1971 FA Cup Final: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool

The footage

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1971

The match report

The 1971 FA Cup final was played at Wembley on Saturday 8 May 1971 between Arsenal and Liverpool. Arsenal won 2-1 after extra time, with all three goals scored in the added half-hour, to complete the club's first League and FA Cup double.[5][3][1]

Arsenal arrived at Wembley having already won the First Division title at Tottenham Hotspur on the Monday of the same week, and were chasing a feat only three clubs had managed before them. Liverpool, beaten by Arsenal in the 1950 final and winners in 1965, were led by Bill Shankly and had come through a Merseyside semi-final against Everton at Old Trafford. Because both clubs' first-choice colours were predominantly red, Arsenal changed into their away strip of yellow shirts and blue shorts.[1][2][10][6]

On a hot, sunny afternoon Frank McLintock won the toss and chose to attack the southern end first, so Arsenal would have the low late-afternoon sun behind them after the break. Liverpool made the early running, but the best chances of the first half came late: Ray Clemence made a reflex save from George Armstrong's header and Bob Wilson dived to keep out Alec Lindsay's free kick. After the interval George Graham's header from a John Radford long throw struck the crossbar and Lindsay cleared the follow-up off the line, but neither side scored in normal time.[1][4][3][6]

Two minutes into extra time Liverpool led. A move begun by Larry Lloyd deep in his own half found Steve Heighway on the left, and his low drive from the edge of the area went inside Wilson's near post. John Toshack almost made it two moments later, Wilson saving sharply, but with eleven minutes of extra time gone Arsenal levelled in a goalmouth scramble after Radford's overhead kick. The goal was officially credited to substitute Eddie Kelly, the first substitute to score in an FA Cup final, though George Graham claimed he had got the final touch.[1][3][4][5]

The winner came in the second period of extra time. Radford found Charlie George just outside the Liverpool area and his powerful strike flew past Clemence into the top corner; George then lay flat on his back with arms outstretched until his team-mates picked him up, the image for which the final is remembered. The match closed in the spirit in which it had been played: when Chris Lawler went down with cramp late on, two Arsenal players helped him stretch it out, and Liverpool were applauded by both sets of supporters as they took a lap of honour.[1][3][4]

Frank McLintock lifted the cup, presented by the president of the Football Association, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Arsenal had their double at the end of a 64-match season. The familiar account of the match is mostly right but not entirely: the equaliser is recorded as Kelly's even though the identity of the scorer is genuinely disputed, and the winning goal is timed slightly differently depending on the source.[1][3]

How the match unfolded

1. 41'Ray Clemence makes a reflex save to keep out George Armstrong's header, the best chance of a first half Liverpool largely control.[1]
2. 44'Bob Wilson answers with a fine diving save from Alec Lindsay's free kick.[1]
3. 64'Eddie Kelly replaces a limping Peter Storey for Arsenal. Liverpool send on Peter Thompson for Alun Evans shortly afterwards.[1]
4. 77'George Graham's header from a John Radford long throw hits the crossbar, and Lindsay clears the follow-up off the line.[1][4]
5. full-timeGoalless after 90 minutes on a hot afternoon, and the final goes to extra time.[1][3][6]
6. 92'Steve Heighway puts Liverpool ahead. A move begun by Larry Lloyd deep in his own half finds Heighway on the left, and his low drive beats Wilson at his near post.[3][4][6]
7. 101'Arsenal level in a goalmouth scramble after Radford's overhead kick. The goal is officially credited to substitute Eddie Kelly, the first by a substitute in an FA Cup final, but George Graham claimed the final touch and television footage supports him.[1][3][4][5]
8. 111'Charlie George wins the cup, driving Radford's pass past Clemence from outside the area, then lies flat on his back with arms outstretched in the final's defining celebration.[1][3][4][6]
9. full-time (after extra time)Arsenal win 2-1 to complete the League and FA Cup double. When Chris Lawler goes down with cramp late on, two Arsenal players help him stretch it out, and Liverpool are applauded by both sets of supporters on a lap of honour.[1]

Match facts

Date

Saturday 8 May 1971

Venue

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance

100,000Given as 100,000 by LFChistory's match archive, the BBC's archive report and the FA Cup Finals match page.[5][3][4]

Referee

Norman Burtenshaw (Great Yarmouth)[5][1]

Scorers

Steve Heighway 92'
Eddie Kelly 101'
Charlie George 111'[5][3][4]

Half-time

0-0

Competition

1970-71 FA Cup

Where they played

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

Select a shirt for that player's note.

Route to the final

Line-ups

Trivia and detail

• The 1971 final was the last FA Cup final to be commentated on by Kenneth Wolstenholme.[1]
• The final was shown live on both BBC1 and ITV, the two networks sharing the rights at the time.[2]
• In this era a third-place play-off was held between the losing semi-finalists: Stoke City beat Everton 3-2 at Selhurst Park the day before the final.[2]
• Arsenal drew 2-2 with Stoke City at Hillsborough in the semi-final, Peter Storey scoring twice, before winning the replay 2-0 at Villa Park.[2]
• The FA's own account of super-subs singles out Eddie Kelly's equaliser as the moment Bertie Mee's wildcard had maximum impact, while noting the day is best remembered for Charlie George's winner and his flat-on-the-back celebration.[8]
• Liverpool's shorts carried an embroidered Umbro diamond, the first time a maker's logo had appeared in an FA Cup final.[6]
• The BBC's television coverage of the final was later released on DVD as part of its FA Cup Final Classics series, paired with Arsenal's win over Manchester United in 1979.[1]

How well do you know the 1971 final?

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

1. Who scored Arsenal's winning goal in the 1971 FA Cup final?

   Charlie GeorgeGeorge GrahamJohn RadfordRay Kennedy
   Answer

   Charlie George. George drove John Radford's pass past Ray Clemence from outside the area in the second period of extra time, then celebrated by lying flat on his back with arms outstretched.[1][3][4]

2. Who scored Liverpool's goal in the 1971 final?

   Steve HeighwayJohn ToshackAlun EvansEmlyn Hughes
   Answer

   Steve Heighway. Heighway put Liverpool ahead two minutes into extra time with a low drive that beat Bob Wilson at his near post.[3][4]

3. Who is officially credited with Arsenal's equaliser, making him the first substitute to score in an FA Cup final?

   Eddie KellyGeorge GrahamCharlie GeorgePeter Storey
   Answer

   Eddie Kelly. The goal is officially Kelly's, though George Graham claimed the final touch and television footage supports him - a dispute this page records rather than resolves.[1][5][4]

4. Why did Arsenal play the 1971 final in yellow shirts and blue shorts?

   Their red home colours clashed with Liverpool's stripYellow was considered lucky after earlier cup winsTheir home kit was lost in transitThe FA required both finalists to wear change kits
   Answer

   Their red home colours clashed with Liverpool's strip. Liverpool's all-red strip clashed with Arsenal's red and white home colours, so Arsenal wore their away strip of yellow shirt and blue shorts.[1][6]

5. What had Arsenal already won, five days before the 1971 final, to set up the double?

   The First Division title, at Tottenham HotspurThe League Cup, against Leeds UnitedThe European Cup, against AjaxThe Charity Shield, against Everton
   Answer

   The First Division title, at Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal won the league at White Hart Lane on the Monday of cup final week, and Saturday's win over Liverpool completed the club's first League and FA Cup double.[1][2]

What is not settled

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

• The scorer of Arsenal's equaliser is disputed. It is officially credited to substitute Eddie Kelly - making him the first substitute to score in an FA Cup final - but George Graham claimed the final touch, the BBC's archive report repeats his claim, the FA Cup Finals match account says Graham appeared to run the ball over the line, and the match article records that television footage supports Graham.
• The minute of Charlie George's winning goal is not fully settled. The standard record gives the 111th minute; the BBC's archive report describes it as coming with eight minutes left, which would place it a minute later. We record 111.
• Because the equaliser's attribution is disputed, the oft-repeated claim that Kelly was the first substitute to score in an FA Cup final stands or falls with it; the FA's own super-subs retrospective repeats the credit to Kelly without addressing the dispute.
• No video has been verified for this page yet; candidates are listed in the proposals file.

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:

• The FA's pick of the competition's most memorable super-sub appearances, 9 March 2017 · The Football Association
• The FA on Arsenal's Wembley history, 8 April 2014 · The Football Association
• Liverpool FC's official history of the club in the FA Cup · Liverpool FC

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

Sources

1. 1971 FA Cup final · Wikipedia
2. 1970-71 FA Cup · Wikipedia
3. 1971 - King George of Wembley · BBC Sport
4. 1971 FA Cup Final: Arsenal vs Liverpool · FA Cup Finals
5. Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal, FA Cup Final, 8 May 1971 · LFChistory.net
6. The FA Cup Finalists 1970-1979 · Historical Football Kits
7. 1971 FA Cup Final - Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1 (DVD) · Duke Video
8. Who will benefit from Emirates FA Cup quarter-final rule change? · The Football Association
9. Wembley memories - Arsenal's stadium history · The Football Association
10. FA Cup · Liverpool FC

Elsewhere in the encyclopedia

Other finals involving these clubs

• 1979 Arsenal: Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
• 1988 Liverpool: Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool
• 2012 Liverpool: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
• 2014 Arsenal: Arsenal 3-2 Hull City
• 2015 Arsenal: Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa
• 2017 Arsenal: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Other finals at Wembley Stadium

• 1923 Bolton Wanderers 2-0 West Ham United
• 1953 Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers
• 1973 Sunderland 1-0 Leeds United
• 1979 Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
• 1987 Coventry City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
• 1988 Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool

Elsewhere on WhatChan