1970 FA Cup Final vs Leeds United
Chelsea's first FA Cup, won in a replay at Old Trafford.
The 1970 FA Cup final was contested by Chelsea and Leeds United. The first match, at Wembley on 11 April 1970, ended 2–2, making it the first FA Cup final to need a replay since 1912. The replay at Old Trafford on 29 April went to extra time, and Chelsea won 2–1 after four hours of fiercely contested football over the two games.
Quick Facts
- Final
- 11 April 1970, Wembley: Chelsea 2–2 Leeds United
- Replay
- 29 April 1970, Old Trafford: Chelsea 2–1 Leeds United (a.e.t.)
- Result
- Chelsea's first FA Cup
Lore & Background
Leeds and Chelsea had finished second and third in the First Division that season. The match was billed as a clash of contrasts: Chelsea seen as "flamboyant" southerners, Leeds as uncompromising northerners. Neither club had won the FA Cup before, though both had recently been runners-up, Leeds in 1965 and Chelsea in 1967.
Reader's Guide
The replay drew a British television audience of more than 28 million, then the second-highest UK audience for a sports broadcast after the 1966 World Cup final. It has been ranked among the greatest FA Cup finals and called the "most brutal game" in English football history for the number of fouls by both sides. It was also the first FA Cup final reported on by a woman, Mary Raine, for Radio 4.
The Wembley final was played around a month earlier than usual so that England, the world champions, had time to acclimatise in Mexico before defending their title. Leeds were generally seen to have had the better of the first match, with winger Eddie Gray, named man of the match, troubling David Webb. The replay was the only FA Cup final between 1923 and 2000 played somewhere other than Wembley.
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