1973 FA Cup Final

The 1973 FA Cup Final took place on 5 May, 1973 at Wembley Stadium. It was the 92nd final in total, and the 45th to be played at Wembley, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary year. The final was contested between last season's winners Leeds United, who were one of the dominant teams at the time, and Sunderland, a second division side. The result was one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition, with Sunderland winning 1-0, becoming the first Division Two side to win the Cup since West Bromwich Albion in 1931.

Match summary

Sunderland established their tactics immediately from the kick off, tackling fiercely and defiantly with an unremitting determination. Leeds looked anxious, lacking their usual composure. The match itself was decided by two crucial moments that would be talked about for years to come.

After 31 minutes Sunderland took the lead when Vic Halom chested down a corner from Billy Hughes. Assisted by Dave Watson between two defenders, the deflected high ball was controlled by Ian Porterfield who shot home from 12 yards. Leeds, shocked, battled back with predictable determination. Sunderland’s goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery was outstanding, defying Leeds with a string of fine saves and preserving his team’s lead.

The turning point of the match came mid-way through the second half. Montgomery dived to palm away a close range header from Trevor Cherry. It fell into the path of Lorimer who blasted goalward from 10 yards but Montgomery managed to divert the ball on to the underside of the bar and Malone scrambled the ball clear. The save has been compared with that made by England’s Gordon Banks in the 1970 FIFA World Cup match against Brazil.

The North East team survived more pressure from Leeds to secure a notable upset.

This final is also notable for being the only one to use an orange ball [http://www.tijou.co.uk/trivia/footy.html] .

Match details

footballbox
date=1973-05-05
15:00 BST
team1=Leeds United
score=0 – 1
team2=Sunderland
report= [http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1973.htm (Report)]
goals1=
goals2=Porterfield goal|31
stadium=Wembley, London
attendance=100,000
referee=Ken Burns, Stourbridge

Road to Wembley

External links

* [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=258940 Game facts] at soccerbase.com
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/1973/05/06/sfglee06.xml Match report in "Daily Telegraph"]