The 1991–92 FA Cup was the 111th season of the world's oldest knockout football competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. Liverpool beat Sunderland 2–0 in the final to take their 5th FA Cup trophy.
The appearance in the Cup Final of Sunderland, a Level 2 team, marked the first time in 10 years that a team outside Level 1 of the English football pyramid appeared in the final game. Sunderland is one of only eight non-Level 1 teams to have won the FA Cup since the establishment of the Football League in 1888–89, a mark they achieved in the 1973 FA Cup Final.
This was the first FA Cup competition to use penalties to decide games still tied after extra time in a replayed match.
Qualifying rounds
Most participating clubs that were not members of the Football League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 28 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round were Witton Albion, Guiseley, Runcorn, Bridlington Town, Telford United, Morecambe, Lincoln United, Emley, Gretna, Winsford United, Kettering Town, Colchester United, Welling United, Harlow Town, Enfield, Atherstone United, Bromsgrove Rovers, Aylesbury United, Halesowen Town, Tiverton Town, Windsor & Eton, Yeovil Town, Marlow, Farnborough Town, Crawley Town, Slough Town, Hayes and Sutton United.
Appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Guiseley, Lincoln United, Emley and Gretna. Of the others, Harlow Town had last featured at this stage in 1981–82, Winsford United had last done so in 1975-76, Crawley Town had last done so in 1971-72, Bridlington Town had last done so in 1960-61, and Marlow had last done so 99 years previously in 1892-93.
Lincoln United was the lowest-level club to qualify for the main draw of the FA Cup since Newcastle Blue Star in 1984-85 - they defeated Dudley Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Oakham United, Frickley Athletic and Leek Town to secure their place in the first round. Additionally, Gretna (competing in the Northern League in England this season) was the first Scottish club to feature in the Cup competition proper since Rangers' loss to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the 1886-87 tournament.
First round proper
Grimsby Town and Tranmere Rovers from the Football League Second Division entered in this round along with the 47 Third and Fourth Division teams, the 28 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds and Wycombe Wanderers, Kidderminster Harriers and Woking who were given byes. The first round matches were played on the weekend between 15 and 17 November 1991, with replays played midweek between 26 and 27 November.
Lincoln United, from the Central Midlands League, was the lowest-ranked team in the round. Their match-up with Huddersfield Town represented the largest gap in league places between two teams in the FA Cup until Marine and Tottenham Hotspur during the 2020–21 competition.
Second round proper
The second round matches were played on the weekend between 7–9 December 1991, with replays played midweek on 17 December. This round featured five clubs from Step 6 of the English football system: Enfield, Woking, Aylesbury United and Hayes from the Isthmian League Premier Division, and Crawley Town from the Southern League Premier Division.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enfield (6) | 1–4 | Barnet |
| 2 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Hull City |
| 3 | Darlington | 1–2 | Hartlepool United |
| 4 | AFC Bournemouth | 2–1 | Brentford |
| 5 | Burnley | 2–0 | Rotherham United |
| 6 | Preston North End | 5–1 | Witton Albion (5) |
| 7 | Rochdale | 1–2 | Huddersfield Town |
| 8 | Woking (6) | 3–0 | Yeovil Town (5) |
| 9 | Bolton Wanderers | 3–1 | Bradford City |
| 10 | Crewe Alexandra | 2–0 | Chester City |
| 11 | Wrexham | 1–0 | Telford United (5) |
| 12 | Aylesbury United (6) | 2–3 | Hereford United |
| 13 | Maidstone United | 1–2 | Kettering Town (5) |
| 14 | Exeter City | 0–0 | Swansea City |
| Replay | Swansea City | 1–2 | Exeter City |
| 15 | Torquay United | 1–1 | Farnborough Town (5) |
| Replay | Farnborough Town | 4–3 | Torquay United |
| 16 | York City | 1–1 | Tranmere Rovers |
| Replay | Tranmere Rovers | 2–1 | York City |
| 17 | Hayes (6) | 0–2 | Crawley Town (6) |
| 18 | Wigan Athletic | 2–0 | Stockport County |
| 19 | Peterborough United | 0–0 | Reading |
| Replay | Reading | 1–0 | Peterborough United |
| 20 | Leyton Orient | 2–1 | West Bromwich Albion |
Third round proper
The remaining teams from the Football League First and Second Divisions entered the competition in this round. The third round matches were played on the weekend between 4 and 6 January 1992, with replays played midweek between 14 and 15 January. However, the Newcastle United–AFC Bournemouth match was replayed on 22 January, while the Derby County–Burnley match was replayed on 25 January.
Woking and Crawley Town were again the lowest-ranked teams in the draw - they were also, along with Kettering Town and Farnborough Town from the Football Conference, the last non-league clubs left in the tournament. Crawley was eliminated by near-neighbours Brighton & Hove Albion at the Goldstone Ground in what was notably the first-ever all-Sussex tie in the FA Cup competition proper.
Fourth round proper
The fourth round matches were played on the weekend between 25 and 27 January 1992, with replays played midweek between 4–5 February. However, the Bristol Rovers-Liverpool match was played on 5 February, and replayed on 11 February. Fourth Division sides Hereford United and Wrexham were the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton | 0–0 | Manchester United |
| Replay | Manchester United | 2–2 | Southampton |
| Southampton won 4–2 on penalties | |||
| 2 | Leicester City | 1–2 | Bristol City |
| 3 | Notts County | 2–1 | Blackburn Rovers |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Hereford United |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–2 | Middlesbrough |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 7 | Derby County | 3–4 | Aston Villa |
| 8 | Ipswich Town | 3–0 | AFC Bournemouth |
| 9 | Bristol Rovers | 1–1 | Liverpool |
| Replay | Liverpool | 2–1 | Bristol Rovers |
| 10 | Portsmouth | 2–0 | Leyton Orient |
| 11 | West Ham United | 2–2 | Wrexham |
| Replay | Wrexham | 0–1 | West Ham United |
| 12 | Norwich City | 2–1 | Millwall |
| 13 | Chelsea | 1–0 | Everton |
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 0–0 | Sheffield United |
| Replay | Sheffield United | 3–1 | Charlton Athletic |
| 15 | Cambridge United | 0–3 | Swindon Town |
| 16 | Oxford United | 2–3 | Sunderland |
Fifth round proper
The fifth round matches were played on the weekend between 15 and 16 February 1992, with replays played midweek on 26 February.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottingham Forest | 4–1 | Bristol City |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–2 | Southampton |
| Replay | Southampton | 3–2 | Bolton Wanderers |
| 3 | Sunderland | 1–1 | West Ham United |
| Replay | West Ham United | 2–3 | Sunderland |
| 4 | Swindon Town | 1–2 | Aston Villa |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 0–0 | Liverpool |
| Replay | Liverpool | 3–2 | Ipswich Town |
| 6 | Portsmouth | 1–1 | Middlesbrough |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 2–4 | Portsmouth |
| 7 | Norwich City | 3–0 | Notts County |
| 8 | Chelsea | 1–0 | Sheffield United |
Sixth round proper
The sixth round matches were played on the weekend beginning 7–8 March 1992, with replays being played on 18 March.
Liverpool began to compensate for a sub-standard league season by eliminating Aston Villa and booking themselves a seemingly easy semi-final tie with a Portsmouth side who defeated League Cup finalists Nottingham Forest and ending their hopes of a unique FA Cup/League Cup double.
Norwich City reached the semi-finals for the second time in four seasons after beating Southampton in a replay.
Sunderland joined fellow Second Division side Portsmouth in the FA Cup semi-finals thanks to a 2–1 replay win over Chelsea after a 1–1 draw.
| Portsmouth | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
McLoughlin  2' |
| Liverpool | 1–0 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas 67' |
[1] |
| Chelsea | 1–1 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Allen 37' |
Byrne 82' |
Replays
| Norwich City | 2–1 a.e.t. | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| Newman 55' Sutton 116' |
Ruddock 45' |
| Sunderland | 2–1 | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Davenport 20' Armstrong 88' |
Wise 86' |
Semi-finals
The semi-finals were played on 5 April 1992. It was the first time that Hillsborough was used as a semi-final venue since the Hillsborough Disaster at a previous FA Cup semi-final in 1989. This time it was Second Division Sunderland and First Division Norwich City who were competing for a place in the final. Sunderland went through with John Byrne scoring the only goal of the game to take the Wearsiders to their first cup final since 1973.
Portsmouth held Liverpool to a 1–1 draw in the other semi-final at Highbury, with the replay being held at Villa Park, which went to penalties after a goalless draw. Liverpool emerged as victors in the shootout to reach the FA Cup final for the fourth time in seven seasons.
| Liverpool | 1–1 (a.e.t) | Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|
| Whelan 116' |
Report | Anderton 111' |
| Norwich City | 0–1 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Byrne 34' |
Replay
| Portsmouth | 0–0 (a.e.t) | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Liverpool won 3–1 on penalties
Final
Liverpool won the FA Cup for the fifth time with a 2–0 victory to compensate for their worst league season (sixth place) for more than 20 years. Ian Rush scored his fifth goal in FA Cup Finals, a record.
| Liverpool | 2–0 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas 47' Rush 68' |
        Liverpool
|
Sunderland
|
Media coverage
For the fourth consecutive season in the United Kingdom, the BBC was the free to air broadcaster. For the first full season following its absorption of BSB's Sports Channel, Sky Sports was the subscription broadcaster.
The live matches on the BBC were:
• Leeds United 0-1 Manchester United (R3)
• Swindon Town 1-2 Aston Villa (R5)
• Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa (QF)
• Liverpool 1-1 Portsmouth (SF)
• Norwich City 0-1 Sunderland (SF)
• Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland (Final)
The live matches on Sky Sports were:
• Mansfield Town 0-0 Preston North End (R1)
• Brentford 3-3 Gillingham (R1)
• Mansfield Town 0-1 Preston North End (R1 Replay)
• York City 1-1 Tranmere Rovers (R2)
• Leyton Orient 2-1 West Bromwich Albion (R2)
• Farnborough Town 4-3 Torquay United (R2 Replay)
• Crewe Alexandra 0-4 Liverpool (R3)
• Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Aston Villa (R3 Replay)
• Southampton 0-0 Manchester United (R4)
• Wrexham 0-1 West Ham United (R4 Replay)
• Ipswich Town 0-0 Liverpool (R5)
• Liverpool 3-2 Ipswich Town (R5 Replay)
• Chelsea 1-1 Sunderland (QF)
• Sunderland 2-1 Chelsea (QF Replay)
• Portsmouth 0-0 Liverpool (SF Replay)
The first round match between Mansfield Town and Preston North End was abandoned after 32 minutes due to heavy fog. The game was replayed 11 days later and it was shown live on Sky Sports as planned after they previously showed the abandoned match.
The third round match between Leeds United and Manchester United was postponed and shown live on the Wednesday evening initially intended for replays. On the original day, the BBC showed instead extended coverage of Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur which had been played earlier in the day.
References
External links
- The FA Cup at TheFA.com
- FA Cup at BBC.co.uk
- FA Cup news at Reuters.co.uk
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