1991 FA Cup final

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.

1991 FA Cup final
Event1990–91 FA Cup
After extra time
Date18 May 1991
VenueWembley Stadium, London
RefereeRoger Milford (Somerset)
Attendance80,000

Tottenham's triumph made them the first club to win the trophy eight times, though this record has since been surpassed by Arsenal and Manchester United.[1] The win also continued the club's trend of winning major trophies in years ending in "1", although Tottenham have yet to win the trophy or reach the final in any year since, though they did reach the EFL Cup Final in 2021.

The 1991 final was Nottingham Forest's first appearance in the FA Cup final since winning it in 1959 and they have not reached the final since. It was also the only time that a team managed by Brian Clough reached the final; the FA Cup was the only major domestic trophy which eluded Clough.

The match is also remembered for the performance of Tottenham midfielder Paul Gascoigne, who made two violent tackles on Forest players within the first 15 minutes, and was then carried off with torn cruciate ligaments, which kept him out of football for a year.[2]

It also gave Tottenham their first campaign in a European competition – the 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup – of the post-Heysel era.

Route to the Final

Nottingham Forest

In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.

Round Opposition Score
3rd Crystal Palace (A)
(R1) Crystal Palace (H)
(R2) Crystal Palace (H)
0–0
2–2 (a.e.t.)
3–0
4th Newcastle United (A)
(R) Newcastle United (H)
2–2
3–0
5th Southampton (A)
(R) Southampton (H)
1–1
3–1
QF Norwich City (A) 1–0
SF West Ham United (N) 4–0
Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue; (R1) = First Replay; (R2) = Second Replay.

Tottenham Hotspur

In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.

Round Opposition Score
3rd Blackpool (A) 1–0
4th Oxford United (H) 4–2
5th Portsmouth (A) 2–1
QF Notts County (H) 2–1
SF Arsenal (N) 3–1
Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue.

Match summary

Spurs were more than £20million in debt and had struggled in the league during the second half of the 1990-91 season, but Paul Gascoigne's goals throughout the competition helped them reach 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.[3] Before play resumed, Gascoigne received extensive treatment on his knee before standing up to join the defensive wall.

Gascoigne paid for his rash challenge, which many thought deserved a red card, when Stuart Pearce delightfully curled home the subsequent free kick to give Forest the lead.[4][5] Gascoigne had to leave the field on a stretcher shortly after the match restarted, as he could not put any weight on his leg.[6] It was later revealed that he had torn his cruciate ligaments.[7] Nayim – later notable for his winning last-minute goal against Arsenal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final – came on to replace him. Gascoigne's injury would rule him out for the entire 1991–92 season as well as the 1992 European championships.[8] It would also prove to be the last game he played for Tottenham; he had been on the radar of Italian club Lazio during the 1990–91 season, and finally made his £6million move to Italy in the summer of 1992.

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 at Wembley, after Dave Beasant for Wimbledon in 1988. After the interval, Nayim cushioned a kick from Erik Thorstvedt into the path of Paul Allen, who put Paul Stewart in on the right hand side of the box. Stewart drilled a low shot past Crossley into the corner of the net to 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 Pearce for a corner. Nayim took it and Stewart met it at the near post to flick it on. As 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 member of Tottenham's cup winning team to leave the club, finally departing in 2000 – the same year that Nottingham Forest's Ian Woan became the last player from his team's side to leave them. Edinburgh died in June 2019 at the age of 49.

Match details

Nottingham Forest1–2 (a.e.t.)Tottenham Hotspur
Pearce 16' Report Stewart 55'
Walker 94' (o.g.)
Attendance: 80,000
Nottingham Forest
Tottenham
GK1England Mark Crossley
RB2England Gary Charles
LB3England Stuart Pearce (c)
CB4England Des Walker
CB5England Steve Chettle
CM6Republic of Ireland Roy Keane
RM7England Gary Crosby
CM8England Garry Parker
CF9England Nigel Clough
CF10Scotland Lee Gloverdownward-facing red arrow 108'
LM11England Ian Woandownward-facing red arrow 62'
Substitutes:
DF12England Brian Lawsupward-facing green arrow 108'
MF14England Steve Hodgeupward-facing green arrow 62'
Manager:
England Brian Clough
GK1Norway Erik Thorstvedt
LB2England Justin Edinburgh
RB3Wales Pat Van Den Hauwe
CB4England Steve Sedgley
CM5England David Howells[9]
CB6England Gary Mabbutt (c)
CM7England Paul Stewart
CM8England Paul Gascoignedownward-facing red arrow 17'
LM9England Vinny Samwaysdownward-facing red arrow 82'
CF10England Gary Lineker
RM11England Paul Allen
Substitutes:
FW12England Paul Walshupward-facing green arrow 82'
MF14Spain Nayimupward-facing green arrow 17'
Manager:
England Terry Venables

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Replay if scores still level after extra-time.
  • Two named substitutes.
  • Maximum of two substitutions.

References

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