FA Cup: Most Memorable Semi-Final matches

With the 2025 FA Cup Semi Finals rapidly approaching, we are going to be taking a look back at some of the most memorable matches in the last four of this historic cup competition.

The FA Cup is the oldest domestic cup competition in world football, and it has produced a great number of iconic moments as well as upsets and incredibly exciting games over the years. The 2024/25 edition of this historic competition has been captivating, and it has not disappointed with the drama and the action that has been on offer in this competition so far this season.

One of the biggest shocks of the FA Cup tournament to date was when a goal from Ryan Hardie early in the second half (53’) was enough for Miron Muslic and Plymouth Argyle to pull off a shock and a historic 1 – 0 victory against Premier League Champions elect Liverpool, led by their Dutch Head Coach Arne Slot.

Another surprise result was when Brighton were 2 – 1 winners against Chelsea, whilst Nottingham Forest came close to being knocked out in the Fourth Round by League One Club Exeter City after drawing 2 – 2 with the Grecians at St. James’ Park. Forest saved themselves with a 4 – 2 win on penalty kicks, with Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and Neco Williams all scoring from the spot for Nuno’s Reds.

We have no reached the Semi Finals stage, with Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace set to come face to face at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Saturday 26th April 2025, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City also going head to head for a highly coveted place in the highly prestigious FA Cup Final under the arch a day later.

Let’s now take a look back at some of the most memorable FA Cup Semi Final matches of all time, and in no particular order.

Coventry City 3 – 3 Manchester United (4 – 2 to United on pens) – Sunday 21^st April 2024

We start with perhaps the most controversial of the particularly memorable FA Cup Semi Finals mentioned here, and it was the 2024 Semi Final from last season between EFL Championship Club Coventry City and Premier League heavyweights Manchester United, who were then led by Dutchman Erik Ten Hag.

United did think it was all over and a place in the final was theirs when they had gone three goals to the good thanks to goals from Scott McTominay (23’), Harry Maguire (45+1’), and Bruno Fernandes (58’) either side of half time. However, goals from former Everton striker Ellis Simms (71’), former Aston Villa attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare (79’) and USA international forward Haji Wright (90+5’) made it 3 – 3 in extraordinary fashion to force extra time.

At the end of stoppage time in the second half of stoppage time, Coventry City did have a goal controversially ruled out for offside, and the West Midlands outfit did indeed go on to lose out on a place in the Final to eventual winners Manchester United, losing 4 – 2 on penalties overall.

Hull City 5 – 3 Sheffield United – Saturday 13^th April 2014

We now move on to the 2014 FA Cup Semi Final between Hull City and Sheffield United from April 2014, with the two teams then led by Nigel Pearson and Micky Adams respectively.

Sheffield United opened the scoring through Jose Baxter (19’) before Yannick Sagbo scored the equaliser for Hull City just before half time (42’). Stefan Scougall did though give the Blades the lead just a couple of minutes later to put Adams’ team 2 – 1 up at the break (44’).

Matty Fryatt made it level at 2 – 2 to restore parity (49’), before taking the lead through Tom Huddlestone (54’), before then scoring again through Stephen Quinn with just over twenty minutes of normal time left (67’). Jamie Murphy then made it 4 – 3 before a goal deep into second half stoppage time from David Meyler secured the 5 – 3 win for Nigel Pearson’s Hull City.

Hull City went on to face Arsenal in what was their first ever FA Cup Final in May 2014, only to narrowly lose 3 – 2 after extra time in what was an incredible game of football at Wembley.

Manchester City 1 – 0 Manchester United – Saturday 16^th April 2011

We now move on to one of the 2010/11 FA Cup Semi Finals, which was contested between the two fierce cross-city rivals Manchester City and Manchester United, led at the time by Roberto Mancini and Sir Alex Ferguson at the time.

In the end, it was City who won the game and the bragging rights thanks to a winning goal from club favourite Yaya Toure in the early stages of the second half (52’) in front of an 86,549 strong crowd at the iconic and historic Wembley Stadium that day. Further drama in this game saw Ryan Giggs get his marching orders with a red card late on in the game, with just less than 20 minutes plus stoppage time remaining in the second half (72’).

Mancini’s Manchester City did indeed go on to win the 2011 FA Cup, which was their first-ever win in this very historic competition, which came after beating Stoke City under that famous Wembley arch thanks to yet another vital and historic winning goal from Yaya Toure, also in the second half (74’).

Portsmouth 2 – 0 Spurs – Sunday 11^th April 2010

Finally, we go back to Sunday 11th April 2010, when debt ridden Portsmouth, led by then Pompey boss Steve Cotterill, took on a Tottenham Hotspur team led by Harry Redknapp at Wembley in one of the two Semi Finals that season.

In the end, it was Portsmouth who, against all odds given the dire situation at the South Coast Club at this time, managed to secure a vital and historic 2 – 0 victory over their North London counterparts. It was Frederic Piquionne (99’) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (117’ – Penalty) who scored for Pompey in extra time.

Portsmouth did of course go on to the Final, with Pompey losing 1 – 0 in the 2010 FA Cup Final against Wembley, with Didier Drogba scoring what turned out to be the winning goal early on in the second half of this match (59’).

All eyes are now going to be on the two matches set to take place this weekend, with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and Manchester City all vying for a victory in the Semi Finals at the iconic and historic Wembley Stadium, in order to secure themselves one of the two very highly coveted spots in the upcoming and much anticipated 2025 FA Cup Final on Saturday 17th May.

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