2012-13 FA Cup · The Final
2013 FA Cup Final: Wigan Athletic 1-0 Manchester City
This is the only FA Cup final in which the winning club was relegated from the top flight in the same season, and the winning goal was scored by a substitute who had spent most of the year out with a broken leg.
Wigan Athletic won the FA Cup for the first time by beating Manchester City with a stoppage-time header, then were relegated from the Premier League three days later.
Saturday 11 May 2013 · Wembley Stadium
What you will not find elsewhere
Wigan became the first club to win the FA Cup and be relegated from the top tier in the same season
Three days after lifting the trophy at Wembley, Wigan Athletic lost 4-1 at Arsenal and were relegated from the Premier League. No club had won the FA Cup and dropped out of the top flight in the same campaign before; none has done so since. The sequence - a Saturday triumph, a Monday managerial sacking at the beaten finalists, and a Tuesday relegation for the winners - made the 2012-13 season unlike any other in the competition's history.[2][6]
The goalscorer had missed most of the season with a broken leg
The convenient summary of the 2013 final is that a substitute came off the bench to settle a tight match. Ben Watson was indeed a substitute, introduced in the 81st minute, but the fuller story is that he had broken his leg in November and spent most of the season on the sidelines. The Football Association's own retrospective records that he bounced back and came off the bench with ten minutes to go to shock Roberto Mancini's expensively-assembled squad. A player returning from a serious injury to score the winning goal is not the same thing as a fresh squad player doing it.[3][2]
The final kicked off at 17:15, before the end of the league season
The 2013 final was played before the last round of Premier League fixtures, and its 17:15 kick-off broke with the traditional afternoon slot. Supporters' groups from both clubs objected that the timing made it difficult to get back to the north-west by train after the match, and the issue was raised in the House of Commons through an early day motion.[7][6]
The footage
The match report
Wigan Athletic won the FA Cup for the first time on Saturday 11 May 2013, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the 132nd final of the competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium in front of 86,254 spectators and was settled by a stoppage-time header from substitute Ben Watson. It was, by almost every contemporary judgement, the biggest upset in the competition since Wimbledon beat Liverpool in 1988.[1][2][4]
The contrast between the two clubs could hardly have been sharper. Manchester City, champions of England the previous season and already assured of second place in the Premier League, were overwhelming favourites. Wigan Athletic were eighteenth in the table, 40 points behind City, and fighting to avoid relegation with only two league matches remaining. The final was also played at 17:15 BST, before the last round of league fixtures and outside the traditional afternoon kick-off slot, a decision that drew criticism from supporters of both clubs.[6][2][7]
Both managers were the subject of intense speculation before kick-off. Roberto Mancini's position at City had been under scrutiny for months, with reports on the morning of the final suggesting Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini had already been lined up to replace him. Across the dugout, Roberto Martinez was widely linked with the forthcoming vacancy at Everton. On the pitch, Mancini made one unexpected call: despite Costel Pantilimon having been City's FA Cup goalkeeper throughout the run, Joe Hart started in goal. Wigan owner Dave Whelan, who had broken his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final, led the team out alongside Martinez.[2][6][1]
Wigan were the better side in the first half. Callum McManaman, playing on the right, cut inside and curled a left-foot shot wide after nine minutes when a first-time effort might have been the better choice. Manchester City's best chances fell to Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri, but Joel Robles saved from Tevez after he was set up by Nasri and David Silva, and then kept out efforts from Gareth Barry and Nasri before the interval. It was goalless at half-time.[2][1]
Manchester City began the second period with more purpose and Emmerson Boyce produced a crucial block to deny Sergio Aguero within five minutes of the restart. Mancini sent on James Milner for Nasri after 54 minutes and Jack Rodwell for Tevez in the 69th minute, but City never found a rhythm. McManaman remained the game's most threatening player, and it took a fine block from Vincent Kompany to stop another of his runs. The decisive moment came with six minutes of normal time left, when Pablo Zabaleta pulled McManaman down on the edge of the area and was shown a second yellow card, having been booked just after the hour.[2][1]
Wigan had already introduced Ben Watson for Jordi Gomez in the 81st minute. In the first minute of stoppage time they won a corner on the left. Shaun Maloney swung it to the near post, Watson got away from Jack Rodwell and glanced a header past Joe Hart into the far corner. The substitute, who had broken his leg in November and missed most of the season, had scored the winner. There was barely time for City to respond; Edin Dzeko came on for Barry at 90+2, but the final whistle confirmed a 1-0 victory.[1][2][3]
The consequences followed quickly. Manchester City sacked Roberto Mancini two days after the final, with the club stating that he had failed to achieve any of the season's targets apart from Champions League qualification. Three days after the final, Wigan lost 4-1 at Arsenal and were relegated from the Premier League, becoming the first club to win the FA Cup and be relegated from the top tier in the same season. Martinez left for Everton in June and was replaced at Wigan by Owen Coyle.[6][2]
The FA's own review later ranked the highlights of the final as the eighth most popular FATV video of 2013, and Wigan's victory is still routinely cited as the biggest FA Cup final upset of the modern era. For Wigan it was the only major trophy in the club's first 81 years. For Manchester City it was the end of a season that had promised much and delivered only a place in the following season's Champions League.[5][6]
How the match unfolded
- 9'Callum McManaman cuts inside from the right and curls a left-foot shot wide of the far post when well placed.[2][1]
- 29'Joel Robles saves with an outstretched leg from Carlos Tevez after he was played in by Samir Nasri and David Silva.[2][1]
- 41'Robles keeps out a curling strike from Gareth Barry and then saves from Nasri before half-time.[1][2]
- 47'Emmerson Boyce produces a crucial block to deny Sergio Aguero within five minutes of the restart.[2][1]
- 54'Manchester City make the first substitution, James Milner replacing Samir Nasri.[1][6]
- 60'Pablo Zabaleta is shown the first yellow card of the final for a foul on Callum McManaman.[1][6]
- 69'Jack Rodwell replaces Carlos Tevez as City try to find a way through.[1][2]
- 75'Matija Nastasic is booked for a foul on McManaman.[1][6]
- 81'Wigan bring on Ben Watson for Jordi Gomez.[1][2]
- 84'Pablo Zabaleta is sent off for a second yellow card after pulling McManaman down on the edge of the area.[1][2]
- 91'Ben Watson meets Shaun Maloney's near-post corner with a glanced header past Joe Hart to give Wigan the lead.[1][2][3]
- 92'Edin Dzeko replaces Gareth Barry as City chase an equaliser.[1][2]
- 93'Joel Robles is booked for time-wasting.[1][6]
Match facts
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
Wigan Athletic
- Third round: AFC Bournemouth (h) drew 1-1, replay (a) won 1-0
- Fourth round: Macclesfield Town (a) won 1-0
- Fifth round: Huddersfield Town (a) won 4-1
- Quarter-final: Everton (a) won 3-0
- Semi-final: Millwall (Wembley) won 2-0
Manchester City
- Third round: Watford (h) won 3-0
- Fourth round: Stoke City (a) won 1-0
- Fifth round: Leeds United (h) won 4-0
- Quarter-final: Barnsley (h) won 5-0
- Semi-final: Chelsea (Wembley) won 2-1
Line-ups
Wigan Athletic · 3-4-2-1
- Joel Robles Goalkeeper; made a string of first-half saves to keep Wigan level
- Emmerson Boyce Captain, right of the back three; produced a crucial block on Aguero early in the second half
- Paul Scharner Centre of the back three
- Antolin Alcaraz Left of the back three, returned to the side after a torn hamstring
- Roger Espinoza Left wing-back
- James McCarthy Central midfield
- James McArthur Central midfield
- Jordi Gomez Midfield; replaced by Watson after 81 minutes
- Callum McManaman Man of the match; City's biggest problem all afternoon and won the free-kick that led to the red card
- Shaun Maloney Took the corner from which Watson scored the winner
- Arouna Kone Striker
Manchester City · 4-2-3-1
- Joe Hart Goalkeeper; preferred to Costel Pantilimon, who had played in every previous FA Cup round
- Pablo Zabaleta Right back; sent off for two yellow cards
- Vincent Kompany Captain, centre back
- Matija Nastasic Centre back; booked for a foul on McManaman
- Gael Clichy Left back
- Yaya Toure Central midfield
- Gareth Barry Central midfield; booked late on and replaced in stoppage time
- David Silva Attacking midfield
- Samir Nasri Attacking midfield; replaced by Milner after 54 minutes
- Carlos Tevez Attacking midfield; replaced by Rodwell after 69 minutes
- Sergio Aguero Striker
Trivia and detail
- Wigan owner Dave Whelan had broken his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[2][6]
- Ben Watson, the match-winner, had broken his leg in November 2012 and missed most of the season before returning for the final run-in.[3][2]
- Pablo Zabaleta became only the third player to be sent off in an FA Cup final, after Kevin Moran in 1985 and Jose Antonio Reyes in 2005.[6]
- The FA Cup was jointly lifted by Wigan's playing captain Emmerson Boyce and club captain Gary Caldwell, who was an unused substitute.[6][2]
- Wigan became the first club to win the FA Cup and be relegated from the top tier of English football in the same season.[6][2]
- Manchester City had won both Premier League meetings between the sides during the 2012-13 season, 2-0 at the DW Stadium and 1-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium.[6]
How well do you know the 2013 final?
Five questions. Every answer is sourced from the material on this page.
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Who scored Wigan Athletic's winning goal in the 2013 FA Cup final?
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Which Manchester City player was sent off in the 2013 FA Cup final?
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What was the final score of the 2013 FA Cup final?
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Who was named man of the match in the 2013 FA Cup final?
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What happened to Wigan Athletic three days after winning the 2013 FA Cup?
What is not settled
Honesty matters more than tidiness. These details are contested or unrecorded, and we have not guessed at them:
- The exact minute of Manchester City's first substitution is reported differently: the Wembley Stadium match report times James Milner's introduction at 55 minutes, while the standard reference work and ESPN give 54. We have used 54.
- The kick-off temperature and weather are taken from secondary sources; we could not reach a primary meteorological record.
- Some accounts describe Ben Watson's header as a 'flick-on' rather than a 'glanced' header. We have followed the player himself and the match reports in using 'glanced'.
- The precise wording of Manchester City's statement on Roberto Mancini's dismissal is quoted variously in contemporary reports; we have used the version reported by the BBC and Wikipedia.
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:
- Official Wembley Stadium match report, 11 May 2013 · Wembley Stadium
- Phil McNulty, chief football writer, 11 May 2013 · BBC Sport
- FA interview with Ben Watson, 17 February 2016 · The Football Association
- FA retrospective, 9 April 2020 · The Football Association
- FA retrospective, 24 December 2013 · The Football Association
Where a primary record and a modern account disagree, we show both rather than choosing the tidier number.
Sources
- The FA Cup Final 2013 · Wembley Stadium
- FA Cup final: Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic · BBC Sport
- Ben Watson relives his champagne FA Cup moment · The Football Association
- Cup clash flashback: 2013 FA Cup Final · The Football Association
- FATV best of 2013 - Wigan's momentous FA Cup triumph · The Football Association
- 2013 FA Cup final · Wikipedia
- FA Cup final 2013 Manchester City v Wigan Athletic: Key info · Manchester Evening News
- Wigan Athletic vs. Manchester City: Final Score · ESPN