1979 FA Cup final

1979 FA Cup final
	Match programme cover
Event	1978–79 FA Cup
Date	12 May 1979
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Referee	Ron Challis (Kent)
Attendance	99,219
	← 1978 1980 →

Last updated June 23, 2025

The 1979 FA Cup final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final.^[1]^[2] For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking a 2–0 half time lead through goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton. In the 86th minute, however, Gordon McQueen scored following a set-piece, and two minutes later Sammy McIlroy dribbled past two Arsenal players to score a dramatic equaliser. With the game poised for extra time, United's celebrations proved short-lived, as Alan Sunderland scored a last-minute winner, making the final result Arsenal 3–2 Manchester United. This match is often referred to as the "Five-minute Final".

Match details

12 May 1979

Arsenal	3–2	Manchester United
Talbot 12' Stapleton 43' Sunderland 89'	Report	McQueen 86' McIlroy 88'

Wembley, London

Attendance: 99,219

Referee: Ron Challis (Kent)

Arsenal

Manchester United


GK	1	Pat Jennings
RB	2	Pat Rice (c)
LB	3	Sammy Nelson
CM	4	Brian Talbot
CB	5	David O'Leary
CB	6	Willie Young
RM	7	Liam Brady
CF	8	Alan Sunderland
CF	9	Frank Stapleton
CM	10	David Price	83'
LM	11	Graham Rix
Substitute:
DF	12	Steve Walford	83'
Manager:
Terry Neill


GK	1	Gary Bailey
RB	2	Jimmy Nicholl
LB	3	Arthur Albiston
CM	4	Sammy McIlroy
CB	5	Gordon McQueen
CB	6	Martin Buchan (c)
RM	7	Steve Coppell
CF	8	Jimmy Greenhoff
CF	9	Joe Jordan
CM	10	Lou Macari
LM	11	Mickey Thomas
Substitute:
DF	12	Brian Greenhoff
Manager:
Dave Sexton

References

↑ "1979 FA Cup Final". BBC Manchester. 13 May 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
↑ "What a finish!". TheFA.com. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

External links

Match Report

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[1] "1979 FA Cup Final". BBC Manchester. 13 May 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

[2] "What a finish!". TheFA.com. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2007.

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1979 FA Cup final

Contents

Match details

References

External links