2019-20 FA Cup · The Final
2020 FA Cup Final: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
The final was played in an empty stadium, so the Football Association rewrote its own referee appointment rule and the trophy presentation.
Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the first FA Cup final ever staged behind closed doors, winning a record fourteenth cup and saving their season.
Saturday 1 August 2020 · Wembley Stadium
What you will not find elsewhere
Anthony Taylor became the first repeat FA Cup final referee in 119 years, because the stadium would be empty
The Football Association's appointment announcement for this final is unusually candid. FA Referees' Committee chairman David Elleray explained that a Cup Final appointment is normally a once-in-a-career honour, shared with family and friends. Because the 2020 final would be held in an empty stadium, the committee decided it would be unfair to appoint a first-timer and instead gave Anthony Taylor his second final, making him the first person to referee two since Arthur Kingscott in 1901.[2]
The trophy was presented on the pitch, not from the Royal Box
As part of the COVID-19 precautions, the FA announced before the match that there would be no presentation party and that the cup would be handed to the winning captain on the pitch. That is how Aubameyang came to drop it in front of his team-mates: in any other year the lift would have happened on the steps of the Royal Box.[3][1]
Christian Pulisic was the first United States international to score in an FA Cup final
Pulisic's fifth-minute goal was the first by a United States men's national team international in an FA Cup final. The FA's match report describes the move; ESPN and other outlets frame the landmark explicitly. It is a narrow claim, limited to the competition's final match, but it is the one moment of the afternoon that produced a record no earlier player had set.[1][14]
The footage
The match report
The 2020 FA Cup final was supposed to be played on 23 May. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed it to 1 August, made it the latest final in the competition's calendar, and meant it was staged at an empty Wembley. The Football Association called it the Heads Up FA Cup Final, dedicating the match to a mental health campaign led by the Duke of Cambridge. Emeli Sande sang Abide with Me from the stadium roof, the national anthem was performed live by the British Youth Opera with the Massed Bands of the Household Division, and there was no presentation party: the trophy would be handed over on the pitch.[3][5][6]
Chelsea began as though the empty seats did not matter. Christian Pulisic gave them the lead after five minutes, collecting the ball from Reece James, feeding Mason Mount, and finishing after Olivier Giroud's back-heel. It was the first goal by a United States international in an FA Cup final. Pulisic then forced a save from Emiliano Martinez and looked capable of running the game until Arsenal settled.[1][14]
Arsenal's equaliser came from a long ball over the top. Kieran Tierney found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in behind Cesar Azpilicueta, the Chelsea captain brought him down, and Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty. VAR upheld the decision, Azpilicueta was booked, and Aubameyang sent Willy Caballero the wrong way. Within minutes Azpilicueta was off with a hamstring injury, replaced by Andreas Christensen, and Chelsea reached the break level but diminished.[1][13][5]
The second half began with another Chelsea injury. Pulisic pulled up while running at the Arsenal defence and was replaced by Pedro. Arsenal took the lead midway through the half when Hector Bellerin drove forward, Christensen's challenge diverted the ball to Nicolas Pepe, and Pepe slid it across for Aubameyang to beat Kurt Zouma and chip Caballero. Chelsea's hopes of a comeback ended with about a quarter of an hour remaining, when Mateo Kovacic collected a second yellow card for a foul on Granit Xhaka and was sent off.[1][5]
Frank Lampard threw on substitutes but could not change the momentum. Pedro went down with a shoulder injury in stoppage time and was stretchered off in his final appearance for the club. After fourteen minutes of added time, Arsenal had their fourteenth FA Cup, extending the record they already held. Aubameyang was named man of the match, though he dropped the trophy while carrying it to his team-mates.[1][5][4][8][12]
For Mikel Arteta, appointed in December to replace Unai Emery, it was a first managerial trophy only eight months into the job. It also kept Arsenal in European football: as winners they entered the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, and they went on to beat Liverpool on penalties in the FA Community Shield later in August. For Chelsea, who had finished fourth in the Premier League, the defeat meant a third FA Cup final loss to Arsenal, after 2002 and 2017.[1][6][4][5][7]
How the match unfolded
- 5'Chelsea take the lead. Christian Pulisic collects the ball from Reece James, threads a pass to Mason Mount on the left, and when Mount's low cross is back-heeled by Olivier Giroud in the box, Pulisic is there to clip it past Emiliano Martinez. The FA's report times it after five minutes; the match details give the fifth minute.[1][5]
- 13'Mateo Kovacic is shown a yellow card for a foul on Granit Xhaka.[1][5]
- 28'Arsenal equalise from the penalty spot. Kieran Tierney's long pass sends Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang clear of Cesar Azpilicueta, who brings him down. Anthony Taylor points to the spot, the decision is upheld by VAR, and Aubameyang sends Willy Caballero the wrong way.[1][13][5]
- 35'Cesar Azpilicueta goes down with a hamstring injury and is replaced by Andreas Christensen, Chelsea's first change.[1][5]
- 45'Fourth official Chris Kavanagh indicates four minutes of added time. Mason Mount is booked before the interval.[1][5]
- 49'Christian Pulisic pulls up with a hamstring injury seconds after the restart and is helped off, replaced by Pedro.[1][13][5]
- 67'Arsenal take the lead. Hector Bellerin drives forward, Andreas Christensen's challenge sends the ball loose to Nicolas Pepe, who slides it across for Aubameyang to skip past Kurt Zouma and lift a left-footed finish over Caballero.[1][13][5]
- 73'Chelsea are reduced to ten men. Mateo Kovacic receives a second yellow card for a foul on Granit Xhaka and is sent off.[1][5]
- 78'Frank Lampard makes a triple substitution: Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham replace Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Olivier Giroud.[1][5]
- 82'Arsenal send on Eddie Nketiah in place of Alexandre Lacazette.[1]
- 88'David Luiz goes off with a leg injury and Sokratis Papastathopoulos replaces him.[1][5]
- 90'Seven minutes of added time are signalled. A corner from Pedro is gathered by Martinez before Pedro is attended to for a shoulder injury and leaves on a stretcher.[13][5][12]
- full-timeThe referee blows after fourteen minutes of stoppage time. Arsenal win 2-1 and claim a record fourteenth FA Cup.[1][4]
Match facts
- Date
- Saturday 1 August 2020
- Venue
- Wembley Stadium, London
- Half-time
- 1-1
- Competition
- 2019-20 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
Arsenal
- Third round: Leeds United (h) won 1-0
- Fourth round: Bournemouth (a) won 2-1
- Fifth round: Portsmouth (a) won 2-0
- Quarter-final: Sheffield United (a) won 2-1
- Semi-final: Manchester City (Wembley) won 2-0
Chelsea
- Third round: Nottingham Forest (h) won 2-0
- Fourth round: Hull City (a) won 2-1
- Fifth round: Liverpool (h) won 2-0
- Quarter-final: Leicester City (a) won 1-0
- Semi-final: Manchester United (Wembley) won 3-1
Line-ups
Arsenal · 3-4-3
- Emiliano Martinez Goalkeeper
- Rob Holding Right of the back three
- David Luiz Centre of the back three. Off injured late in the match
- Kieran Tierney Left of the back three. His long pass created the penalty
- Hector Bellerin Right wing-back. His run started the move for the winning goal
- Dani Ceballos Central midfield. Booked in the second half
- Granit Xhaka Central midfield. Fouled twice by Mateo Kovacic
- Ainsley Maitland-Niles Left wing-back
- Nicolas Pepe Right of the front three. Had a goal disallowed for offside and assisted the winner
- Alexandre Lacazette Centre forward. Replaced before the end
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Captain. Scored both goals and was named man of the match
Chelsea · 3-4-3
- Willy Caballero Goalkeeper
- Cesar Azpilicueta Captain. Conceded the penalty and went off injured before half-time
- Kurt Zouma Centre of the back three
- Antonio Rudiger Left of the back three. Replaced late
- Reece James Right wing-back
- Jorginho Central midfield
- Mateo Kovacic Central midfield. Sent off for two bookable offences
- Marcos Alonso Left wing-back
- Mason Mount Right of the front three. Booked and replaced
- Olivier Giroud Centre forward. Assisted Pulisic's goal
- Christian Pulisic Left of the front three. Scored the opening goal and went off injured
Trivia and detail
- This was the first FA Cup final to be played behind closed doors. The Football Association announced in July 2020 that it would be staged without spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][5]
- Anthony Taylor had also refereed the 2017 FA Cup final between the same two clubs. He became the first person to referee two FA Cup finals since Arthur Kingscott in 1901.[2]
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dropped the FA Cup while carrying it across the pitch to his team-mates before the formal lifting. The base came off and had to be reattached.[8]
- Christian Pulisic was the first United States men's national team international to score in an FA Cup final.[14][1]
- Arsenal's victory was their fourteenth FA Cup win, extending the record they already held. It was also their twenty-first final appearance, more than any other club.[1][4]
- Mikel Arteta won his first trophy as Arsenal manager only eight months after taking charge. He had previously captained the club to the 2014 FA Cup.[1][6]
- The match was broadcast by both BBC and BT Sport in the United Kingdom. BBC's coverage drew 8.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched football match of the 2019-20 season in Britain.[9][10]
- Chelsea had beaten Arsenal in the 2019 UEFA Europa League final. Arsenal's 2020 FA Cup win made it three FA Cup final victories over Chelsea, after 2002 and 2017.[11][13]
How well do you know the 2020 final?
Five questions. Every answer is sourced from the material on this page.
-
Who scored Chelsea's opening goal in the 2020 FA Cup final?
-
Which Arsenal player scored both of his side's goals?
-
Why was the attendance recorded as zero?
-
Which Chelsea player was sent off in the second half?
-
What was unusual about the FA's appointment of referee Anthony Taylor?
Answer
It was his second FA Cup final. Taylor had refereed the 2017 final and became the first person to take charge of two FA Cup finals since Arthur Kingscott in 1901.[2]
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 Pulisic's opening goal is given as the fifth minute by the match details and as 'after just five minutes' by the FA's report. We record five.
- The FA's match report says Azpilicueta went off 'shortly after' the penalty, which is placed at 28 minutes; Wikipedia and Sky give 35. We record 35.
- The length of added time at the end of the match is reported as fourteen minutes by Wikipedia and 'seven minutes' were initially signalled. We record both.
- Whether the 2020 final was genuinely the first without any crowd is hard to verify. The FA's report says it was the first time there had been no crowd 'in 132 attempts', but the basis of that count is unclear. We use the safer formulation that it was the first final staged behind closed doors.
- No footage has been verified for this final yet, so the television shows no signal rather than an unchecked embed.
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 official match report, 1 August 2020 · The Football Association
- The FA, 22 July 2020, match officials announcement · The Football Association
- The FA, 29 July 2020, pre-final schedule and Heads Up campaign · The Football Association
- Arsenal.com official match report by Rob Kelly, 1 August 2020 · Arsenal Football Club
- Chelsea FC official match report, 1 August 2020 · Chelsea Football Club
Where a primary record and a modern account disagree, we show both rather than choosing the tidier number.
Sources
- 2020 Heads Up FA Cup Final: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea · The Football Association
- Referee Anthony Taylor and his team will take charge of the Heads Up FA Cup Final · The Football Association
- The schedule for Saturday's Heads Up FA Cup Final at Wembley has been revealed · The Football Association
- Match report: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea · Arsenal Football Club
- FA Cup final match report: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2 · Chelsea Football Club
- FA Cup final 2020: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea - Aubameyang double secures victory · BBC Sport
- Arsenal 1-1 (5-4 pens) Liverpool: Gunners win on penalties · BBC Sport
- Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang drops FA Cup after beating Chelsea · Football.London
- FA Cup final nets 9.1m viewers for BBC · SportsPro
- FA Cup Final Becomes Most Watched Football Match of the Season · 90min
- Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal: Europa League final report · ESPN
- 2020 FA Cup final · Wikipedia
- Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double settles FA Cup final · Sky Sports
- FA Cup final: Chelsea's Pulisic scores, injures hamstring vs. Arsenal · ESPN