1969 FA Cup Final
Match programme cover
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| Event | 1968–69 FA Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 26 April 1969 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Allan Clarke (Leicester City) | ||||||
| Referee | George McCabe (South Yorkshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 100,000 | ||||||
The 1969 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1968–69 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The match was contested between Leicester City and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 26 April 1969. This was the first FA Cup final since 1951 to take place in the month of April. Three-time winners Manchester City were appearing in their seventh final, whereas Leicester City were seeking to win the competition for the first time, having lost three previous finals.
Each team won six ties to reach the final, and overcame one of the 1968 finalists (West Bromwich Albion and Everton) at the semi-final stage. As Manchester City were reigning league champions and Leicester City were battling to avoid relegation, the Manchester club were strong favourites. The match finished 1–0 to Manchester City. The goal came in the 24th minute, scored by Neil Young. The victory was Manchester City's fourth FA Cup win.
As both Leicester City and Manchester City were First Division clubs, they entered the competition in the third round.
Leicester City started their cup run against Barnsley, but required a replay to overcome their Third Division opponents 2–1. The first Leicester goal was controversial, as the referee overruled his linesman, who had flagged for a foul. Barnsley equalised with a penalty, but Leicester quickly retook the lead. Later in the second half Leicester claimed a third goal, but the referee adjudged that the ball had not crossed the line. A 1–0 win at Millwall followed.
In the fifth round, Leicester City faced Liverpool. The match was postponed six times before it eventually took place on 1 March. A 0–0 draw meant a replay at Anfield. Andy Lochhead gave the Foxes the lead on 34 minutes. Five minutes later McArthurs's handball gave Liverpool a penalty, but Peter Shilton saved Tommy Smith's spot-kick. Liverpool attacked for much of the second half, but Leicester held out to win 1–0. The quarter final saw a trip to Mansfield Town, who had knocked out clubs from five different divisions. On a pitch described by The Times' Geoffrey Green as "resembling a glutinous swamp", Leicester won 1–0. The goal was a header by Rodney Fern from a Len Glover cross. The semi-final, played at Hillsborough Stadium, was against cup-holders West Bromwich Albion. In a game of few chances, Allan Clarke scored from an Andy Lochhead knockdown with four minutes remaining. Leicester City gained their fourth 1–0 win of the competition and reached the final.
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