FA Cup Final 1991
Encyclopedia
The 1991 FA Cup Final saw Tottenham Hotspur
win the FA Cup
for a then-record eighth time, by beating Nottingham Forest
2–1 at Wembley in the 110th FA Cup Final
.
Tottenham's triumph made them the first English club to win the trophy eight times, though this record has since been surprassed by Arsenal
and Manchester United
. Tottenham have yet to win the trophy or reach the final since.
The 1991 final was Nottingham Forest's first appearance in the FA Cup final since their triumph 32 years earlier
and they have not reached the final since.
It also gave Tottenham their first campaign in a European competition (1991-92 European Cup Winners' Cup) of the post Heysel era.
This game also saw the first appearance of the longer style of shorts that became popular in the 1990s, in Tottenham's strip. The style attracted some ridicule at first, but was soon adopted by all other clubs.
's brilliance had inspired Spurs through to the final. Gascoigne was so pumped up for this match that he almost ended his involvement in the first few minutes. In winning the ball out on the right touchline, he followed through with his foot up and caught Garry Parker
in the chest. Referee Roger Milford let him off with a lecture, but failed to calm Gascoigne, who scythed down Gary Charles
as the Forest defender ran across the face of the Spurs penalty area. Forest were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box but once again Gascoigne was let off without further punishment from the referee. Before play resumed, Gascoigne received extensive treatment on his knee before standing up to join the defensive wall. When Nottingham Forest's captain Stuart Pearce
took the dead ball kick, his team-mate Glover pulled a Spurs defender, which video replays revealed to be captain Gary Mabbutt
off the end of the wall, and the ball flew past Erik Thorstvedt
to give Forest the lead in the 16th minute.
Gascoigne paid for his rash challenge, which many Forest fans thought deserved a red card, when he had to leave the field on a stretcher shortly after the match restarted, as he could not put any weight on his leg. It was later revealed that he had torn his cruciate ligaments. Nayim
- later notable for his winning last-minute goal
against rivals Arsenal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
- came on to replace him.
After 25 minutes Gary Lineker
had a goal disallowed for offside and then five minutes later he was in on Mark Crossley
, when the goalkeeper brought him down in the box. Lineker stepped up to take the resulting penalty
and placed the ball to the keeper's left, where Crossley dived and kept the ball out. Crossley became only the second goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup Final after Dave Beasant
for Wimbledon F.C.
in 1988. After the interval, Nayim
cushioned a Thorsvedt kick into the path of Paul Allen
, who put Paul Stewart in on the right hand side of the box and he drilled a low shot past Crossley into the corner of the net and put Tottenham on level terms.
With the game finishing at 1–1 after normal time, the final moved into extra time. Substitute Paul Walsh
looped a header over the keeper, but the ball hit the bar and bounced back only for it to be put behind by Stuart Pearce for a corner. Nayim took it and Stewart met it at the near post to flick it on. As Gary Mabbutt
ran in at the far post, he was poised to head the ball home, but Forest defender Des Walker
beat him to it and diverted the ball past his own keeper to give Tottenham the lead for the first time in the game.
Tottenham saw out the rest of the game and won the FA Cup for the 8th time in their history.
Justin Edinburgh was the last members of Tottenham's cup winning team to leave the club, finally departing 2000 - the same year that Nottingham Forest's Ian Woan became the last player from his team's side to leave them.
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
NOTTINGHAM FOREST:
GK
1
Mark Crossley
RB
2
Gary Charles
LB
3
Stuart Pearce
(c)
CB
4
Des Walker
CB
5
Steve Chettle
CM
6
Roy Keane
RM
7
Gary Crosby
CM
8
Garry Parker
CF
9
Nigel Clough
CF
10
Lee Glover
LM
11
Ian Woan
Substitutes:
DF
12
Brian Laws
MF
14
Steve Hodge
Manager:
Brian Clough
Round 3: Blackpool
0–1 Tottenham Hotspur
Round 4: Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 Oxford United
Round 5: Portsmouth
1–2 Tottenham Hotspur
Round 6: Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Notts County
Semi-final: Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Arsenal
(at Wembley Stadium, London
)
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Round 3: Crystal Palace
0–0 Nottingham Forest
Round 4: Newcastle United
2–2 Nottingham Forest
Round 5: Southampton
1–1 Nottingham Forest
Round 6: Norwich City
0–1 Nottingham Forest
Semi-final: Nottingham Forest 4–0 West Ham United
(at Villa Park
, Birmingham
)
|}
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
win the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
for a then-record eighth time, by beating Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
2–1 at Wembley in the 110th FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
.
Tottenham's triumph made them the first English club to win the trophy eight times, though this record has since been surprassed by Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Tottenham have yet to win the trophy or reach the final since.
The 1991 final was Nottingham Forest's first appearance in the FA Cup final since their triumph 32 years earlier
1959 FA Cup Final
The 1959 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest and Luton Town at Wembley. Forest won 2–1, with goals from Roy Dwight and Tommy Wilson just four minutes apart...
and they have not reached the final since.
It also gave Tottenham their first campaign in a European competition (1991-92 European Cup Winners' Cup) of the post Heysel era.
This game also saw the first appearance of the longer style of shorts that became popular in the 1990s, in Tottenham's strip. The style attracted some ridicule at first, but was soon adopted by all other clubs.
Match summary
Spurs had teetered on the edge of going out of business during this Cup run and the mercurial Paul GascoignePaul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
's brilliance had inspired Spurs through to the final. Gascoigne was so pumped up for this match that he almost ended his involvement in the first few minutes. In winning the ball out on the right touchline, he followed through with his foot up and caught Garry Parker
Garry Parker
Garry Parker is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Luton Town, Hull City, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Leicester City, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped by his country at under-21 and B international level...
in the chest. Referee Roger Milford let him off with a lecture, but failed to calm Gascoigne, who scythed down Gary Charles
Gary Charles
Gary Charles is an English former footballer who played at right-back.-Playing career:Charles won two caps for the England team and turned out at club level for Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Aston Villa, S.L. Benfica, and finally West Ham United. Charles was famously fouled by Paul Gascoigne in...
as the Forest defender ran across the face of the Spurs penalty area. Forest were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box but once again Gascoigne was let off without further punishment from the referee. Before play resumed, Gascoigne received extensive treatment on his knee before standing up to join the defensive wall. When Nottingham Forest's captain Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
took the dead ball kick, his team-mate Glover pulled a Spurs defender, which video replays revealed to be captain Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt MBE is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a...
off the end of the wall, and the ball flew past Erik Thorstvedt
Erik Thorstvedt
Erik Thorstvedt is a former Norwegian professional football goalkeeper. He won 97 caps for the Norwegian national team, and was the starter in goal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup....
to give Forest the lead in the 16th minute.
Gascoigne paid for his rash challenge, which many Forest fans thought deserved a red card, when he had to leave the field on a stretcher shortly after the match restarted, as he could not put any weight on his leg. It was later revealed that he had torn his cruciate ligaments. Nayim
Nayim
Mohammed Ali Amar , commonly known as Nayim, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder....
- later notable for his winning last-minute goal
Last-minute goal
The term "last-minute goal" is used in sport, primarily association football, to describe a goal scored very late in a game. It may not necessarily refer to a goal scored in the actual final minute...
against rivals Arsenal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match on 10 May 1995 contested between cup holders Arsenal of England and Real Zaragoza of Spain. The final was held at Parc des Princes in Paris. It was the final match of the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the 35th UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final...
- came on to replace him.
After 25 minutes Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
had a goal disallowed for offside and then five minutes later he was in on Mark Crossley
Mark Crossley
Mark Geoffrey Crossley is a former English-born Wales international football goalkeeper, who is currently employed as the Goalkeeping Coach of Football League One side Chesterfield....
, when the goalkeeper brought him down in the box. Lineker stepped up to take the resulting penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
and placed the ball to the keeper's left, where Crossley dived and kept the ball out. Crossley became only the second goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup Final after Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...
for Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
in 1988. After the interval, Nayim
Nayim
Mohammed Ali Amar , commonly known as Nayim, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder....
cushioned a Thorsvedt kick into the path of Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
, who put Paul Stewart in on the right hand side of the box and he drilled a low shot past Crossley into the corner of the net and put Tottenham on level terms.
With the game finishing at 1–1 after normal time, the final moved into extra time. Substitute Paul Walsh
Paul Walsh
Paul Anthony Walsh is a retired English footballer.Walsh was a diminutive and pacy centre forward who shot to fame in the 1980s during spells with Charlton, Luton, Liverpool and Tottenham.-Charlton Athletic:...
looped a header over the keeper, but the ball hit the bar and bounced back only for it to be put behind by Stuart Pearce for a corner. Nayim took it and Stewart met it at the near post to flick it on. As Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt MBE is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a...
ran in at the far post, he was poised to head the ball home, but Forest defender Des Walker
Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker is a former England international footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday...
beat him to it and diverted the ball past his own keeper to give Tottenham the lead for the first time in the game.
Tottenham saw out the rest of the game and won the FA Cup for the 8th time in their history.
Justin Edinburgh was the last members of Tottenham's cup winning team to leave the club, finally departing 2000 - the same year that Nottingham Forest's Ian Woan became the last player from his team's side to leave them.
Match details
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: | |||
| GK | 1 |  Erik ThorstvedtErik Thorstvedt Erik Thorstvedt is a former Norwegian professional football goalkeeper. He won 97 caps for the Norwegian national team, and was the starter in goal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.... |
||
| LB | 2 | Justin Edinburgh Justin Edinburgh Justin Charles Edinburgh is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently manager of . Nicknamed 'Musselburgh', he has previously played for, or managed, six other clubs.-Playing career:... |
||
| RB | 3 | Pat Van Den Hauwe Pat Van Den Hauwe Patrick William Roger "Pat" Van Den Hauwe is a former professional footballer who made 401 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall... |
||
| CB | 4 | Steve Sedgley Steve Sedgley Stephen Philip "Steve" Sedgley is an English former professional footballer who made more than 450 appearances in the Football League and Premier League for Coventry City, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played as a midfielder or defender... |
||
| CM | 5 | David Howells David Howells David Howells is a former English professional footballer, born in Guildford, Surrey, who played in the Football League as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, with whom he spent the majority of his career, Southampton and Bristol City.... |
||
| CB | 6 | Gary Mabbutt Gary Mabbutt Gary Mabbutt MBE is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a... (c) |
||
| CM | 7 | Paul Stewart |
||
| CM | 8 | Paul Gascoigne Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal... |
||
| LM | 9 | Vinny Samways Vinny Samways Vincent "Vinny" Samways is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.Samways was born in Bethnal Green, London, and began his football career in Tottenham Hotspur's youth system. He won the FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991, and helped them reach the semi-finals of... |
||
| CF | 10 | Gary Lineker Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live... |
||
| RM | 11 | Paul Allen Paul Allen (footballer) Paul Kevin Allen is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Luton Town, Stoke City, Swindon Town, Bristol City and Millwall in the 1980s and 1990s... |
||
| Substitutes: | ||||
| MF | 12 |  NayimNayim Mohammed Ali Amar , commonly known as Nayim, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder.... |
||
| FW | 14 | Paul Walsh Paul Walsh Paul Anthony Walsh is a retired English footballer.Walsh was a diminutive and pacy centre forward who shot to fame in the 1980s during spells with Charlton, Luton, Liverpool and Tottenham.-Charlton Athletic:... |
||
| Manager: | ||||
| Terry Venables Terry Venables Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England... |
||||
Mark CrossleyMark Crossley
Mark Geoffrey Crossley is a former English-born Wales international football goalkeeper, who is currently employed as the Goalkeeping Coach of Football League One side Chesterfield....
Gary CharlesGary Charles
Gary Charles is an English former footballer who played at right-back.-Playing career:Charles won two caps for the England team and turned out at club level for Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Aston Villa, S.L. Benfica, and finally West Ham United. Charles was famously fouled by Paul Gascoigne in...
Stuart PearceStuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
(c)
Des WalkerDes Walker
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker is a former England international footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday...
Steve ChettleSteve Chettle
Stephen "Steve" Chettle is an English former footballer who currently works as the U13 team coach at Nottingham Forest. He is best known for his time as a player at Forest...
Roy KeaneRoy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
Gary CrosbyGary Crosby (footballer)
Gary Crosby began his senior career at Lincoln United. In his teenage years, he had been one of the most promising players in the Lincoln area and regularly appeared for Lincoln City's youth and reserve sides. A slight but skillful player, it was often felt his physique would prevent him turning...
Garry ParkerGarry Parker
Garry Parker is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Luton Town, Hull City, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Leicester City, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped by his country at under-21 and B international level...
Nigel CloughNigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
Lee GloverLee Glover
Edward Lee Glover is a retired footballer, turned manager.His career started with Nottingham Forest in 1987, where he remained up until 1994, when he joined Port Vale. Two years later he signed with Rotherham United, staying with the Millers until 2000...
Ian WoanIan Woan
Ian Woan is an English former professional footballer and current assistant manager at Watford. He played as a midfielder from 1985 until 2004, starting in non-league football. Signed by Nottingham Forest in 1990, he played for the club for 10 years, including a spell in the Premier League...
Brian LawsBrian Laws
Brian Laws is an English former footballer and manager, most recently of Burnley.Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of Grimsby Town before taking a similar position with Scunthorpe...
Steve HodgeSteve Hodge
Stephen Brian Hodge is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s.- Playing career :...
Brian CloughBrian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
MATCH RULES
|
Tottenham Hotspur
Home teams listed first.Round 3: Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
0–1 Tottenham Hotspur
Round 4: Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
Round 5: Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
1–2 Tottenham Hotspur
Round 6: Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
Semi-final: Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
(at Wembley Stadium, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
)
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Nottingham Forest
Home teams listed first.Round 3: Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
0–0 Nottingham Forest
- Replay: Nottingham Forest 2–2 Crystal Palace
- Replay: Nottingham Forest 3–0 Crystal Palace
Round 4: Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
2–2 Nottingham Forest
- Replay: Nottingham Forest 3–0 Newcastle United
Round 5: Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
1–1 Nottingham Forest
Round 6: Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
0–1 Nottingham Forest
Semi-final: Nottingham Forest 4–0 West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
(at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
)
|}
External links
- Game facts at soccerbase.com