Chelsea v Liverpool, 14 May 2022

Kick-off: 4.45pm Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties After extra time This was the 150th anniversary of the FA Challenge Cup competition. The first Final took place at the Kennington Oval in London on 16 March 1872. A crowd of around 2,000 witnessed Wanderers’ 1-0 win against the Royal Engineers. All FA Cup Finals kicked-off at 3.00pm from 1912 to 2011. 2022 became the fifth consecutive year that it had changed from the previous year. This was the first FA Cup game to kick-off at 4.45pm since the 6th round tie between Manchester City and Reading in 2011. This was the first FA Cup Final to be televised live in the UK by both BBC and ITV since 1988 (Liverpool versus Wimbledon). Chelsea and Liverpool both made their 41st visit to Wembley Stadium as a neutral venue in this game. This was the second time that the same teams featured in both the League Cup and FA Cup Finals in the same season; also Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday in 1992-93. Liverpool also won the League Cup meeting on penalties after the game finished goalless after extra time. This was the first FA Cup Final to end in a goalless draw since Arsenal versus Manchester United in 2005. This was the first FA Cup Final played at Wembley Stadium that went to a penalty shoot-out. Both of the two previous Finals to be decided by penalties were played at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (Arsenal beat Manchester United in 2005 and Liverpool beat West Ham United in 2006). Liverpool had now won the FA Cup for the eighth time and for the first time since 2006. Only Arsenal (14) and Manchester United (12) had now won more. Jürgen Klopp become the second manager to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, top division title, FA Cup and League Cup with the same club; also Alex Ferguson with Manchester United. Chelsea became the first team to lose FA Cup Finals in three consecutive seasons and the first since Newcastle United to lose on three consecutive FA Cup Final appearances (1974, 1998 and 1999). The Blues had become the first team to reach three consecutive FA Cup Finals since Arsenal between 2000-01 and 2002-03. Having lost the two previous FA Cup Finals in their familiar blue kit, Chelsea decided to play in their all-yellow change strip in this game. Following their League Cup success, Liverpool had now won both domestic cup competitions in the same season for the first time since 2000-01. Chelsea became the first to lose both Cup Finals in the same season since Middlesbrough in 1996-97. This became the first FA Cup Final with a German manager in charge of both teams. Managers from eight different nations had now led their team to FA Cup Final victory. This became the first FA Cup Final staged at Wembley Stadium to remain goalless after 120 minutes. The venue record for the latest opening goal was 119 minutes in the 1938 Final between Preston North End and Huddersfield Town. Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was a member of the winning PNE team. [c/o Jonathan Wilson]