC Sport Bobby Gould recalls Wimbledon s FA Cup win Reuters 13 May 2008 Retrieved 24 June 2011 Johnston Clay 2 May 2020 My favourite game Liverpool v Wimbledon 1988 FA Cup final The Guardian Retrieved 3 May 2020 Dave and his wombles may have done us a favor Glasgow Herald 16 May 1988 p 12 Retrieved 10 October 2012 Quirky Facts Goalkeepersaredifferent com Retrieved 16 October 2020 When the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club Wimbledon v Liverpool FA Cup flashback Liverpool Echo 4 January 2015 Retrieved 6 January 2015 External links editGame facts Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine at soccerbase com LFC History Match Report Match at BBC Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1988 FA Cup final amp oldid 1213847941, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
