2017 FA Cup final

2017 FA Cup final
Wembley Stadium
The match was played at Wembley Stadium.
Event2016–17 FA Cup
Date27 May 2017 (2017-05-27)
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchAlexis Sánchez (Arsenal)
RefereeAnthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Attendance89,472
WeatherScattered clouds
20 °C (68 °F)[1]
2016
2018

The 2017 FA Cup final was an association football match between London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea on 27 May 2017 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. It was the 136th FA Cup final overall of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), organised by the Football Association (FA). This was a rematch of the 2002 FA Cup Final and the first final since 2003 in which the sides had won once in the Premier League against one another, with a 3–0 victory for Arsenal in September 2016, and a 3–1 win for Chelsea the following February. The game was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both BBC and BT Sport. BBC One provided the free-to-air coverage and BT Sport 2 was the pay-TV alternative.

The match was refereed by Anthony Taylor in front of a crowd of 89,472. Arsenal kicked off and dominated the early stages, opening the scoring with a controversial goal from Alexis Sánchez in the fourth minute. On 68 minutes, Victor Moses fell in the Arsenal penalty area under pressure and appealed for a penalty but instead was shown his second yellow card by the referee for diving and was sent off. In the 76th minute, Diego Costa scored for Chelsea to level the score at 1–1: he received the ball from Willian and struck the ball past David Ospina, the Arsenal goalkeeper. Two minutes later Aaron Ramsey scored with a header past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after a cross from Olivier Giroud, who had come on as a substitute less than a minute earlier, to make it 2–1 to Arsenal. After four minutes of stoppage time, the whistle was blown and Arsenal won the FA Cup final 2–1, to secure a record 13th title, while Arsène Wenger became the most successful manager in the tournament's history with seven wins.

Winning the FA Cup would have meant Arsenal qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage had they not already secured their place in the competition after finishing fifth in the 2016–17 Premier League. They also earned the right to play Chelsea who were the Premier League champions for the 2017 FA Community Shield.

  1. ^ "History for London Heathrow, United Kingdom". Weather Wunderground. 27 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2017.