FA Cup 1997–98
| Country | England | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Arsenal | ||
| Runners-up | Newcastle United | ||
|
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The 1997–98 FA Cup was the 117th season of the world's oldest cup competition, the Football Association Cup or FA Cup. The competition was won by Arsenal with a 2-0 victory against Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium.
The First Round featured those non-league teams who had come through the qualifying rounds and the teams from the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system. The matches were played on 14 November 1997. There were fourteen replays, with four ties requiring a penalty shootout to settle them.
The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 6 December 1997, with eight replays and three penalty shootouts required, each of which featured a team who won on penalties in the previous round.
The third round of the season's FA Cup was scheduled for Saturday, 3 January 1998, although six matches were postponed until later dates. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, the Premier League and the Football League First Division (now known as the Football League Championship). There were eight replays, with two of these games requiring a penalty shootout to settle it.
The Fourth Round ties were played with the thirty-two winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for Saturday, 24 January 1998. There were five replays, with one penalty shootout.
The Fifth Round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 14 February 1998. There were four replays, with one penalty shootout.
The biggest surprise of the round was arguably Barnsley's 3-2 win (in the replay that followed a 1-1 draw) over Manchester United. Barnsley were in their first season as a top division side (and ended it with relegation), while United were defending league champions and were also in contention for the league title and the European Cup at this time, although they ended the season trophyless.
The Sixth Round ties were scheduled for the weekend of the 7th and 8 March 1998. Two replays were played on the 17th, both of which went to penalties.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United, Division One sides, both progressed to the semi-finals at the expense of Premier League sides. Wolverhampton Wanderers were particularly impressive in doing this, as the side they eliminated from the cup (Leeds United) went on to finish fifth in the Premier League.
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