1964-65 FA Cup · The Final

1965 FA Cup Final: Liverpool 2-1 Leeds United

The most-read account of this final times the winning goal six minutes later than the three fullest match reports do, and the surviving newsreel catalogue puts the Leeds captain in the Liverpool team. This page sets the records side by side instead of picking the tidiest one.

Liverpool won the FA Cup at the seventy-third attempt, in a final nobody enjoyed, with a left back who had broken his collarbone in the opening minutes and could not be replaced.

Researched and written by Adrian Dane · every fact on this page is sourced below · last updated 2026-09-14

Liverpool Winners
2-1
Leeds United Runners-up

Saturday 1 May 1965 · Wembley Stadium

What you will not find elsewhere

A correction

Four sources, three different minutes for the winning goal

The most widely read account of this final, the Wikipedia article, times Ian St John's winner at the 117th minute. It is the outlier. LFCHistory's match archive, Play Up Liverpool's contemporary summary and the Definitive History of Leeds United all put it at the 111th, and the Leeds account describes it as arriving six minutes into the second period of extra time, which is the same thing said a different way. 11v11 has 113. Billy Bremner's equaliser is no better: 100 in two places, 101 in a third, 102 in a fourth, and a narrative that implies 99. The only goal in this match that everybody times identically is Roger Hunt's, at 93 minutes. We publish 93, 100 and 111 and show the disagreement rather than hiding it.[1][4][6][7][5]

A correction

The newsreel catalogue puts the Leeds captain in the Liverpool team

The catalogue text attached to British Pathe's surviving colour film of this final, the record a search engine actually indexes, states that Collins of Liverpool fouls Byrne and then lists Collins among the Liverpool team while placing Byrne and Hunter among the Leeds players. Bobby Collins captained Leeds United; Gerry Byrne and Norman Hunter were on opposite sides of that collision, Byrne for Liverpool and Hunter for Leeds. Every team sheet consulted agrees. The film is the real thing and worth watching; its index card is wrong.[9][1][3][4]

Our own figures

Liverpool won the Cup without ever scoring three

Counted straight off the round-by-round results, replays included, Liverpool played eight matches to win the 1965 FA Cup, scored eleven goals and conceded three. They never scored more than two in any tie, and the final was one of four ties they won by exactly two. Leeds scored more on the way, thirteen in the same number of matches, and lost the one that counted.[2][3][1]

A correction

This final did not bring in substitutes, and the FA Cup was last to adopt them

Gerry Byrne playing two hours with a broken collarbone is regularly offered as the case that changed the rule. The sequence does not support it. The Football League had already decided to permit one substitute for an injured player from the start of 1965-66, and Keith Peacock of Charlton Athletic came on at Bolton on 21 August 1965. The FA Cup did not allow substitutes until 1966-67. So the competition in which Byrne was hurt staged one more entirely substitute-free final, in 1966, after the League had already moved.[15][1][16]

From the primary record

Liverpool's left back played almost the whole final with a broken collarbone

No substitutes were permitted, so leaving the field meant leaving his side a man short. Gerry Byrne stayed on, and his own account is remarkably flat about it: I'd never broken a collarbone before, so I wasn't aware of what damage had been done straight away. He played on through extra time and set up the opening goal.[7]

From the primary record

The first Black player to appear in an FA Cup final, and what he heard from the terraces

Albert Johanneson's presence in the Leeds side made this final a landmark, and the record should not stop at the landmark. In his own words, the afternoon sounded like this: all I could hear was a cacophony of Zulu-like noises coming from the terraces The abuse is part of the history of this final and is recorded here for that reason.[14]

From the primary record

Shankly's measure of a season most managers would take

Liverpool had finished second in the league and won the Cup, and their manager was not inclined to call that a disappointment: Second in the championship; FA Cup finalists; ninety per cent of the managers in the English League pray every night for The sentence is a useful corrective to how the era is usually remembered.[7]

The footage

The Cup Final - Liverpool Vs. Leeds 1965 (1965) · British Pathe · highlights · watch on YouTube

The match report

Liverpool came to Wembley as the reigning champions of England with an obvious hole in the trophy room. They had reached the FA Cup final twice, in 1914 and in 1950, and had lost both. Leeds United had never reached one at all. Don Revie's side were in their first season back in the First Division, and days earlier they had finished runners-up in the league on goal average, so they arrived in London having just lost one trophy and about to play for another. Whichever way the afternoon went, a new name was going on the cup.[1][7][4]

The original Wembley Stadium seen from outside, with its two towers
The original Wembley Stadium, demolished in 2003. Liverpool had lost finals in 1914 and 1950; Leeds United had never played one. User:Gary Watson · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Neither route had been spectacular. Liverpool needed replays to get past Stockport County and Leicester City, never scored more than two goals in any tie, and reached the final with eleven goals from eight matches and three conceded. Their hardest test was the semi-final against Chelsea at Villa Park, before which Bill Shankly is said to have found a brochure printed for a Chelsea final and pinned it up in his own dressing room. Leeds drew Southport, Shrewsbury Town and Crystal Palace out of the lower divisions but needed replays to see off Everton and then Manchester United, the second of them in a semi-final at Hillsborough that contemporary reporting described as a shambles and that Bremner settled with a header in the closing minute. Liverpool lost Gordon Milne to a knee injury in the days beforehand and gave his place to Geoff Strong.[1][2][7]

A posed Liverpool Football Club team photograph from the mid-1960s
A Liverpool team group from the period. The Commons record dates the print to 1964 and its description to the 1963-64 season, so this is not the side that lined up at Wembley. Eskil Malmberg · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Leeds' left winger Albert Johanneson became the first Black player to appear in an FA Cup final, and the day was ruined for him before it started. He spent much of the build-up being sick, asked Revie to leave him out, and was told in the tunnel that he had no chance looking the way he did and that the crowd would murder him. He had a poor match and it is widely treated as the turning point of his career. Fifty years later The FA, the PFA and the Football Unites, Racism Divides project marked the anniversary and his family presented his runners-up medal to the National Football Museum; Leeds United's own account of him records the same first, and a Leeds Civic Trust plaque went up at Elland Road in 2019.[14][12][17]

A Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque commemorating Albert Johanneson
The Leeds Civic Trust plaque to Albert Johanneson, unveiled at Elland Road in 2019. Xnboro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Inside the opening minutes Gerry Byrne went into a challenge with Bobby Collins and broke his collarbone. English football allowed no substitutes at all in 1964-65, so walking off would have left Liverpool a man short for the rest of the afternoon. Byrne did not realise what he had done, and Shankly decided not to tell him. He played the whole match, extra time included, with the arm hanging at his side, and he was still the player who made the opening goal.[1][16][13]

Gerry Byrne photographed in 2006
Gerry Byrne, pictured in 2006. The Commons record dates the photograph to 2006, more than forty years after the final. Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What followed was not a good football match. Rain arrived after twenty-five minutes and the two most systematic sides in England cancelled each other out. Liverpool had much the better of it. Roger Hunt and Ian St John pulled Jack Charlton and Norman Hunter around, Peter Thompson ran at the full backs, and Gary Sprake in the Leeds goal had the game of his life. Leeds, with Jim Storrie hobbling and Johanneson out of the game, managed almost nothing. Ninety minutes ended goalless and the final went to extra time for the first time since 1947.[7][1][3]

It took three minutes of the extra half hour to break the deadlock. Willie Stevenson slid a pass to Byrne on the overlap, the full back with the broken collarbone reached the byline, and his cross was headed in by Hunt in the 93rd minute. Leeds levelled almost at once, Hunter's long ball nodded down by Charlton and volleyed past Tommy Lawrence by Bremner. In the second period Thompson found Tommy Smith, Smith found Ian Callaghan on the right, Callaghan beat Willie Bell to the byline, and St John threw himself at the cross to head the winner in the 111th minute.[4][7][6]

Two Liverpool players buying postcards in a hotel in 1966
Ian St John, left, and Roger Hunt, who scored both Liverpool goals at Wembley, photographed in a hotel in Amsterdam in December 1966. Eric Koch for Anefo · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

The press verdict was harsh. Ken Jones in the Daily Mirror wrote that tiredness had destroyed the discipline and that behind the boredom lay the failure of players like Johanneson and Thompson to lift it. The Times was kinder, calling it a tense battle of human qualities in which a quiet opening half set up a pulsating finish. Charlton's own complaint afterwards was not that Leeds had lost but that they had lost dully, which he thought was out of keeping with what the side could do.[1][7]

The statue of Don Revie outside Elland Road
The Don Revie statue at Elland Road. Revie told Billy Bremner after the defeat that Leeds would be back. Jake · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ron Yeats collected the trophy from Queen Elizabeth II. The newsreel cameras found Prince Philip, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Field Marshal Montgomery in the royal box, and the Kop singing the song that gave the afternoon its only agreed line. Something close to half a million people met the team when it got home. Three days after that, Liverpool played Inter Milan at Anfield in the semi-final of the European Cup, paraded the cup before kick-off and won 3-1, then lost the second leg in Milan and went out.[9][10][1]

The statue of Bill Shankly outside Anfield
The Bill Shankly statue at Anfield, photographed in 2018. Shankly called the 1965 win his greatest moment in management. Rodhullandemu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

This final is often produced as the argument that finally brought substitutes into English football, and the timing does not quite support the claim. The Football League had already decided to allow one substitute for an injured player from the start of 1965-66, and Keith Peacock of Charlton Athletic came on at Bolton that August. The FA Cup itself did not follow until 1966-67. The competition that had just watched a man play two hours with a broken collarbone therefore staged one more substitute-free final, in 1966, before anything changed.[15][1][16]

How the match unfolded

  1. 15:00Kick-off. Bobby Collins wins the toss and elects to change ends, so Liverpool kick off.[7][1]
  2. first five minutesGerry Byrne and Bobby Collins collide. Byrne breaks his collarbone and stays on, because no substitute of any kind is allowed. Norman Hunter is hurt in the same passage of play.[1][7][16]
  3. 25'Heavy rain begins to fall.[7]
  4. half-timeGoalless. The Royal Marines band takes the pitch.[9][7]
  5. full-timeStill goalless after ninety minutes. The final goes to extra time for the first time since 1947.[1][3][7]
  6. 93'Willie Stevenson releases Byrne on the overlap and his cross from the byline is headed in by Roger Hunt.[4][7][3]
  7. 100'Hunter's long ball is headed down by Jack Charlton and Billy Bremner volleys past Tommy Lawrence to level it.[1][5][7]
  8. 111'Tommy Smith finds Ian Callaghan, who beats Willie Bell to the byline, and Ian St John dives to head the winner.[4][6][7]
  9. after the matchRon Yeats collects the trophy from Queen Elizabeth II and Liverpool take a lap of honour.[9][1]

Match facts

Date
Saturday 1 May 1965
Venue
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance
100,000Given as 100,000 by every account consulted, which is the Wembley capacity figure of the period rather than a separately published turnstile return.[1][5][4]
Referee
William (Bill) Clements (Birmingham County FA)[1][5][9]
Scorers
Roger Hunt 93'
Billy Bremner 100'
Ian St John 111'[4][3][2]
Half-time
0-0
Competition
1964-65 FA Cup

Where they played

Both sides as they lined up. Choose any player to read what they did in this final.

Liverpool · 4-4-2
1Lawrence2Lawler3Smith4Yeats5Byrne6Callaghan7Strong8Stevenson9Thompson10Hunt11John
Leeds United · 4-4-2
1Sprake2Reaney3Charlton4Hunter5Bell6Giles7Bremner8Collins9Johanneson10Storrie11Peacock

Select a shirt for that player's note.

Route to the final

Liverpool

  1. Round 3: West Bromwich Albion (a) won 2-1
  2. Round 4: Stockport County (h) drew 1-1, replay (a) won 2-0
  3. Round 5: Bolton Wanderers (a) won 1-0
  4. Round 6: Leicester City (a) drew 0-0, replay (h) won 1-0
  5. Semi-final: Chelsea (Villa Park) won 2-0

Leeds United

  1. Round 3: Southport (h) won 3-0
  2. Round 4: Everton (h) drew 1-1, replay (a) won 2-1
  3. Round 5: Shrewsbury Town (h) won 2-0
  4. Round 6: Crystal Palace (a) won 3-0
  5. Semi-final: Manchester United (Hillsborough) drew 0-0, replay (City Ground) won 1-0

Line-ups

Liverpool · 4-4-2

  1. Tommy Lawrence Goalkeeper
  2. Chris Lawler Right back, in his first season as a first-choice full back
  3. Tommy Smith Centre back, sweeping up while wearing the number 10 shirt
  4. Ron Yeats Centre half and captain, who collected the trophy
  5. Gerry Byrne Left back, who broke his collarbone in the opening minutes and played on to the end of extra time
  6. Ian Callaghan Right side, crossed for the winning goal
  7. Geoff Strong Midfield, in the side because Gordon Milne was injured
  8. Willie Stevenson Midfield, released Byrne for the opening goal
  9. Peter Thompson Left side
  10. Roger Hunt Forward, headed the opening goal in the 93rd minute
  11. Ian St John Forward, headed the winner in the 111th minute
Manager: Bill Shankly · Captain: Ron Yeats

Leeds United · 4-4-2

  1. Gary Sprake Goalkeeper, widely rated the outstanding player on the day
  2. Paul Reaney Right back
  3. Jack Charlton Centre half, headed down the ball for the equaliser
  4. Norman Hunter Centre back, hurt in the same early collision that broke Byrne's collarbone
  5. Willie Bell Left back
  6. Johnny Giles Right side
  7. Billy Bremner Midfield, scored Leeds' goal and was pushed forward as the match wore on
  8. Bobby Collins Midfield and captain, the reigning Footballer of the Year
  9. Albert Johanneson Left wing, the first Black player to appear in an FA Cup final
  10. Jim Storrie Forward, hampered by an ankle injury and moved out to the right
  11. Alan Peacock Centre forward
Manager: Don Revie · Captain: Bobby Collins

Trivia and detail

How well do you know the 1965 final?

Five questions. Every answer is sourced from the material on this page.

  1. What did Gerry Byrne do in the opening minutes and play on with?

    Answer

    Broke his collarbone. No substitutes of any kind were allowed, so leaving the field would have cost Liverpool a man. Shankly chose not to tell him what he had done, and he crossed for the opening goal.[1][16][13]

  2. Who became the first Black player to appear in an FA Cup final?

    Answer

    Albert Johanneson. The Leeds left winger, who was racially abused before kick-off and had a poor match. The FA and Leeds United both record the first, and his medal is now at the National Football Museum.[12][17][14]

  3. Why did this final go to extra time for the first time since 1947?

    Answer

    It was goalless after ninety minutes. Nothing was scored in normal time. Liverpool had much the better of it but Gary Sprake kept Leeds level.[1][3][7]

  4. Which goal in this final is timed identically by every source?

    Answer

    Roger Hunt's, at 93 minutes. Bremner's goal is given as anything from the 99th minute to the 102nd, and St John's as the 111th, 113th or 117th. Only Hunt's 93rd minute is agreed everywhere.[4][6][5]

  5. How many goals did Liverpool score in the whole of their 1965 cup run?

    Answer

    Eleven. Eleven goals from eight matches, replays included, and never more than two in any single tie.[2][3]

What is not settled

Honesty matters more than tidiness. These details are contested or unrecorded, and we have not guessed at them:

How we know

Every claim on this page is tied to a numbered source below. These are the contemporary records behind it, each one fetched and matched word for word before publication rather than taken on trust:

Where a primary record and a modern account disagree, we show both rather than choosing the tidier number.

Sources

  1. 1965 FA Cup final · Wikipedia
  2. England - FA Challenge Cup 1964-1965, round by round · Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  3. FA Cup Final 1965 (archived match report and round-by-round results) · fa-cupfinals.co.uk, via the Internet Archive
  4. Liverpool 2-1 Leeds United, FA Cup Final, 1 May 1965 (match archive) · LFCHistory.net
  5. Leeds United v Liverpool, 01 May 1965 (match record) · AFS Enterprises / 11v11
  6. Liverpool v Leeds United 2-1 (FA Cup Final: May 1, 1965) · Play Up, Liverpool
  7. 1 May 1965 - Liverpool 2 Leeds United 1 · The Definitive History of Leeds United
  8. FA Cup Finals 1960-1969 · Historical Football Kits
  9. The Cup Final - Liverpool Vs. Leeds 1965 (1965), FILM ID 1796.22 (archive film and catalogue synopsis) · British Pathe (official YouTube catalogue)
  10. HOW THEY WON AT WEMBLEY (THE CUP FINAL 1965), story 89649 rushes (archive film and catalogue synopsis) · British Movietone / AP Archive (official YouTube catalogue)
  11. HOW THEY WON AT WEMBLEY (THE CUP FINAL 1965) - COLOUR (archive film and catalogue synopsis) · British Movietone / AP Archive (official YouTube catalogue)
  12. Football remembers Albert Johanneson with special presentation in Manchester · The Football Association
  13. FA extremely saddened by the death of Gerry Byrne · The Football Association
  14. Albert Johanneson: first black footballer to play in the FA Cup final · The Guardian
  15. Fifty years of substitutions in football: from necessary novelties to tactical tools · The Guardian / When Saturday Comes
  16. No.2: Winning the FA Cup for the first time in 1965 · Liverpool FC
  17. On this day: Albert Johanneson makes his Leeds United debut · Leeds United FC
  18. Jimmy Milne · Spartacus Educational

Elsewhere on WhatChan

Football on TV today Is there FA Cup football on right now? Every live match in the UK, with the channel, updated every morning. The 2026/27 FA Cup guide Every round from the extra preliminary to the Wembley final, with dates, prize money and how to watch. Every final ever played The full encyclopedia, 1965 included, from 1872 to today. WhatChan Football's Favourite Friend: an independent, free guide to football on television.