2022 FA Cup Final: Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea (won 6-5 on penalties)

The footage

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2022

The match report

Chelsea reached this final as a football club under a state asset freeze. Roman Abramovich was designated by the UK government on 10 March 2022, and because Chelsea Football Club was an entity he owned, the freeze fell on the club with him. It played the rest of the season on General Licence INT/2022/1327076, granted by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation at HM Treasury under the Russia sanctions regulations, so that, in the Treasury's own words, the club could fulfil its fixtures and carry out football business without undermining the impact of sanctions.[5][4]

The licence is a short document and it is specific. Paragraph seven lets the club sell tickets, or act as an agent in the sale of tickets, for fixtures held at a ground other than its own. Paragraph eight lets the governing body or the other participating club receive and retain the proceeds. Wembley is not Stamford Bridge, which is how Chelsea supporters came to be at this final at all, and the money they paid did not reach the club they were there to watch. The licence ran until the last day of May and had been amended three times before kick-off.[4]

It had not always been so workable. In the days after the designation Chelsea could not sell tickets for anything, and the club asked the FA to have its quarter-final at Middlesbrough played behind closed doors on grounds of sporting integrity. The request was withdrawn the same week after talks between the club and the governing body, and Chelsea won at the Riverside in front of a crowd.[11][6]

The football, meanwhile, was a rerun. These two clubs had already met in the EFL Cup final at this stadium on 27 February, and that match had also finished goalless before Liverpool won the shoot-out. The FA's own statistical briefing four days before kick-off noted that the same two sides had contested both domestic cup finals in one season only once before, when Arsenal beat Sheffield Wednesday in both in 1993.[3][7]

Liverpool lost Mohamed Salah to a groin injury after 33 minutes and Virgil van Dijk at the start of extra time, with the Champions League final against Real Madrid a fortnight away. Chances came and went at both ends. Luis Diaz, named man of the match, struck the frame of the goal twice. Marcos Alonso hit the woodwork with a free-kick. Andy Robertson, unmarked three yards out from a James Milner cross, volleyed against the post with what the FA's report called the best chance of the game.[1][6]

Chelsea took the first penalty and Alonso scored it. Cesar Azpilicueta, the club captain, on as an extra-time substitute, hit the post with the next. Liverpool converted their first four, which left Sadio Mane the chance to win the cup, and Edouard Mendy saved from his own Senegal team-mate to force sudden death. Hakim Ziyech and Diogo Jota scored. Alisson saved from Mason Mount. Kostas Tsimikas, sent on for Robertson in extra time, put the final kick low into the corner and Liverpool had the FA Cup for the eighth time.[1][9]

It was the first goalless FA Cup final since 2005, the first decided from the penalty spot since 2006, and the first at the current Wembley to be settled that way. Jurgen Klopp became the first German-born manager to win the competition, in the first FA Cup final contested by two German managers. Chelsea lost a third consecutive final, which no club had done before them.[6][3][8]

Set the season's two Wembley finals side by side and one figure stands out. Chelsea and Liverpool played 240 minutes of cup final football against each other and neither club scored. It took 36 penalty kicks across the two shoot-outs to separate them, and Chelsea lost both without ever leading in either match. Thomas Tuchel put the 240 minutes and the goalless scoreline together himself in the FA's report afterwards, and the sale of the club to the Todd Boehly and Clearlake consortium completed sixteen days later, one day before the licence expired.[1][7][4]

How the match unfolded

1. 8'Trent Alexander-Arnold slides a pass through for Luis Diaz, who runs in on goal and shoots low from the left. Edouard Mendy saves.[6][1]
2. 23'Chelsea's first real threat. Reece James finds Mason Mount on the right and Mount picks out Christian Pulisic running across the face of goal. Pulisic flicks it inches past the post.[1][6]
3. 27'Marcos Alonso is played through on the left and Alisson gets down to keep the shot out.[6][1]
4. 33'Mohamed Salah goes off with a groin injury and Diogo Jota comes on. The Champions League final in Paris is a fortnight away and Liverpool have just lost the Premier League's leading scorer.[1][6]
5. 47'Alisson saves from Pulisic again, down to his right, as Chelsea start the second half the way they finished the first.[6]
6. 48'Alonso strikes the woodwork with a dipping free-kick. The FA's report calls it the bar; Wikipedia's summary calls it the back left post.[1][6]
7. 66'N'Golo Kante replaces Mateo Kovacic as Thomas Tuchel goes for the midfield.[1][6]
8. 75'James Milner comes on for Naby Keita. He will cross for the best chance of the match and take Liverpool's first penalty.[1]
9. 83'Luis Diaz hits the outside of the post with a right-footed shot from a narrow angle.[6][1]
10. 84'The best chance of the afternoon. Milner crosses to the back post and Andy Robertson, unmarked three yards out, volleys it against the post and away.[1][6]
11. 85'Romelu Lukaku is replaced by Hakim Ziyech. Chelsea's centre-forward leaves a cup final without a goal, and Ziyech will convert in the shoot-out.[1][6]
12. 90'Diaz curls a shot just past the post in the last minute of normal time. Craig Pawson's whistle confirms the fourth Chelsea against Liverpool match of the season to end level after ninety minutes.[1][6]
13. 90'Virgil van Dijk goes off and Joel Matip comes on as extra time begins. A second Liverpool substitution forced by injury, and a second worry before Paris.[1][6]
14. 98'Roberto Firmino replaces Luis Diaz, who is named man of the match.[1][6]
15. 105'Chelsea make a double change at the start of the second period of extra time. Cesar Azpilicueta, the club captain, comes on for Trevoh Chalobah, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces Pulisic.[1]
16. 111'Kostas Tsimikas replaces Andy Robertson. Nobody watching knows it yet, but that is the substitution that wins the FA Cup.[1][6]
17. 120'Ross Barkley comes on for Loftus-Cheek with the last kick of extra time approaching, a change made with the shoot-out in mind. He scores his penalty.[1][6]
18. Shoot-outChelsea take first. Alonso scores, Azpilicueta hits the post, and after four Liverpool conversions Sadio Mane has the chance to end it. Mendy, his Senegal team-mate, saves. Sudden death: Ziyech scores, Jota scores, Alisson saves from Mount, and Tsimikas puts the last kick low into the corner.[1][9][6]

The shoot-out

Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties.[1][9][6]

Match facts

Date

Saturday 14 May 2022

Venue

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance

84,897Recorded in the FA's own post-match report and in the match details on Wikipedia. Chelsea supporters were able to buy tickets for it only because the Treasury licence under which the sanctioned club was operating permitted ticket sales for fixtures held away from its own grounds, with the proceeds going to the governing body rather than to Chelsea.[1][6][4]

Referee

Craig Pawson (Sheffield and Hallamshire FA)[2][6]

Half-time

0-0

Competition

2021-22 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

• Under the Treasury licence, the money Chelsea supporters paid for tickets to fixtures away from Stamford Bridge did not go to Chelsea. The licence allows the governing body or the opposing club to receive and retain the proceeds, with the club acting only as an agent.[4]
• The licence also froze the club's retail trade. Third parties who had bought or made Chelsea merchandise before the designation could sell off existing stock, but only on condition that no money reached the club or the designated person.[4][5]
• Two of the four men who decided the shoot-out were extra-time substitutes. Cesar Azpilicueta came on at 105 minutes and hit the post; Kostas Tsimikas came on at 111 minutes and scored the winning kick.[1][6]
• Ross Barkley was sent on as the last kick of extra time approached, a substitution made in effect to take a penalty. He took Chelsea's fourth and scored it.[1][6]
• Both keepers saved a penalty in the shoot-out and neither conceded a goal in the match itself. Edouard Mendy denied Sadio Mane, a Senegal team-mate he had won the Africa Cup of Nations with earlier that year.[1][9]
• The final was shown live on BBC One and ITV at the same time, the first FA Cup final since 1988 to be simultaneously broadcast on both channels.[6]
• The FA's preview recorded that Liverpool had won exactly half of their previous FA Cup finals, seven from fourteen, one of the lowest success rates of any club to have reached the final at least ten times. This win made it eight from fifteen.[3]
• It was the fourth Chelsea against Liverpool meeting of the season and the fourth to finish level after ninety minutes. The other three were the EFL Cup final and two league draws.[3][1]
• David Coote was fourth official here with Paul Tierney on VAR. A year later Tierney refereed the 2023 final and Coote was his video assistant, the two swapping roles between consecutive finals.[2]
• Craig Pawson said on his appointment that refereeing the FA Cup final had been a lifetime ambition, and that the final falling in the 150th anniversary year of the first one was the cherry on the top.[2]

How well do you know the 2022 final?

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

1. How was the 2022 FA Cup final decided?

   A penalty shoot-out after a goalless 120 minutesA late winner in extra timeA replay the following weekA single goal in normal time
   Answer

   A penalty shoot-out after a goalless 120 minutes. Neither club scored in normal time or extra time, and Liverpool won the shoot-out 6-5.[1][6]

2. Which club took the first kick of the shoot-out, and who took it?

   Chelsea, through Marcos AlonsoLiverpool, through James MilnerChelsea, through JorginhoLiverpool, through Thiago
   Answer

   Chelsea, through Marcos Alonso. Chelsea went first and Alonso scored. Liverpool's first kick, taken by Milner, was the second of the shoot-out.[9][6]

3. What was unusual about Chelsea's status on the day of this final?

   The club was under a UK government asset freeze and operating on a Treasury licenceThe club was in administrationThe club had been deducted points and was appealingThe club was banned from selling players only
   Answer

   The club was under a UK government asset freeze and operating on a Treasury licence. Roman Abramovich was designated in March 2022 and the club, as an entity he owned, was frozen with him. It operated under General Licence INT/2022/1327076.[5][4]

4. What record did Chelsea set by losing this final?

   The only club to lose three FA Cup finals in three consecutive seasonsThe most FA Cup final defeats overallThe first club to lose a final on penalties twiceThe longest gap between reaching two finals
   Answer

   The only club to lose three FA Cup finals in three consecutive seasons. Chelsea lost the 2020, 2021 and 2022 finals. No other club has lost three in three straight seasons.[8][6]

5. Which Liverpool player went off injured before half-time, a fortnight before the Champions League final?

   Mohamed SalahSadio ManeLuis DiazJordan Henderson
   Answer

   Mohamed Salah. Salah was replaced by Diogo Jota after 33 minutes with a groin injury. Virgil van Dijk followed him off at the start of extra time.[1][6]

What is not settled

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

• Substitution minutes differ between the FA's own match report and Wikipedia. The FA gives James Milner at 75, Joel Matip at 90, and Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek at 105; Wikipedia gives 74, 91 and 106. We follow the FA as the primary record and note the difference rather than hiding it.
• The FA's match report says Marcos Alonso hit the bar with his free-kick early in the second half. Wikipedia's summary says he hit the back left post. Something was struck; which part of the frame is not settled.
• Jorginho is recorded as captain on the day. Cesar Azpilicueta was the club captain and started on the bench, coming on in extra time. Only Wikipedia states the armband explicitly, so this is single-sourced.
• The FA's report gives the attendance as 84,897, matching Wikipedia. No independent gate figure from the stadium operator has been checked against it.
• Chelsea's fourth-round win over Plymouth Argyle is recorded here as 2-1. Some accounts note that the tie went to extra time; that has not been confirmed against a primary source and is not asserted.
• 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 by Charlie Bennett, 14 May 2022, with team sheets, referee and attendance · The Football Association
• The FA, 21 April 2022, match officials announcement for both finals · The Football Association
• The FA, 10 May 2022, Opta statistical preview published four days before the final · The Football Association
• The licence itself, as amended 11 April 2022. Paragraphs 7 and 8 cover ticket sales and proceeds; paragraph 16 gives the term · Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury
• OFSI, 10 March 2022, the government's own explanation of the designation and the licence · Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury

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

Sources

1. Liverpool clinch Emirates FA Cup glory at Wembley · The Football Association
2. Match officials confirmed for the Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women's FA Cup Finals · The Football Association
3. Opta stats: Emirates FA Cup Final · The Football Association
4. General Licence - Football Matches INT/2022/1327076 · Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury
5. Chelsea Football Club: What you need to know · Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury
6. 2022 FA Cup final · Wikipedia
7. 2022 EFL Cup final · Wikipedia
8. List of FA Cup finals · Wikipedia
9. Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool (5-6 on pens): Kostas Tsimikas clinches FA Cup for Reds after Mason Mount's penalty saved in shoot-out · Sky Sports
10. Liverpool win FA Cup after beating Chelsea again on penalties · The Guardian
11. Chelsea withdraw request to play FA Cup tie with Middlesbrough behind closed doors · BBC Sport

Elsewhere in the encyclopedia

These two clubs have met in a final before

• 2012 Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Other finals involving these clubs

• 1971 Liverpool: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
• 1988 Liverpool: Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool
• 2009 Chelsea: Chelsea 2-1 Everton
• 2010 Chelsea: Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth
• 2017 Chelsea: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
• 2018 Chelsea: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

Other finals at Wembley Stadium

• 2008 Cardiff City 1-0 Portsmouth
• 2009 Chelsea 2-1 Everton
• 2010 Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth
• 2011 Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
• 2012 Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
• 2013 Wigan Athletic 1-0 Manchester City

Elsewhere on WhatChan