FA Cup Final 1985

Manchester United

(Whiteside)

Bailey, Gidman, Albiston (Duxbury), Whiteside, McGrath, Moran, Robson, Strachan, Hughes, Stapleton, Olsen

Everton

Southall, Stevens, Van De Hauwe, Ratcliffe, Mountfield, Reid, Steven, Gray, Sharp, Bracewell, Sheedy

Referee: P Willis

Attendance: 100,000

United wrecked Liverpool's hopes of a League, FA Cup and European treble with their win at Wembley in 1977. They repeated this victory when they met Merseyside's other famous team - the blues of Everton. It may seem strange to anyone under 20 years of age but Everton were the dominant team in England during the mid Eighties. In 1985 the trophy Room at Goodison Park was already home to the Canon League Trophy and the European Cup-winners Cup and Everton looked set to achieve something that no other club had done before - win the League and Cup Double and a European prize in the same season. United were unfancied by many having lost to Everton 5-0 in the league earlier that season at Goodison.

After 78 minutes of less than spectacular football, the referee (a retired police inspector Peter Willis) sent off Kevin Moran after a tackle on Peter Reid making Moran the first player (and only to date) to be shown the Red Card in an FA Cup Final. The tackle was at worst a booking as Reid's momentum had made it appear worse than it was. Moran could not believe he was going to be sent off and such was his anger he had to be restrained by Frank Stapleton.

Losing Moran had the effect of spurring United on and they were still fighting hard to score in extra time, with Jesper Olsen and Gordon Strachan in particular menacing Everton's defence and Paul McGrath holding things together at the back. It was a demonstration of pure resilience and spirit by United, who were not going to let the injustice deny them the cup. As so often happens, when a team goes down to 10 men they play much better and their opponents find them more difficult to break down. United became quicker to the ball and more determined in their tackling, the missing player meant each player had to concentrate more and put greater effort into his game.

After 110 minutes of play, United finally achieved a breakthrough from Norman Whiteside. Whiteside took the ball on his own down the wing and when it looked like he had nowhere left to go, hit a magnificent curling shot form 25 yards which beat Everton keeper Neville Southall to his right post. Whiteside recalls "Mark Hughes found me with a great pass and I made my way to the penalty area and could see Neville Southall hanging by this near post. I used the defender as a screen so Neville didn't have enough time to reach the ball". From then on, 10 man United had to withstand a nerve-shattering seige as Everton desperately tried for a goal, which thankfully never came. Ron Atkinson was quoted as saying it was "arguably the best Cup win any side will have at Wembley". It was undoubtedly the high point in his five years as manager at United.