 The match was played at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 2012–13 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 11 May 2013 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Callum McManaman (Wigan Athletic) | ||||||
| Referee | Andre Marriner (West Midlands) | ||||||
| Attendance | 86,254 | ||||||
The 2013 FA Cup final was an association football match between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic on 11 May 2013 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, organised by the Football Association (FA). It marked the 132nd final of the Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), the world's oldest football cup competition. It was Wigan's first FA Cup final and Manchester City's tenth. En route to the final, Manchester City defeated Watford, Stoke City, Leeds United, Barnsley and Chelsea; Wigan Athletic beat Bournemouth (after a replay), Macclesfield Town, Huddersfield Town, Everton and Millwall.
The match kicked off in the early evening in front of 86,254 spectators and was refereed by Andre Marriner. After a goalless first half, Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta was sent off for a second yellow card, becoming the third player to be sent off in an FA Cup final. One minute into injury time, Wigan Athletic won a corner kick which was taken by Shaun Maloney: Ben Watson outjumped Jack Rodwell and headed the ball over Joe Hart, the Manchester City goalkeeper, and into the goal to secure a 1–0 win. The cup was jointly lifted by playing captain Emmerson Boyce and club captain Gary Caldwell. Wigan Athletic's Callum McManaman was named as man of the match.
Manchester City and their semi-final opponent Chelsea had already qualified for the following season's Champions League by virtue of the clubs' league positions. Wigan Athletic secured qualification for the 2013–14 Europa League competition after they had won their semi-final against Millwall. Two days after the final, Manchester City sacked manager Roberto Mancini, confirming rumours of his fate before the match. The next day, Wigan Athletic were relegated from the Premier League following a 4–1 loss to Arsenal, becoming the first club to take part in the FA Cup Final and be relegated from the highest tier of English football in the same season since Middlesbrough in 1997.