1973 FA Cup Final

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1973 FA Cup Final

Event	FA Cup 1972–73
Sunderland Leeds United 1 0
Date	5 May 1973
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
← 1972 1974 →

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.

[edit] Match summary

Ian Porterfield's goal

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.

Sunderland's triumph made them the first FA Cup winners to lift the trophy with a side featuring no full international players, although some were capped later.^{[citation needed]}

This final is also notable for being the only one to use an orange ball [1].

[edit] Match details

1973-05-05 15:00 BST	Leeds United	0 – 1	Sunderland	Wembley, London Attendance: 100,000 Referee: Ken Burns, Stourbridge
		(Report)	Porterfield  31'

Leeds United

Sunderland

LEEDS UNITED: GK 1 David Harvey DF 2 Paul Reaney DF 3 Trevor Cherry DF 4 Billy Bremner (c) MF 5 Paul Madeley DF 6 Norman Hunter FW 7 Peter Lorimer FW 8 Allan Clarke FW 9 Mick Jones MF 10 Johnny Giles MF 11 Eddie Gray 75' Substitute: DF 12 Terry Yorath 75' Manager: Don Revie

SUNDERLAND: GK 1 Jimmy Montgomery RB 2 Dick Malone LB 3 Ron Guthrie CM 4 Micky Horswill CB 5 David Watson CB 6 Richie Pitt RW 7 Bobby Kerr (c) CM 8 Billy Hughes ST 9 Vic Halom ST 10 Ian Porterfield LW 11 Dennis Tueart Substitute: MF 12 David Young Manager: Bob Stokoe

[edit] Road to Wembley

[edit] External links

Fans line the streets as the Sunderland team return home after winning the FA Cup

• Game facts at soccerbase.com
• Match report in "Daily Telegraph"