The 10 best FA Cup final goals of all time

From Ryan Giggs’ memorable mazy run and finish against Arsenal in 1999, to Trevor Sinclair’s unbelievable bicycle kick for QPR against Barnsley, the FA Cup has produced some of the most unforgettable goals.

Many of those goals have come in FA Cup finals, of which there have been 143 to date.

Here, we have listed what we think are the 10 best FA Cup final goals of all time.

10

Didier Drogba v Manchester United (2007)

Ivorian scores winner in first final at new Wembley

Didier Drogba’s extra-time strike against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Cup final was a sign of things to come for the Chelsea striker and his side in the FA Cup.

After 116 minutes without a goal at the new Wembley, the Ivorian took matters into his own hands, playing a neat one-two with Frank Lampard on the edge of United’s box before gently lobbing the ball over the onrushing Edwin van der Sar.

The goal, which was enough to clinch the trophy for the Blues, was the first of four FA Cup final goals Drogba scored for Chelsea, with the striker again finding the target in 2009, 2011 and 2012. On each of those occasions, Chelsea went on to win.

9

Alexis Sanchez v Aston Villa (2015)

Sanchez scores stunner as Arsenal run riot

The 2015 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa was a non-contest, with Arsene Wenger’s side running out 4-0 winners on the day thanks to goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud.

Sanchez’s 50th-minute strike was the pick of the bunch. The Chilean hit a stunner from 30 yards out, the ball dipping and swerving Jabulani-style before crashing off the crossbar and into the net.

The victory was Arsenal’s 12th final win – ensuring their place as the most successful team in FA Cup history.

8

Ricky Villa v Man City (1981)

Villa wins it for Spurs with solo stunner

Back in the days when FA Cup final replays still existed, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City played out a draw in the 1981 final.

In the replay, Spurs emerged as 3-2 victors, in no short part to Ricky Villa, who scored twice on the day, including a memorable winner in the 76th minute. 40 yards out from goal, the Argentine somehow found a way through despite being surrounded by several City defenders before slotting the ball under goalkeeper Joe Corrigan.

Think Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s famous goal for Ajax against NAC Breda, but with dreadful haircuts and a muddy pitch.

7

Jesse Lingard v Crystal Palace (2016)

Some goals you see coming. Others, you don’t. Jesse Lingard’s game-winning goal for Manchester United against Crystal Palace in the 2016 FA Cup final was one of the latter.

With the scores tied at 1-1 in the 110th minute, Antonio Valencia swung a hopeful ball into the Palace area which was deflected away by defender Damien Delaney. Out of nowhere, Lingard ran onto the deflected ball and volleyed it straight into the top corner past a motionless Wayne Hennessey in the Palace net.

23 years old at the time, Lingard’s career at Old Trafford never really kicked on how many would have hoped after his FA Cup heroics, but he’ll still always be remembered fondly by the United faithful for the goal.

6

Roberto Di Matteo v Middlesbrough (1997)

Di Matteo’s record-breaking strike wins cup for Chelsea

At the time it was scored, Roberto Di Matteo’s strike against Middlesbrough in the 1997 FA Cup final was the fastest in the fixture’s 125-year history.

Just 42 seconds into the game, the Chelsea midfielder scored with a thunderous strike from 30 yards out, which clipped the underside of the crossbar on its way in. The goal proved to be the winner and saw the Blues lift the trophy for the first time since 1970.

Di Matteo’s record has since been broken on numerous occasions, most recently by Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, who scored within 13 seconds of the 2023 final.

5

Stuart Pearce v Tottenham (1991)

Captain Pearce smashes home bullet free-kick

Stuart Pearce is best remembered for his propensity for cutting opponents in half with crunching tackles rather than his goalscoring abilities, but he was more than capable of finding the net. In fact, he did so on 104 occasions during his career.

The best of those goals arguably came in a Nottingham Forest shirt in the 1991 FA Cup final against Tottenham, where he opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a bullet of a free-kick that almost broke the net.

Sadly for Pearce, Forest went on to lose the game 2-1, with an extra-time own-goal from Des Walker gifting Spurs the trophy.

4

Santi Cazorla v Hull City (2014)

Cazorla free-kick kickstarts Arsenal comeback

Just eight minutes into the 2014 FA Cup final, Arsenal, quite unbelievably, found themselves 2-0 down against Hull City thanks to early goals from defenders James Chester and Curtis Davies.

On 17 minutes, however, Santi Cazorla swept in a magnificent free-kick from almost 30 yards out, beating Hull’s Allan McGregor at his far post.

The goal sparked what is arguably the greatest FA Cup final comeback of all time, with the Gunners going on to win 3-2 courtesy of goals from Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey.

3

Ray Parlour & Freddie Ljungberg v Chelsea (2002)

Two glorious strikes seal memorable win for Arsenal

Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the 2002 FA Cup final came courtesy of two beauties.

The first came from midfielder Ray Parlour, who in the 70th minute fired in a fine long-range strike past Blues keeper Carlo Cudicini.

The second came through Freddie Ljungberg. Ten minutes after Parlour’s opener, the Swedish winger embarked on a driving run through Chelsea’s defence, blitzing past William Gallas and leaving John Terry on the floor, before curling the ball beautifully into the side netting.

They are almost certainly the greatest pair of goals to win a cup final.

2

Youri Tielemans v Chelsea (2021)

Tielemans scorcher secures Leicester’s first FA Cup

Youri Tielemans has developed a reputation over the years for scoring screamers. One of the finest in his collection is his goal in the 2021 FA Cup final for Leicester City against Chelsea.

With 63 minutes on the clock, the Foxes midfielder found himself in open space near the centre circle. From there, he drove forward with a couple of touches before putting his laces through the ball, which found its way into the top corner of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s net.

The stunning strike was enough to win the match and hand Leicester their first FA Cup.

1

Steven Gerrard v West Ham (2006)

Gerrard scores trademark screamer to complete Liverpool comeback

In big moments, big players step up to the plate, and that’s exactly what Steven Gerrard did in the 2006 FA Cup final.

Heading into the final moments of the game, Liverpool found themselves 3-2 down against West Ham United and were desperately searching for an equaliser. Gerrard provided it, drilling a superb half-volley into the bottom corner from around 35 yards out.

The Reds went on to win the match via a penalty shootout, lifting the FA Cup for a seventh time.