1972 FA Cup Final

1972 FA Cup Final
Event	FA Cup 1971–72
Date	6 May 1972
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
	← 1971 1973 →

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The 1972 FA Cup Final took place on 6 May 1972 at Wembley Stadium. It was the Centenary final (although only the 91st final due to world wars) and the 44th to be played at Wembley. It was contested between cup holders Arsenal, who had won the English Championship and FA Cup the previous season, and Leeds United, who had won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and finished 2nd in the league the previous season. Arsenal planned to make it the third decade for a club to return as Cup-holders and win again for the second successive year, as Newcastle had done in 1952 and Tottenham in 1962.

The final is also the origin of the song Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! (commonly known as Marching On Together) as the B-side of the Leeds cup final song, played to this day by United and several other Leeds sports teams.

[edit] Match summary

Leeds were the better team all through. Their back four had no trouble in mastering the Arsenal attacks and negating the threat posed by strikers George and Radford. By contrast, the Leeds front runners, Clarke and Jones, continually harassed the Arsenal defence.^{[citation needed]}

The Jones-Clarke combination produced a goal in the fifty-third minute. Jones sent across a hard, shoulder-high centre and 'Sniffer' Clarke headed powerfully past Barnett's left hand from fifteen yards.

A match that often fell below the highest level began badly with a foul by Clarke on Ball in the first five seconds and the first of four bookings — McNab bringing down Lorimer as early as the second minute. Neither side played consistently up to their capabilities, yet both had their moments. George's fierce volley cannoned back off the bar for Arsenal, and both Clarke and Lorimer struck the woodwork for Leeds.

Leeds' jubilation at the end was tempered by a last-minute injury to Mick Jones, who dislocated his shoulder and had to be helped up the steps by Norman Hunter to receive his winners' medal.

[edit] Match facts

1972-05-06 15:00 BST	Leeds United	1 – 0	Arsenal	Wembley, London Attendance: 100,000 Referee: David Smith
	Clarke 53'	(Report)		Wembley, London Attendance: 100,000 Referee: David Smith

Leeds United

Arsenal


LEEDS UNITED:
GK	1	Harvey
DF	2	Reaney
DF	3	Madeley
DF	4	Bremner (c)
MF	5	Charlton
DF	6	Hunter
MF	7	Lorimer
FW	8	Clarke
FW	9	Jones
MF	10	Giles
MF	11	Gray
Substitute:
DF	12	Bates
Manager:
Don Revie


ARSENAL:
GK	1	Barnett
RB	2	Rice
LB	3	McNab
FB	4	Storey
CB	5	McLintock (c)
CB	6	Simpson
MF	7	Armstrong
MF	8	Ball
FW	9	George
FW	10	Radford 73'
MF	11	Graham
Substitute:
MF	12	Kennedy 73'
Manager:
Bertie Mee