1970 FA Cup Final

Lore & Background

Leeds and Chelsea were two of England's top teams that season, having finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the First Division. The match marked a clash of footballing contrasts: Chelsea were regarded as 'flamboyant' southerners, whereas Leeds were seen as uncompromising northerners. Neither had won the FA Cup before, though both had recently been runners-up, Leeds in 1965 and Chelsea in 1967. The replay was the only time between 1923 and 2000 that an FA Cup final was played at a stadium other than Wembley. The replay attracted a British television audience of more than 28 million, the second highest UK audience for a sports broadcast (behind the 1966 World Cup final), and the sixth highest audience for any UK broadcast. It has been ranked among the greatest ever FA Cup finals, and named as the 'most brutal game' in the history of English football, due to the large number of fouls committed by both teams. The match was the first FA Cup final to be reported on by a woman, as Mary Raine provided a match report for Radio 4's Six O'Clock News.

In Their Own Story

The rain at Wembley had turned the pitch into a slick, treacherous canvas of mud and white lines, turning every pass into a gamble. Inside the tunnel, the air was thick with the damp heat of ninety thousand souls screaming their lungs out, a deafening wall of sound that vibrated through the soles of Colin Bell's boots. He adjusted his socks, feeling the familiar, heavy weight of the blue shirt absorbing the humidity. Across from him, Francis Lee offered a sharp, stoic nod—no words needed, just the shared understanding of what was at stake. When they emerged into the gray London light, the glare was blinding, but the goal stood clear in the distance. The ball struck Bell's boot with a satisfying, metallic crack, launching itself over the defensive line and dipping viciously under the crossbar, leaving the keeper rooted to his spot. For a split second, there was a vacuum of silence, then the stadium erupted into pure, unadulterated chaos. It wasn't just a goal; it was a coronation.

Reader's Guide

The final at Wembley was scheduled for 11 April, around a month earlier than was typical for FA Cup finals, due to the FA's wish for the England national team, who were world champions and were defending their trophy in Mexico, to have time to acquaint themselves to the Mexican climate. The poor state of the pitch is sometimes erroneously explained by the Horse of the Year Show being held there a week before. The Horse of the Year Show was held at Wembley Arena. The International Horse Show was held at the stadium the previous July, but the pitch was relaid later in the year. In the Wembley final, Leeds took the lead after 20 minutes when Jack Charlton's downward header from a corner did not bounce in the muddy pitch, and the ball rolled over the line. Chelsea equalised before half-time through Peter Houseman. Leeds appeared to have secured the game six minutes from full-time when Mick Jones scored, but two minutes later Ian Hutchinson headed in the equaliser. There were no more goals in extra time. The replay at Old Trafford became one of the most notorious clashes in English football for the harshness of play. Chelsea equalised twelve minutes before the end through Peter Osgood. With the game ending 1–1, the final once again went into extra time. One minute before the first period of extra time was to end, Chelsea's Hutchinson sent in a long throw-in that came off Charlton's head towards the far post, before being put into the unguarded net by David Webb to give Chelsea the lead for the first time in the two games. They kept the lead until the end, securing their first FA Cup win.

Did You Know?

• The replay attracted a British television audience of more than 28 million, the second highest UK audience for a sports broadcast behind the 1966 World Cup final.
• The match was the first FA Cup final to be reported on by a woman, as Mary Raine provided a match report for Radio 4's Six O'Clock News.
• Modern-day referee David Elleray reviewed the match in 1997 and concluded that in the modern era, the sides would have received six red cards and twenty yellow cards between them.
• In scoring in the replay, Peter Osgood became the last player to date to have scored in every round of the FA Cup.