Manchester United are through to a record-equalling 21st FA Cup final and will take on Manchester City on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the Red Devils’ route to another Wembley showdown.
Man Utd 3 Everton 1 (third round, Jan 6)
In-form Marcus Rashford scored his fifth goal in as many games after creating two others as Erik ten Hag’s men cruised to victory.
The forward set up Antony’s early opener before seeing a second-half cross turned into his own net by Conor Coady, scorer of Everton’s equaliser.
Then in stoppage time Rashford kept his scoring run going by sending Jordan Pickford the wrong way from the penalty spot after Ben Godfrey fouled Alejandro Garnacho.
Man Utd 3 Reading 1 (fourth round, Jan 28)
Casemiro scored a magnificent brace before Fred flicked home audaciously as United’s Brazilian stars sparkled.
The hosts initially made hard work of the straightforward fourth-round assignment against Championship opposition, but second half samba magic in the Manchester rain sealed victory on a night when Amadou Mbengue grabbed Reading a consolation after Andy Carroll was sent off.
Man Utd 3 West Ham 1 (fifth round, March 1)
Teenage star Garnacho inspired United to a late comeback win as Ten Hag’s men sealed progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals three days on from their Carabao Cup triumph.
United looked set to be brought back down to earth with a bump after Said Benrahma put the Hammers into a deserved lead, only for Nayef Aguerd’s 77th-minute own goal to spark an impressive turnaround.
Garnacho’s superb 90th-minute effort followed, before a stoppage-time strike by Fred.
Man Utd 3 Fulham 1 (quarter-finals, March 19)
United punished five minutes of madness from Fulham as they came from behind to progress to the semi-finals.
Marco Silva’s men were full value for the lead that Aleksandar Mitrovic gave them five minutes into the second half, but the wheels came off with around 20 minutes left.
Silva, Willian and Mitrovic were all sent off in quick succession, with Bruno Fernandes levelling from the resulting penalty.
Marcel Sabitzer flicked home to put United ahead, before the Fernandes lashed in another in stoppage time.
Man Utd 0 Brighton 0 – United win 7-6 on pens (semi-finals, April 23)
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United set-up an all-Manchester final against rivals City after Solly March’s spot-kick miss saw Brighton suffer semi-final shoot-out heartache.
In-form Albion made Ten Hag’s team sweat as the south-coast club sought to reach just their second FA Cup final, with the semi-final ending 0-0 after 120 minutes at Wembley.
The first 12 penalties of the shoot-out found the net before Albion favourite March blazed over, allowing Victor Lindelof to secure a 7-6 win.
Manchester City face arch-rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how Pep Guardiola’s side made it to Wembley.
Man City 4 Chelsea 0 (third round, Jan 8)
City sailed through with surprising ease as Chelsea put up little resistance at the Etihad Stadium just three days after a hard-fought Premier League clash between the sides at Stamford Bridge.
A superb Riyad Mahrez free-kick, a Julian Alvarez penalty and a Phil Foden effort effectively wrapped up the contest in the first half.
Mahrez completed the scoring from the spot late on.
Man City 1 Arsenal 0 (fourth round, Jan 27)
City edged a tight and entertaining game that lived up to its pre-match billing as a heavyweight contest.
A tidy finish from defender Nathan Ake, placing a shot into the bottom corner after good work from Jack Grealish, settled the tie in the 64th minute.
Bristol City 0 Man City 3 (fifth round, Feb 28)
Foden struck twice as City saw off their Championship hosts with little alarm.
The England midfielder opened the scoring after seven minutes when he turned home a low Mahrez ball at the back post and made victory certain with a deflected effort after the break.
Kevin De Bruyne added a brilliant third with a low curling shot from outside the area.
Man City 6 Burnley 0 (quarter-finals, Mar 18)
City gave their former captain Vincent Kompany a hero’s reception on his return to the Etihad – but showed his Championship-leading side little mercy on the field.
The prolific Erling Haaland, who had smashed five past RB Leipzig just days earlier, helped himself to a hat-trick as the Clarets were put to the sword.
Alvarez weighed in with a double and Cole Palmer also got on the scoresheet in the rout.
Man City 3 Sheff Utd 0 (semi-finals, Apr 22)
Another promotion-challenging Championship side failed to lay a glove on City as Guardiola’s men booked a return to the final for the first time in four years after three successive semi-final defeats.
Mahrez took centre-stage by scoring the first FA Cup semi-final hat-trick since 1958 and the first at Wembley.
The Blades were made to rue missing a gilt-edged early chance through Iliman Ndiaye as Mahrez grabbed his first from the spot, ran through the defence for a fine solo second and swept in to complete his treble.
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has been ruled out of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City due to a hamstring injury.
Martial picked up the problem in United’s final Premier League game of the season after stepping off the bench on Sunday against Fulham and scans have revealed the full extent of the damage.
United said in a statement: “Anthony Martial is out of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup final against Manchester City due to injury.
“The France international strained his hamstring towards the end of Sunday’s 2-1 win against Fulham at Old Trafford.
“Assessments have since revealed a muscle tear that rules the 27-year-old out of the Wembley showdown.”
Martial missed United’s first two Premier League games this season due to a hamstring problem, while other small injuries since have restricted him to 29 appearances in all competitions in which he has scored nine goals.
Only 11 of his 21 league appearances this season have been in the starting line-up, but he had been hoping to be in contention to start at Wembley against City, who are looking to complete a domestic treble.
The former Lyon winger, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla, joined United from Monaco for £36million in 2015 and has made almost 200 league appearances for the club in total.
Erling Haaland is a "machine" who has banished any doubts over his abilities during his extraordinary debut season with Manchester City, says former Manchester United winger Nani.
Haaland has led City to the brink of a treble in his first campaign since arriving from Borussia Dortmund, with Pep Guardiola's men retaining their Premier League title and reaching the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League.
The striker has hit an astonishing 52 goals in as many appearances this term, at least 12 more than any other player from Europe's top five leagues (Kylian Mbappe is second with 40).
Thirty-six of those efforts have come in the Premier League, with Haaland breaking Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole's shared record of 34 goals in a single campaign in the competition – despite both men reaching that tally in 42-game seasons (Shearer in 1994-95 and Cole in 1993-94).
While Nani will hope his former side can keep Haaland quiet in next week's all-Manchester FA Cup final, he has been taken aback by the Norwegian's achievements this term.
"Haaland is a machine. I think that there are no doubts left about his qualities," Nani said in an interview with the Go Turkiye YouTube Channel.
"He's a machine inside the box, he can score in any game. He's the future."
Nani was speaking alongside another former Dortmund striker in Michy Batshuayi, who has been similarly impressed by Haaland's goalscoring prowess.
"He is crazy," Batshuayi said. "You can feel that he wants to score every single chance.
"He's dangerous for the defenders, and he is so young. It's fantastic to watch a player like him, because you can see that he knows how to do his job, he's impressive."
Despite Haaland scoring 20 league goals in each of his two full campaigns with Dortmund, doubts were raised over the 22-year-old's ability to adapt to English football – particularly when Arsenal seized control of the title race.
Haaland has since silenced his doubters, and Nani says doing so in a foreign country is no mean feat.
"When players are young, moving from your country to a different country is always difficult," the Melbourne Victory winger added.
"What I can say is, for the player, to be calm and try to adapt to the culture, just play the game they know, adjust to the new challenge, because it is not easy.
"I've played in many different countries, many different cultures, and the most important thing is for you to adapt to what the people from that country do."
Manchester City moved within three wins of the treble by thrashing Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Pep Guardiola’s side need one victory from their three remaining Premier League fixtures to secure the title, while they can also win the FA Cup and Champions League by beating Manchester United and Inter Milan respectively.
City are seeking to emulate their local rivals United who achieved glory on the same three fronts under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1998-99.
Here the PA news agency compares the two sides.
Premier League
There are several parallels between this season’s title race and 1998-99.
Neither City nor United topped the table for a prolonged period until the second half of the campaign and both trailed Arsenal at various points during the run-in.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were eight points clear of Guardiola’s side with nine games to go at the beginning of April, while Arsenal were three points ahead of Ferguson’s men with two matches remaining in 1999 – although both City and United had a game in hand.
Just as United edged out Arsene Wenger’s team with a 20-match unbeaten run, City have gone 14 Premier League games without defeat to move within touching distance of claiming a fifth title in six years.
Statistically, Guardiola’s treble-chasers have had the better season. They have amassed 85 points and scored 92 goals with three fixtures still to play, while United ended the campaign with 79 points and 80 goals scored.
Dwight Yorke top-scored for Ferguson’s side with 18 goals, which is half as many as Erling Haaland has managed for City (36).
That said, Andy Cole (17) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (12) also reached double figures for United, while only Phil Foden (10) has done so for City.
Defensively, Guardiola’s men have conceded 31 goals so far – the joint-fewest in the league alongside Newcastle. United shipped 37 goals in 1998-99, which was more than Arsenal (17), Chelsea (30) and Leeds (34).
Champions League
City topped their group ahead of Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Copenhagen, while United finished second behind Bayern Munich but ahead of Barcelona and Brondby.
Guardiola’s side have since gone on to beat RB Leipzig, Bayern and Real Madrid over two legs, thanks mainly to crushing home wins in each tie.
Ferguson’s men had fewer rounds to negotiate in 1999 – when the Champions League was contested by 24 teams rather than 32 – but they still had to get past Inter Milan and Juventus across two legs before facing Bayern in the final.
United’s European campaign was considerably bumpier than City’s, who have scored 31 goals and conceded only five on their path to the final.
The Red Devils – by contrast – lifted the trophy having scored 29 and conceded 16.
While City are yet to concede more than once in a Champions League game this season, United were involved in several high-scoring thrillers including a pair of 3-3 draws against Barcelona in the group stage and a dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Juventus in the semi-final second leg.
FA Cup
As with the Champions League, City’s route to the final has been largely serene while United’s 1998-99 campaign was filled with trials and tribulations.
Guardiola’s team have cruised past Chelsea, Arsenal, Bristol City, Burnley and Sheffield United without conceding a goal, becoming the first side to reach the final with a perfect defensive record since Everton in 1965-66.
Meanwhile, as well as coming back from a goal down against Middlesbrough and Liverpool in rounds three and four, United needed replays to see off Chelsea in the quarter-finals and Arsenal in the semis.
The latter victory was especially dramatic, with Peter Schmeichel saving a Dennis Bergkamp penalty to keep the game at 1-1 and Ryan Giggs scoring a fantastic solo goal in extra time.
Manchester City moved within three wins of the treble by thrashing Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Pep Guardiola’s side need one victory from their three remaining Premier League fixtures to secure the title, while they can also win the FA Cup and Champions League by beating Manchester United and Inter Milan respectively.
City are seeking to emulate their local rivals United who achieved glory on the same three fronts under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1998-99.
Here the PA news agency compares the two sides.
Premier League
There are several parallels between this season’s title race and 1998-99.
Neither City or United topped the table for a prolonged period until the second half of the campaign and both trailed Arsenal at various points during the run-in.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were eight points clear of Guardiola’s side with nine games to go at the beginning of April, while Arsenal were three points ahead of Ferguson’s men with two matches remaining in 1999 – although both City and United had a game in hand.
Just as United edged out Arsene Wenger’s team with a 20-match unbeaten run, City have gone 14 Premier League games without defeat to move within touching distance of claiming a fifth title in six years.
Statistically, Guardiola’s treble-chasers have had the better season. They have amassed 85 points and scored 92 goals with three fixtures still to play, while United ended the campaign with 79 points and 80 goals scored.
Dwight Yorke top-scored for Ferguson’s side with 18 goals, which is half as many as Erling Haaland has managed for City (36).
That said, Andy Cole (17) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (12) also reached double figures for United, while only Phil Foden (10) has done so for City.
Defensively, Guardiola’s men have conceded 31 goals so far – the joint-fewest in the league alongside Newcastle. United shipped 37 goals in 1998-99, which was more than Arsenal (17), Chelsea (30) and Leeds (34).
Champions League
City topped their group ahead of Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Copenhagen, while United finished second behind Bayern Munich but ahead of Barcelona and Brondby.
Guardiola’s side have since gone on to beat RB Leipzig, Bayern and Real Madrid over two legs, thanks mainly to crushing home wins in each tie.
Ferguson’s men had fewer rounds to negotiate in 1999 – when the Champions League was contested by 24 teams rather than 32 – but they still had to get past Inter Milan and Juventus across two legs before facing Bayern in the final.
United’s European campaign was considerably bumpier than City’s, who have scored 31 goals and conceded only five on their path to the final.
The Red Devils – by contrast – lifted the trophy having scored 29 and conceded 16.
While City are yet to concede more than once in a Champions League game this season, United were involved in several high-scoring thrillers including a pair of 3-3 draws against Barcelona in the group stage and a dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Juventus in the semi-final second leg.
FA Cup
As with the Champions League, City’s route to the final has been largely serene while United’s 1998-99 campaign was filled with trials and tribulations.
Guardiola’s team have cruised past Chelsea, Arsenal, Bristol City, Burnley and Sheffield United without conceding a goal, becoming the first side to reach the final with a perfect defensive record since Everton in 1965-66.
Meanwhile, as well as coming back from a goal down against Middlesbrough and Liverpool in rounds three and four, United needed replays to see off Chelsea in the quarter-finals and Arsenal in the semis.
The latter victory was especially dramatic, with Peter Schmeichel saving a Dennis Bergkamp penalty to keep the game at 1-1 and Ryan Giggs scoring a wonder goal in extra time.
Nottingham Forest have been fined over the pitch invasion at the end of their Championship play-off semi-final against Sheffield United almost a year ago.
A Forest fan was jailed after headbutting Blades striker Billy Sharp during the incident at the end of the second leg at the City Ground on May 17 last year, while Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie was cleared last December of stamping on another pitch-invading Forest fan.
The Football Association had charged Forest with failing to ensure their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening or violent behaviour while encroaching onto the pitch following the final whistle.
The charge was partially admitted by Forest, and a £50,000 fine was imposed by an independent regulatory commission. The FA said half of the fine had been suspended by the panel until the end of next season, provided there were no further breaches of FA rule E20.
Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out of Manchester United’s final three matches of the Premier League season as well as next month’s FA Cup final because of a knee injury.
The 29-year-old Austrian, who joined United on loan from Bayern Munich in January, missed Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves and tests have revealed a meniscal problem, bringing his campaign to an early end.
“Everyone at the club is disappointed to lose Marcel’s services, as the Reds chase a strong finish to the season in the Premier League and FA Cup, and we are grateful for his contribution to our progress so far,” said a statement on United’s official website.
Sabitzer was brought in on deadline day because of injuries to fellow midfielders Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay and impressed with three goals in 18 appearances at the Old Trafford club.
He bolstered United’s hopes of a top-four finish and scored from the spot in the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout win over Brighton that set up a showdown against rivals Manchester City on June 3.
Sabitzer came on as a substitute in United’s win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final in February.
Pepe Reina saved three penalties and his own reputation as Liverpool won a thrilling FA Cup final against West Ham on this day in 2006.
Reina almost threw the cup away in normal time at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium with mistakes which gifted the Hammers two goals.
But he was the hero of the shoot-out, saving from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand to break the gallant Hammers’ hearts.
Liverpool’s seventh FA Cup win mirrored the result which saw them crowned champions of Europe in Istanbul 12 months earlier, and – just like against AC Milan – Reina only had his shot at glory thanks to another superhuman effort from Steven Gerrard.
Liverpool skipper Gerrard equalised twice – the second a 30-yard thunderbolt in injury-time – and then scored his penalty despite suffering cramp in the closing minutes of the game.
The 125th FA Cup final was the best in years, and certainly the most exciting since Manchester United’s 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace in 1990.
For a long time, the magic of the cup looked like giving West Ham another FA Cup triumph in the year former managers Ron Greenwood and John Lyall died.
They were two goals ahead inside half an hour and were leading as the stadium announcer called for four minutes to be added on at the end of normal time.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez praised Liverpool heroes Gerrard and Reina, but insisted his FA Cup triumph was a team effort.
“You must give the credit to all my players. A lot of them had cramps after 62 games this season, but they kept going to the end,” he said.
“We know about the quality of Steve. He will get lots of credit, but I prefer to talk about my team and our supporters, who were like an extra player.
“Maybe we like to do it the difficult way, but it’s not good for the heart. It would be better if we could start by winning and then stay calm.
“It was a fantastic final with two teams fighting really hard. The character of the team can be a key factor for the future because we can be sure we can win these kinds of games.”
Tyrell Malacia says there is no chance of Manchester United’s focus wavering as the mouth-watering FA Cup final against Manchester City draws closer.
Erik ten Hag has overseen an impressive turnaround in culture and quality at Old Trafford since taking over last summer.
United are pushing for a top-four finish, having already won the Carabao Cup, and June 3 offers another shot at silverware against potentially treble-chasing rivals City.
The all-Manchester FA Cup final may be looming large, but Malacia says it will not distract the squad from their final Premier League push.
“No, I think we have a lot of experienced players who have been in these kind of situations,” the full-back said ahead of Thursday’s trip to Brighton.
“We keep each other like a team and we focus on qualification for the Champions League.
“I think Brighton are a good team, very good football, quality players, so it’s going to be a tough game.
“We have to focus on ourselves now, watch game-to-game and we need to win.”
Brighton will be looking for revenge just 11 days after their FA Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to United, who have since drawn 2-2 with Tottenham before beating Aston Villa 1-0 on Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes’ strike at Old Trafford ended Villa’s 10-match unbeaten run and strengthened the Red Devils’ grip on a Champions League qualification spot with six matches left to play.
“I think from now until the last game of the season it’s important points, so we have to win every game now,” Malacia said.
“It’s not good that we dropped points (at Tottenham), but (against Villa) we played good and (won) important points.”
As well as picking up three points, United recorded a 15th Premier League clean sheet – no mean feat given Villa’s form and the absence of first-choice centre-backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
“We have a lot of quality in the team, so if someone drops out we know we have someone there with quality,” Malacia said, who played left-back as Luke Shaw impressed centrally once again.
“Yeah (they are big players missing), but still we are Man United so we have a lot qualities and that’s important.”
On Shaw, the Netherlands international said: “We’re helping each other before the game, before training. We always talk to each other, so it’s good.
“From the beginning when I came here he always talked to me and spoke with me.”
Sunday was Malacia’s 19th Premier League appearance for United and he has played 36 matches in all competitions since joining last July.
The 23-year-old became the first signing of the Ten Hag era after moving from Feyenoord for 15million euros (£12.95m), plus 2m euros (£1.7m) in add-ons.
“I said to myself maybe 20 games this season and I’ve played more than 20,” Malacia said.
“I’m happy I’m here, I’m learning a lot. My first year in the Premier League, I’ve played a lot of games. I’ve learnt a lot of things, so happy to be here.”
Asked if he has felt extra pressure playing for United, he said: “All good. I don’t feel the pressure. For me, it’s OK.
“I’m just happy to be on the pitch and play football. That’s what I want to do and that’s what I dream all of my life, so why should I be pressured?”
Malacia’s delight to be playing at United comes with gratitude to Ten Hag, whose meticulous nature and approach the squad have bought into.
Put to Malacia that the manager seems demanding, he said: “Always, always (with) everyone.
“It’s a good thing because it keeps us sharp and you have to be on your A-game, especially because he said we are a big club so we need to win prizes. Then we have to be on our A-game.
“Everything (he is demanding about). It’s good because you see it work, so it’s always good then.”
Villa have their own demanding manager in impressive Emery, whose side will look to get back to winning way at Wolves on Saturday.
Leander Dendoncker told VillaTV ahead of the trip to his former club: “I don’t think we played a bad game here.
“The next game is an away game as well, which is going to be tough as well.
“We just have to keep going, we have been outstanding in the last few weeks and we just have to keep going.”
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi does not know whether his side have the squad depth required to cope with a hectic run of games.
The Seagulls’ European dream suffered a big blow on Wednesday night as they were beaten 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, where De Zerbi said his players lacked energy just three days after they lost the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United on penalties.
They now have eight games to play in a month as they aim to qualify for European football for the first time in their history.
Asked whether his squad is light, the Italian replied: “I don’t know. For sure I am honest and I don’t want to speak in this way when we lose the game.
“I am proud of my players even though we lost. We will speak with (chairman) Tony (Bloom) at the end of the season. We are suffering too many injuries in this moment.
“I said this game was the most important game of the season. I knew the game was very, very, very tough. It was very tough for the energy but for the head too. The big teams are used to playing today, tomorrow, at four o’clock in the night, at nine o’clock in the morning, in the afternoon with the rain or sun. We are working on this.
“I think we can reach this level. I am speaking with Tony (Bloom). If we want to reach this level I think it is better to say I know the way. I will work hard to reach this level. I am not speaking about the table, I am speaking about the mentality.”
For Forest, victory gave their survival chances a much-needed shot in the arm as they climbed out of the bottom three.
Boss Steve Cooper was delighted that his side stuck to a plan to deliver a first three points in 12 games.
“We were never going to have a competition of possession or passes with them, because that wouldn’t have been the right plan,” Cooper said. “I asked the players at half-time to continue, not to get too frustrated – because some parts of the game they wouldn’t have enjoyed greatly – but I said they would get their rewards.
“We scored the second goal completely from the plan. The little box they play in midfield, with the centre-backs and the midfield players, is good, but if you do get it, it’s a really open pitch. We managed to take advantage of that.
“The players stuck to the plan brilliantly. It’s not as if we’ve been winning every week, so for the players to show that mentality and confidence in the game…We should take a lot of heart from that.”
Manchester City and United supporters travelling to the FA Cup final look set to face disruption after train drivers announced three fresh strikes in a long-running row over pay.
Members of Aslef will walk out on May 12 and 31 – and when Wembley hosts Manchester City and Manchester United on June 3.
The union said it has rejected a “risible” four per cent pay offer from the 16 train companies it remains in dispute with.
General secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at those companies since 2019.
He said on Thursday: “Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
“The proposal – of just four per cent – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10 per cent and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.
“The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain’s railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century.
“Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action on Friday May 12, Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3 at the companies with which we are in dispute, and which are letting down passengers, and taxpayers, so badly.
“We are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday May 15 to Saturday 20 inclusive, as well as on Saturday May 13 and Thursday June 1.”
The train operating companies involved in the dispute are: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, SWR depot drivers, SWR Island Line, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
The May 12 strike will be held the day before the Eurovision final in Liverpool.
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “This is disappointing news for our customers and staff, more strike action is totally unnecessary and will only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis. Senselessly targeting both the final of Eurovision and the FA Cup final is disappointing for all those planning to attend.”
The PA news agency has contacted fan groups attached to the Manchester clubs for comment.
Wembley has become one of world football’s most revered football stadiums over the last 100 years, but only survived its infancy thanks to a Scotsman and some greyhounds.
The first FA Cup final at what was then called the Empire Stadium took place on April 28, 1923.
The stadium had been built in 300 days, at a cost of £750,000, for the following year’s British Empire Exhibition, which was held to demonstrate Britain’s enduring colonial strength in the wake of the First World War.
There were concerns over whether the 1923 final between Bolton and West Ham would even manage to draw a full house to the 125,000-capacity stadium, but ultimately it took mounted police to clear the pitch in order for the match to kick off due to overcrowding.
It has been estimated that well over 200,000 people gained access to the stadium for the match, which became known as ‘The White Horse Final’ after a light grey horse called Billy, ridden by policeman George Albert Scorey and who showed up white in the black and white images of the time, helped clear spectators from the pitch.
Bolton beat West Ham 2-0 in a match which kicked off around 45 minutes late.
Despite the popularity of that contest, the exhibition itself which followed in 1924 and 1925 was considered a commercial failure, and the stadium was all set for demolition had it not been for the intervention of two key individuals.
Sir James Stevenson, a Scot who was chairman of the exhibition committee, lobbied for the stadium to remain open, while Arthur Elvin stepped in to stop it going to the dogs by organising greyhound races on the stadium’s track, starting in 1927, which made Wembley financially viable.
Wembley is most closely associated with football but has hosted a myriad of other sports over the years – some more successfully than others.
The NFL has enjoyed great success in bringing its International Series of regular-season matches to the stadium, which has also hosted some enthralling boxing contests from Cassius Clay v Henry Cooper in 1963 to Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
An attempt to popularise ski jumping in the UK by hosting a Winter Sports Exhibition – in late May – featuring a 150-foot jump constructed out of scaffolding did not catch on quite so well, and appears set to remain a one-off.
In an era before football enjoyed blanket coverage, the FA Cup final at Wembley was for many years one of the only games to be regularly televised internationally, making it a venue players all around the world dreamt of playing at.
Pele, the Brazil great who died late last year, said it was his biggest regret that he never played a match at Wembley, which he described as “a cathedral of football”.
The old stadium’s place in English football folklore was secured when it played host to the 1966 World Cup final, with the home team winning the trophy thanks to a 4-2 extra-time victory over West Germany.
By the 1990s, however, there were fresh calls for the stadium, now beginning to show its age, to be bulldozed.
Playing host to England’s matches at Euro ’96, with ‘Three Lions’ ringing out from the stands, was the old stadium’s last great hurrah, with its final match a sad, soggy affair in October 2000 as England slipped to a 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany which prompted the resignation of manager Kevin Keegan.
The rebuild, which cost over £700million, featured an arch to replace the famous Twin Towers as the stadium’s most eye-catching element.
It remains a go-to destination for national and international football events, and has already hosted two Champions League finals since it reopened in 2007.
What should have been one of its most memorable occasions turned into arguably its darkest day, as England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties in July 2021.
The match was overshadowed by chaos outside and within the stadium. Individuals under the influence of drink and drugs created disorder, with around 2,000 people without tickets gaining entry.
Baroness Casey, who led an independent review into what went wrong on the day, highlighted a catalogue of “near-misses” which could have led to fatalities.
The final Wembley deserved came just over a year later, as England triumphed in extra time against Germany at Women’s Euro 2022.
The five UK and Ireland football associations are hoping to convince UEFA’s executive committee later this year to make Wembley the centrepiece of another Euros – this time the men’s competition in 2028.
Thanks to those who helped it through the uncertainty of its earliest days, the stadium could reasonably hope to still be hosting top-level sports in another 100 years’ time.
The FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United on June 3 will kick off at 3pm, the PA news agency understands.
It will be the first time since 2011 that the showpiece match has kicked off in its traditional time slot.
The Metropolitan Police had advised the Football Association that it deemed the fixture high-risk and was not prepared to sanction a kick-off time any later than 4.45pm.
It is expected that the FA will confirm the kick-off time later on Wednesday afternoon.
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is seemingly a fitness concern for the final weeks of the season after being photographed with a protective boot and crutches.
Fernandes suffered an ankle injury during Sunday's FA Cup semi-final penalties win over Brighton and Hove Albion, appearing to twist his foot awkwardly in the turf.
Although he was able to continue until his eventual withdrawal in extra time, Fernandes was seen limping on the touchline before full-time and during the shoot-out.
Now it would appear the damage he sustained was more significant than first thought, with the 28-year-old's wife posting a photo to Twitter on Monday showing him sitting on a sofa wearing a protective boot and having crutches within reach.
As such, it seems extremely unlikely he will be able to feature for United when they go to Tottenham on Thursday. They host Aston Villa three days later.
United have not provided any official updates about Fernandes' condition or availability, with Erik ten Hag not due to face the media until Wednesday.
Fernandes has been one of United's most reliable performers this season, with the Portugal international clearly considered key by Ten Hag given his 4,363 minutes played is over 600 more than any other outfield player in the squad.
He also leads United for chances created (146 – Christian Eriksen is second with 61), assists (11) and expected assists (14.4) – for the latter metric, Marcus Rashford is second with just 5.2.
Fernandes (21) is also one of just two United players to tally more than 11 goal involvements, with Rashford leading the way on 36.
United were last without Fernandes on Thursday, with the Red Devils losing 3-0 to Sevilla and suffering Europa League elimination in his absence.
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