Manchester United face Liverpool in this year’s FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday in what is arguably one of the biggest rivalries in the English footballing pyramid, between the two most successful teams in English football history.
This will be the 15th meeting between the two rivals in the FA Cup, and the sixth since the inception of the English Premier League in the 1992/93 season. Only Everton and Liverpool have met on more occasions in the history of the FA Cup as they have been drawn against each other 19 times.
There have been many dramatic and memorable moments throughout these previous 14 games, and we are going to take a look at some of the biggest to have happened in this tie:
1) 1996 FA CUP FINAL – MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 LIVERPOOL
The 1996 FA Cup final between these two sides is hugely memorable for a multitude of reasons.
Manchester United went on to win 1-0 courtesy of a winner by Eric Cantona with just five minutes remaining, making Manchester United the first team to win the double on two separate occasions after previously doing so two years earlier. However, this victory also made history as Cantona became the first person born outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland to lift the trophy as the captain of their side.
Arguably though, the moment that most people remember much more is the way the Liverpool players arrived at Wembley which saw them dubbed the ‘Spice Boys’. This came after Liverpool’s players strode into the pitch in cream-coloured Emporio Armani suits
Arguably though, the moment that most people remember much more is the way the Liverpool players arrived at Wembley. A group of players including Jamie Redknapp, David James, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler had been dubbed the ‘Spice Boys’ earlier on in the season, and this only got worse when the Liverpool squad arrived to Wembley for the final dressed in cream-coloured Emporio Armani suits. This went on to become an infamous moment, and it is still mentioned frequently to this day.
2) 1999 FA CUP FOURTH ROUND – MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 LIVERPOOL
The second moment on this list arguably became more famous due to the success that Manchester United went on to achieve following this victory, as they became the first English side to win the treble.
The two sides met early in the FA Cup that year, with Liverpool taking the lead in the second minute with Michael Owen heading into the United net. Manchester United dominated the rest of the game as they wasted plenty of opportunities to get themselves back on level terms, with Roy Keane also hitting the post twice.
Top scorer Dwight Yorke eventually got his side back in the game with just minutes to go after a David Beckham free-kick was knocked down to Yorke at the back post by his strike partner Andy Cole.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was substituted on for defender Dennis Irwin earlier in the game, then scored just one of his many late winners for the Red Devils. Paul Scholes burst into the box and laid the ball off for the Norwegian, who’s left-footed effort shot past James and sent United on their way to the fifth round.
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3) 2006 FA CUP FIFTH ROUND – LIVERPOOL 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED
The 2006 FA Cup was the 125th staging of the world’s oldest football tournament, and it was certainly a special one for Liverpool.
The Reds had failed to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup for 85 years, with their last victory coming in the form of a 2-1 win back in 1921. However, this year’s meeting saw Peter Crouch finally break this curse as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory for his side. Crouch headered home from a Steve Finnan cross in the 19th minute of the match, and Liverpool dominated the remainder of the game too with Manchester United uncharacteristically uninspired in the final third.
This victory for Liverpool was just one of many in the cup as they went on to eventually win the trophy against West Ham United thanks to an iconic Steven Gerrard equaliser in the 91st minute which sent the game to penalties, with Liverpool eventually winning 3-1.
