1957 FA Cup Final vs Manchester United
4 May 1957: McParland's two goals deny the Busby Babes the Double.
The 1957 FA Cup final was played on 4 May 1957 at Wembley Stadium between Aston Villa and Manchester United. Villa won 2-1, both goals coming from Peter McParland, with Tommy Taylor replying for United. It was Villa's first major trophy for 37 years and it stopped Matt Busby's side, already crowned First Division champions, from completing the Double.
Quick Facts
- Date
- 4 May 1957
- Venue
- Wembley Stadium
- Result
- Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United
- Scorers
- Peter McParland 2; Tommy Taylor
- Incident
- Ray Wood injured after six minutes (broken cheekbone)
Reader's Guide
The match was marred after only six minutes by a collision between McParland and United goalkeeper Ray Wood, which left Wood unconscious with a broken cheekbone. Jackie Blanchflower took over in goal, Wood later returned as a virtual passenger in an outfield position and went back in goal for the last seven minutes. The win was Villa's seventh FA Cup, a record at the time since passed by three clubs, including United's thirteen; Villa have since reached the finals of 2000 and 2015, losing to Chelsea and Arsenal.
Six of the eleven United players on the pitch died in the Munich air disaster nine months later and two more never played again; only Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton appeared in the final a year later. Peter McParland, who died in May 2025, was the last surviving player from the match. BBC Four's Timeshift compared this final with the 2007 final in the 2007 documentary A Game of Two Eras.
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