Someone has written You deserve this moment on my stuff.
Handwritten. Yeah.
Wow, this. Reminds me of Martin McCutcheon.
This is my moment. This is my perfect moment.
Maybe it was her. Things have gone slightly
downhill for Martin's The Love Actually debacle.
Bless her, she deserved a shot in Hollywood.
What? An amazing.
You just cannot write scripts like this.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Final Countdown, a
podcast looking back at great finals within the game of
football. I am Lewis here, my Co host
Adam, hello there. And we have finally made it to
2021, the Leicester FA Cup final.
You're going to be leading us through it.
Well, be that we thought every year for the last five years was
the last. Yeah, exactly.
Those that have been listening along with us will notice that
most of the the kind of cliffhanger drops at the outro.
Well, join us next week for the True Underdog story.
Turns out, not that week. Next week it'll be.
No, not that week We. It's a lot later than I thought
it was. Yeah, some time later.
Like, a lot. And it reminds me, really, that
Leicester stayed in, kind of. Question Mark, we'll talk about
that. Yeah, a lot.
Longer than I thought they did. Yeah, I I had rewritten history
in my mind that they won the league, the next year they won
the FA Cup and the year after that they got relegated.
Yeah. So yeah, it's crazy.
We do talk about the Leicester mystique, as I've called it.
Oh oh. I am miss.
I'm intrigued into the mystique. Well, I don't know if it goes
any further than just me and you, but there is that thing
that if you had asked me like a few weeks ago, I would have said
pretty much what you just said. Yeah, Won the league, won the
cup, went down. Yeah, that isn't what happened.
No, at all. They were competitive even in
this season. Going into this final, they were
in third position in the league. Really.
That high? Is that under Brendan Rodgers?
Brendan Rodgers? Oh, there we go.
Now, now you've got my my mouse salivating.
Brendan Rodgers So let me salivate you further.
The opposing manager that day was Tommy Tukle.
Oh. England's finest Tommy to give
him the night of now. The World Cup hike has begun.
Absolutely. I'm already on board.
I'm gonna get his face tattooed on my.
Face February, I should add. Yeah, but who's gonna stop him
and Morgan Rogers? Tell me that now.
Why not Jude, I'm hamstring gone.
Absolutely right. OK, so we will go to the 2021 FA
Cup final, finally an FA Cup final that we are excited about,
kind of looking forward to. I should add the game wasn't
great for sure. It doesn't matter.
The narrative is rich. The.
Narrative's rich and the drama is rich.
And the goal? The goal is an absolutely
thunderbash to. The goal it is, yeah, exactly
that. That's how I describe the movie.
So just to kind of place us because it is still a bit of a
weird time in, in, well, English football, but also in in England
because we're coming off the back of COVID, yes.
So the match was the among the first of the football events
where the return of large crowds.
Oh, really? It was.
So this was. That long?
Do you remember that stupid thing where they're like, Oh
yeah, we'll pick some events at random that will host some?
And it wasn't a random, it was just who's going to make the
most money. So FA Cup, Wimbledon and then
obviously going into Euro 2020. Two, that was 20. 20 No 2021,
that was 2020, Yes, yes, yeah, yeah.
So crowds at football matches, this is crazy.
In England had not exceeded 8000 since March 2020.
Wow. Such a long time that.
Is so weird. So this was 20,000.
They were allowed at Wembley this day.
But yeah, that's I I was quite shocked to think no more than
8000 people for over a year. Yeah, yeah.
It's funny how you kind of block these things out and forget it
all together. But anyway, that was the kind of
setting, the fact that there was only 20,000 in there.
How the game ended is really you watch it on the highlights and
you're like, it doesn't sound like 20,000 people, it sounds
like 80,000. People oh really good.
I'm because I was about to say it's cruel really that Leicester
get to. Yeah, there was that final.
They win it and they don't have a packed house.
But by the sounds of it, that didn't matter because.
Well, from a noise point of view, but I suppose they might
have just pumped up the volume call.
I know, but it even the players and the manager talk about how
important it is. But then in a way, it was a
return to the people for football.
Yeah, in in a strange way, because this was kind of like,
well, the doors going to open now, new season that will be
full. And they pretty much knew that
it would be full crowds the following August.
So it was kind of like football has finally been given back
properly without the tests and the masks and the limitations,
all the rest of it. But we'll come back to that.
Chelsea might made the final for the fourth time in five years.
That is crazy. I haven't realised that.
Wow. No, we've obviously spoken about
Chelsea, that it doesn't matter necessarily who's in charge.
They always seem to stumble their way towards silverware in
some form or another. But four out of five years, that
is a real affinity for the for the cup.
Yeah, I mean, they it didn't. I mean, this is different
managers, kind of different teams and yet they still, you
know, turned up in finals again and again and again.
And it's not just we'll talk about it in a second, but it's
not just the last five years. It is also like kind of since
the Hulit Viali era era, Chelsea was such a good cup team.
Like they were always there and thereabouts got to a lot of
finals, League Cup finals, obviously Champions League.
It is amazing how that club just completely transforms from the
late 90s. Yeah, I mean, even now we look
back to last season, which again, nobody's taking it that
seriously, but the Club World Cup, they go up against the
Paris and Roman team that battered into my land 5 nil and
about a month later they're the ones walking away with the
trophy. It's like this doesn't make
sense. Oh of Chelsea.
Donald Trump walked away with the trophy.
That's. True.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hanging up in his office along
with his massive gold dildo or whatever he's got.
Allegedly, yeah. I don't want to know, yeah, to
be very Bollywood to me, but I don't want to know what's on his
trophy cabinet. No, I don't think we do want to
know that. So yeah, they having made four
out of the last five, they'd only won one of those four.
It's worth remembering. So they were a cup final team,
but not necessarily a cup winning team.
Yeah, they beat Man United in the 2018 final, one nil.
Tommy Tucas, I mentioned was the manager.
Chelsea, just to refresh your memory.
Chelsea had players like Tammy Abrahams.
Yes, Mason Mount. Because this is following on
from Lampard, isn't it? So Lampard had blooded the young
players because of the transfer ban.
Yeah, now too cool was taking them to the top.
Yeah, interesting. Interestingly, none of the four
players I'm going to mention here are still there.
So Abraham's Mount Haverts and Timo Werner.
Werner. Yeah, Werner, yeah, yeah.
So that was kind of the makeup of the Chelsea.
Obviously they had other superstars as well, but that was
kind of like, I thought it was interesting that four players
that started the final that affected the final aren't there
anymore. And it's interesting, obviously
habits has been a successor Arsenal but has been an injury
hit. Tammy Abrams has finally come
back to England after a rare. Sting, like last week, wasn't
it? Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, literally signed for Villa to kind of compete with Olly
Watkins. So an interesting one
potentially from an England point of view.
If Abraham can actually start games and jump ahead of Watkins,
well, why not? There's that third striker is
not. I think you're forgetting
Dominic Kavit Lewin, right? I'm not forgetting Dominic Kavit
Lewin, And Kavit Lewin is not forgetting his hamstrings.
He is 1 topoke away from being out for another.
Year, I'll bet. Danny Welbeck.
Wait, get Wells on the plane. That man Wells, he's good for
the squad. You know, he's good to have
around the squad. I mean, Henderson can go around
with their Zimmer frames. It'll be great, Chelsea boasted.
Sorry, just to back up the route to the final for Chelsea before
we move on through to the final had been largely untroubled.
Again, we find this is crazy. Like Chelsea are a big cup team
and they're a heavyweight, no doubt, but listen to this.
Morecambe, Luton, Barnsley, which was the only away game
really I have, and then Sheffield United.
Yeah, you, you. That is a dream.
I mean, they're in the semis with that.
Is it possible that maybe me and you not even misremembered but
have assumed that you know in the history of the cup
competition that the big teams will meet in the quarter finals,
semi finals? Because it seems to be for the
last six that we've covered, we've kind of gone well.
It's quite an easy run. Maybe it's just rare that.
Actually, big teams. Like meet each other in the
quarters of the semis maybe? Or maybe big teams went further
a giant kills more common now. Yeah, maybe, yeah, I don't know,
but it's strange because we keep on saying the same thing.
So I'm like actually, is it the exception that you'd get a
Liverpool Chelsea quarter final when they're Man United Chelsea
semi? Like I don't know, I.
Don't know. Yeah, it's really, it's an
interesting one. My my head tells me.
Yeah, you're right. Like in the back in the day, the
heavyweights met earlier, Yeah, but I mean, the heavyweights met
in the semis. Chelsea got Man City.
Right, OK. Who were league leaders at the
time and went on to win the league.
So, yeah, they were kind of, you know, revving up again under
Pep, having lost the title, the league season 4 with Liverpool
in the the kind of empty stadium title.
But Man City, we're back again to knock Liverpool off the
perch. But they couldn't knock Chelsea
off the perch. Chelsea played a very Tommy too
cool kind of careful formation, got the goal, saw it out and
beat Pep one nil at Wembley. They were very methodical, Which
again, just to drag it towards England because why not go on?
It's the kind of football that will help you win tournaments.
Like obviously, you know, Chelsea don't win this spoiler,
but he's got a good record in cups.
And I do think that actually you don't want necessarily somebody.
Who goes? You want tournament football,
mate? Yeah, For all the idiots that
criticize Southgate, that's that's what we had.
We had a tournament manager Like his record speaks for itself.
Exactly. Yeah, League manager, he's not
as good. Yeah, but a tournament manager?
Exactly what can? You fault him on?
Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly. Other than a Harry Kane
ballooning a penalty over against France, it was almost
faultless and we didn't win it anyway.
Shut up, haters. Chelsea.
They boasted an incredible record in the FA Cup, as we
mentioned, having won 7 finals since 1997.
Facing them at a Wembley, however, were a side who hadn't
reached the finals since 1969. Wow.
And they appeared in four previous finals and never won
it. I knew they'd never won it but
I'm surprised to hear they got to 4 finals.
That is an impressive record for a club.
So 100, 137 years, 4 finals, lost them all.
So five years just to set the scene, five years after that
incredible league title, which is probably the most incredible
thing I've ever seen in team sport.
In team sport, yeah, I agree. Leicester City walked out at
Wembley. If you live under a rock or just
discovered the game of football, Leicester City against all odds
won the Premier League title in 2016.
A modern day football miracle. They have blown their rivals
away. They have blown us all away in
truth. Premier League champions 2016
The amazing Leicester City. 500 to one odds they had.
They had avoided relegation the season before by about two
points, but this should not have.
Happened. It was nuts.
So going into the final as the only.
This is interesting as the only prior league champions of
champions of England not to win the FA Cup.
Oh, clever. Yeah, interesting.
So the only top division champions of of any time to have
never won the FA Cup. Nice.
So they were looking to banish that among the 137 years without
success. And also, I guess in a way to
Brendan Rodgers to kind of say we haven't lost everything that
got built, which I think was a it became a bit of a like, you
know, we typical English press. We celebrated Leicester for
about a second and then it was all kind of like, you know, they
can't keep it going. Them got the depth I think the
following season with Leicester because they were in the
Champions. League, the wheels start to come
off well that. Became their focus and they
didn't have the squad for that side campaign.
But there is this kind of weird Leicester mystique, as I call
it, where they fell off a Cliff, which isn't true.
So they finished 12th the following season, but they had
the Champions League and they did all right in the Champions
League they had, yeah, they did Knights.
They didn't just kind of disappear.
They then finished 9th twice in a row and then fifth twice in a
row. How long were they like this is
astounding me. I genuinely thought they were in
the Prem for like Four Seasons, so they were.
Still were top runner in the Premier League.
They finished. They were third on the day of
this final. It's one of the rare occasions
where the FA Cup was before the Premier League finished, but
they were third this day. Chelsea were fourth.
It actually happened that Chelsea finished third and
Lester finished fifth with two weeks later when the Premier
League finished, but ultimately they were third with two weeks
of the Premier League season to go.
They didn't get relegated until 2023.
Oh my God. Like.
Like I I would have bet my mortgage it was before. 2020
Absolutely. Absolutely.
So it's strange things coming. It's the Mandela Effect in real
in real. Time, it's crazy.
Years. So Leicester actually were a top
level Premier League side for 5-6 years after they won the
title. Amazing.
So kudos to them because I didn't give them that credit.
I thought it was Ranieri flipped in FA Cup somewhere after that
and then disappeared. That's not actually how it
happens. Brendan Rodgers had come in,
he'd seen a more difficult cup run.
He was the manager at Leicester now by this point, Stoke,
Brentford, Brighton, Man United, Southampton.
Oh nice battery Man United. I enjoy.
That yeah, that was yeah, that was a good in the quarter finals
actually to kind of to get rid of our whole.
The heavyweights don't meet only Stoke and Brentford were not in
the top division of that, but both would have been or would
have been or would be in the recent past.
So that's probably one of the highest level cup runs I think
we've. Seen certainly in recent memory.
Yeah, in terms of like almost every club is kind of Premier
League within living memory. So yeah, to to beat May Knight
in the quarter finals and then a high flying, ironically high
flying Southampton, who were going for I think their second
final in their history. So on the day of the final,
Leicester were, as I said, actually one place ahead of
Chelsea in the league. They had Casper Schmeichel.
Where's Morgan for Farner? Jamie Vardy was still there, of
course. Albrighton would have still
been. Around Albrighton was still
there, came on as a sub, yeah, but also a young James Madison,
Yes, and a certain Yuri Tillemans in midfield.
Now we're talking, which we'll come back to.
Gary Lineker, A lifelong Leicester fan, presented
coverage on BBC One where 9 million people watch the game.
Great. Making it the most watched game
of the season. Yes.
That's what we're talking about. Which I think was a little bit
Covidy, true a little bit, you know, less people were going to
games, but also probably the the Leicester effect, the neutrals
were interested getting involved as a possibility that a team
would never won the cup, could win the cup.
And then finally, before we get into the mats, Sean, Sean Sean
Massey Ellis, yes, acting as assistant, VAR became the first
female referee involved in an FA Cup final in its history.
Amazing. IN2021140 years into the
competition I. Mean, yeah, probably shouldn't
have taken that long, but nevertheless.
At least it's happening. Yeah, there we go.
So congratulations to Sean. But we go and head into the FA
Cup final of 2021. Is Gas going on?
Have a crack. He is, you know, Oh, I think
brilliant. That is Schoolboy's own stuff.
So Chelsea started the match in as the dominant side, and maybe
you would expect that as probably the strongest squad and
definitely the more aggressive manager in Tommy too.
Cool. So they came out firing a little
bit. Rudiger, who was at Chelsea at
the time, which I just can't think of him without thinking of
that strange run he did. Do you remember that?
That became a meme where he runs upright.
No. Yeah.
We're gonna have to check. You got to look at Rudiger run.
You got runs like that. Like the get out meme, whether
he's running towards. The but it's like during a
match, it's like like he's chasing the ball down.
It's like he's taking the piss. That's what it is.
Yeah, that's so good. Really strange.
Anyway, he had weirdly the first attempt to go 15 minute shot
from 430 yards speculative, but ultimately went close to
Schmichael's left hand post Marcus Alonzo had a scoring
opportunity cleared by Tillermans before Mount strike
from the edge of the Leicester penalty area took a deflection
from Ffana going just wide of the Leicester City goal as the
Chelsea bombard continued into kind of 25th, 30th minute.
Leicester came back into it through.
You might need to help me here. Timothy Castagna.
Castagna, yeah, look at that, sent in the low cross and of
course Jamie Vardy, fresh from his late, it's red ball struck
towards the Chelsea goal but the ball was blocked by Reese James
and missed the target. Chances for Verna Tillermans for
Fana couldn't change the honours.
And I'm Fast forward in the first half for a very good
reason. Honours were even as the half
ended. Ultimately, despite all those
chances I just mentioned, neither team had registered a
shot on target in 45. Minutes.
No way, just everything getting blocked.
That's. Crazy.
So kind of kind of it like the the first half highlights are
like, oh, there's a lot going on here.
But then the commentator says that and I'm like, Oh yeah.
Yeah, they haven't actually. Shot like a lot of noise, a lot
of kind of possibility, but just wide or yeah, just wide or you
know, just missing or sky the shot or whatnot.
Wow. So nil NIL going into halftime I
guess. The game's taken the the rhythm
that you would expect in terms of Chelsea having the majority
of possession, being on the front foot, Leicester looking to
counter attacks. They're a big counter attacking
team back then. It's kind of going to plan and I
I quite like the fact that obviously at this point they
were third and 4th in the league and now after 45 minutes they
can't be separated like it kind of.
It's nice to come that way, didn't?
Kind of steamroll the other. Yeah, and it was it initially
from reading and watching about the highlights, it did seem
like, oh, it's going to be Chelsea's day all day.
But Leicester, I mean, when that Leicester team, when they had
Vardy, they were always in the game, absolutely always.
Yeah, I know Vardy. We obviously he's big, he's a
bigger than life character and he we can poke fun in a good way
at Vardy. He was quality, he was quality.
He he truly is a Premier League great.
When you think about clinical strikers, he's right up.
Basically won the league. For less, yeah, he's unplayable.
Contributors, but he was superb that season.
He scored like 11 games in a row.
Yeah, you. Got that Nest Stories record,
didn't he? Yeah, absolutely amazing stuff.
And yeah, so it's funny to kind of poke fun a little bit at
Vardy's character, but ultimately, what a player he
he's been. And the fact he's carried on
like, again, his Red Bull, his Skittles, vodka, the stuff that
he's let slip and his packet of crisps.
And he's basically a bag of right angles.
And yeah, yeah, at 40 years old, he's in it Italian seriat,
scoring goals, incriminating, like fair play to the bloke.
Like what a career he's he's done every bit of juice from it.
Yeah, he brought a lot of joy. He was decent for England in a
bad time for England as well. So yeah, fair play to Jeremy
Vardy. He was, but he ultimately, he
always kept Lester in the game. And I'm not, I'm not being
funny. We've spoken about Welbeck.
We've spoken about Tammy Irvine. Get.
Back get. Back on the plane.
Come on Vardy, one last one last go.
Come on one last time round, the merry go round.
Vardy and Rudy upfront, yes, let's do it.
Was that big man, little man combination?
Very big man. Skinny man, round man.
So in the second-half Leicester came out with far more energy
and dominated possession, but ultimately it was Chelsea who
had the first chances. Kante for Chelsea.
Yes, absolutely. It would have been weird.
Yeah, obviously Kante was a big part, if not, you know, a very
central part to Leicester winning the league.
It was the three of them, wasn't it?
Not to take away from Wes Morgan, who's and other people
in that Leicester team, but it was Kante, it was Mahrez and it
was Vardy. It was that.
Three. It was that kind.
Of triangle that basically carried them to the league
title. So he had taken his he'd done
what Vardy didn't do. I'm not blaming him at all, but
he obviously took his big money move and went to Chelsea.
Vardy didn't go to Arsenal when he could have and stayed put at
at Leicester. So yeah, Kante was, I mean, he's
influential wherever he is. So he was influential for
Chelsea and very much so on this day.
So his cross put it on a plate for Marcus Alonso.
But Schmeichel saved his weak header, which I thought was
interesting. Like that's not my description.
It was a weak header. So the Leicester keeper was
called on again shortly. This is kind of setting the
scene a little bit for Casper Schmeichel's day in the sun.
Like he was amazing this day. And people will say or
Tillerman's goal won it. Yeah, No, it didn't.
But yeah. Without That's interesting.
So, like you say, I remember the Tillerman's goal.
I don't I hadn't remembered the Schermeichel, but now that you
said it, I'm like, does he get man of the match?
I. Think he might do.
Think he gets man of the match Brendan Rodgers quote, which
we'll talk about later. Basically, credit Schmichel with
winning them in the cup. Yeah, like you say, it isn't the
glitzy headline, but it is the reason that Leicester were able
to win it by a goal. What's reminiscent of Neville
Seifel 1995 mate? Are you bringing that up?
No, to be fair, it is. Yeah, To be fair, I can't argue
with that. But I mean, you're talking about
some great say, You're talking about Shemichael, you're talking
about Neville Southall, and you're talking about little
Shemichael. Little Shemichael, turn that to
his face. Yeah, so the Leicester keeper
was called on again shortly after as as the La Pequeta.
Yes, pull a Queta. There you go.
Yeah. When I said it, I'm like, that
was wrong. I said it again.
I'm like, that was right. Yeah, you were.
You were close. As pull a queta.
Yeah, that's pull a Queta, his shot increasing the pressure
against a yeah, up against it. That's the goal.
And then completely against run of play.
Really right, because Chelsea were they had the big MO.
Yeah, there we go. And she she yeah, so they're the
big MO and they were really kind of like it's only a matter of
time, surely, like it seemed like the the bigger squad was
going to come, you know, with the changes coming on fruition.
It's going to be a goal here and then suddenly out of nowhere
that's to kind of get the ball in the middle of the park and
then it's just loads of room. Is that right?
It's really weird. Yeah.
So Luke Thomas wins the ball, plays it into Yuri Tillerman's
about 30 yards out, and he he moves with the ball unchallenged
for about 10 yards. To his right set himself.
Yeah, really weird. And then Rudiger, I think it is
kind of comes out towards him, but not particularly with any
urgency. Might as well go, go on then.
I I. Was about to say, I wonder if
part of it was like, go on then try your luck from 30 yards.
Yeah, but Oh my God, does he? Try.
It's an amazing strike. It's so beautiful.
It is a thing of class. If you don't know what goal
we're talking about here, just treat yourself.
Put your feet up. Stick it up on the TV.
Don't watch it on your phone. Put it up on your TV.
Get your smart like Apple TV. Take in every angle.
Absolutely. It is just.
Especially the one Alan. Partridge, he's got a foot.
Like a traction engine. Lining one arm.
What a goal, What a brilliant goal by your retailers and the
Leicester City fans go absolutely.
Party. It's a lovely little bit of
bend, but not too much. He hits, it's sweet as you like.
And the the angle behind him is absolutely brilliant because it
just shows how much the keeper had no chance.
It was, it was so good. Absolutely outrageous.
I mean, Rogers kind of alludes to this, but it it harped back
to when people would talk about, you know, a goal worthy of
Wembley. Yeah, yeah.
When goals that won Wembley cup finals were kind of like
special, this was one of them. So yeah, it was it was a
brilliant goal. And the Leicester fans went
absolutely mental and Leicester had the goal they needed and in
some ways it's kind of hearts about five years.
But it is how Leicester kind of won that title as they would get
the goal and then they would not kind of like just park the bus,
but it was quite difficult to break them down.
So Wes Morgan and Johnny Evans at the back were kind of like,
you know, absolutely solid. Obviously Kaspers Michael was
Chelsea came back into it as you would expect.
They made their Subs Tommy Tukle played his cards.
And if Tillamans, as I as I mentioned, if Tillamans is
remembered for the goal, the real hero is Kaspers Michael.
So this kind of 20 minute period after they went in front is
probably the best performance by goalkeeper at Wembley maybe
ever. Certainly from the you know, the
the things I've seen, but also the write ups is all about
Kaspis Michael. He made a vital save from Chill
Wales Gold Band, had a brilliant save again, a really great one
to watch on slow MO because you're like is it going in?
Yes, it's definitely going in. Is he anywhere in shock?
I love. That it's crazy and then it's
from nowhere. End of stage, right?
Just leaving. Yeah, and it's the slow MO's
brilliant. It's really clever because it's
almost like it doesn't happen like this because it happens
quickly, but it's almost like you can see his eyes go towards
the ball and then make a decision to save it.
It's just nuts. It's really cool.
So just tipping the ball around the post and then with only
minutes remaining remaining, Mason Mount hits a great shot
his left foot from the edge of the box and Castro's Michael
dies full length to his left and tips it round the post.
It was a pretty breathless end to a really tense second-half
and you could feel the Leicester fans, Brendan Rodgers, like just
the nervousness of can they get it done?
But the biggest moment was to come and I'd forgotten all about
this and I watched this game and I'd forgotten this.
In the final minute of the game, Silver passed to Chilwell, who
took a shot. It was blocked, cleared away.
As it was cleared off the line, it deflected back off of
Chilwell and into the Leicester net in the last minute of the
cup final. Remember now actually you saying
that, that's conjured it. Up Yeah, yeah, so the Chelsea
fans go mad and watching it, it's like, oh, it's a goal.
Yeah, like there's no you know, kind of it's back in the day
when VAR was like in it's more infant stage.
So there was the less of that feeling of I don't I won't
believe it's a goal until yeah. So kind of like the the
celebrations like Rhys James going mad.
She was going mad like Tommy Tuko's celebrating it.
It's full on for about it feels like 45 seconds to a minute.
Wow. And then suddenly it cuts to the
ref and he's like, you know, earpiece or the rest of it and
it's being looked at and it's really weird because like how
long did it take for them to go? Oh, no, no, we need to have a
look at this. So it it's really dramatic.
VAR ultimately deems that Chillwell was in an offside
position in the build up cruel. So they had to kind of, maybe
it's why it took them so long. They had to kind of check back a
little bit, which was also controversial because I didn't
mention. But in Tillerman's goal, the
build up to that, Chelsea were adamant that there was a
handball and there's a good argument there was, but VAR
didn't catch that. And but in this they did catch
it. It took a while but Leicester
fans and the players and the management went absolutely mad.
The goal was disallowed, it was like 30 seconds to go and
Leicester held on. Leicester fans love VAR Look at
him celebrating, he's a fraction of sign.
It's a correct decision and the referee blows the whistle.
Leicester City with a triumph for the ages after 137 years of
crime and four welly high bricks in the FA Cup final.
Leicester City, the boxes, the fantastic boxes on the day have
won the FA Cup at last. So despite there only being
around 2520 thousand fans in the stadium, the noise was
deafening. As I mentioned, it didn't sound
like Wembley was half empty. Leicester held on to win the FA
Cup for the first time in it's 137 year history.
Perfect. With that we go to extra time.
Well, you have just witnessed 90 of the most ripping minutes of
European football you will ever, ever see.
The good news is there's more to come.
So Brendan Rodgers ultimately was giddy.
Yeah, as he should be, to be fair.
Yeah. Did he win anything with
Liverpool? Don't feel like he did.
I don't feel like we've covered maybe a League Cup, but we
haven't covered Ethnic Cup. But but he's obviously they
didn't win the league. They maybe should have but
didn't. So yeah, there was an element
where he probably put to bed the fact that he wasn't a top level
manager. I mean, maybe that's true now.
I don't know. I mean, I'm wanted a little bit
by his David Brentisms. Yeah, I didn't know that about
him exactly. It's.
Difficult to take him seriously. And it's funny because I, I, I'm
undecided on whether he's a good manager or not.
Obviously it's difficult because everyone does the asterisks with
Celtic, like he was incredibly successful and played great
football at Celtic and normally say well that's not difficult,
but you've seen other managers in recent memory come in and
fail. I mean, how many managers come
from the Scottish League and succeed in the English league
barring Sir Alex Ferguson? Like there's not many at all, is
there? Like soon as ultimately it was a
flop. Gerard was a flop but Villa,
he's not had much of A go but he was a flop.
Obviously you got Rodgers didn't really succeed.
I mean he built a good Liverpool team but they didn't get it done
when it came down to it like it is.
It's a tricky one anyway. His quote afterwards is really
good, he said. I'm very proud.
It's a historic day for the club, winning the FA Cup for the
first time. It's clearly a special day.
The players were so courageous in the game.
It's it was a fantastic atmosphere and I'm so happy
Leicester supporters could be there to see us win it.
See. What a brilliant quote.
Alan Pardew, are you taking notice?
This is what it is to represent a club at the NA Cup final or
not. Tuned in to Leicester, not him.
That is great, I love him. Brendan yeah, it's cool.
So I mean ultimately only 10 odd 1000 Leicester fans, I imagine
there would have been 40 odd thousands.
So you're right, there's an element where they have missed
out there and that's a bit sad because you don't know if
they'll ever do it again. Like it took them unlikely years
to do it once, but yeah. So that the the day was marked a
bit of a sadness, I guess in similar to Liverpool's COVID
title win, always a little bit of like, but it would have been
better. But anyway, Rogers went on
described in describing Tillaman strike as an old school FA Cup
winning goal. There's a man with heritage.
Absolutely, and it gets added into every reel when you.
That's right, Ricky Villa and Tillerman.
'S yeah, absolutely it. It deserves to be up there with
them. It's sensational.
Yeah, great goal, but he also highlighted his goalkeeper's
influence on the game, saying Kasper Schmeichel saves.
Those are the special moments you need to win finals.
And he's right. Yeah, he's he's bang on.
We have our many finals where the keeper has been credited
with winning the the cup. Yeah, yeah.
So fair play to little Schmeichel.
It was Roger's 7th FA Cup final. Sorry. 7th Cup final win in
seven attempts. Wow.
Yeah, that has a great. Record.
I know before anybody says it, yes, six of them with a Scottish
Cup. But is there a Scottish League
Cup? Yeah, Yeah, there is.
Yeah. Yeah.
So some version of the Scottish Cup and then the one FA Cup.
He became the first manager to win both the English and
Scottish FA Cup since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Yeah, interesting. I was about to say I literally
it's obvious now that I think of it, it's of course it'd be
Ferguson. But I was trying to think if
there's because like you say, it's it's very rare I think for
managers to flick between Scotland and England these days.
It doesn't feel like it happens that much.
But you think about back in the day with soon as and the huge
influence he had of bringing a lot of English players over to
Scotland. It's quite an interesting like
partnership when the leagues are a bit more equal.
Whereas nowadays it's not really.
It doesn't really happen. We've had Pasta, Koglu, Rogers,
I think that's pretty much it. And Gerard?
Who? Yeah.
I mean, I think Strachan managed in both.
I've got a feeling in my office. Yeah, he.
Was selling. Manager, I'm just I'm
questioning our own research here but we might need to do a a
pause because didn't soonest win the cup with Liverpool in 92.
Yes, he did. And then the only thing he did.
But then he but he came from Rangers to Liverpool?
Or did he go to Rangers from Liverpool?
Either way, he must have won the bloody Scottish Cup, right?
Let's check it out. Some time later.
So yeah. So what we figured out is they
did. Rangers won, yeah, multiple cups
under Sooners. And then we thought, hang on a
minute, didn't Liverpool win the cup in 92 under Sooners?
They did. However this was when Sooners
had his massive heart attack. So he picked the starting 11,
but he wouldn't technically manage.
That's a bit hard. But it doesn't go against his
honors because he wasn't manager.
It was Ronnie Moran who was named as the manager for that
game. So BBC are cut.
Through I know yes as. Soon as I got that.
Fact. He picked the 11, but he wasn't
manager. Wow, which?
Like you say, is harsh because if he'd, I don't know, had a
dugout suspension, he would still be the manager.
He would still that he'd still be.
His honour was. He so I mean he was in post
though, wasn't he? Like he came back and managed.
Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. So weird.
Very strange. But yeah, apparently.
Sorry, Graham. Yeah, sorry, Graham.
You don't get the credit anyway, back to 2021 and let's just say
Schmeichel himself was jubilant, as you can imagine, he said.
To think of the people who have lifted lifted this trophy and to
be able to do it today is beyond my wildest dreams.
I mean, it's got to be satisfying when he's now sat at
the dinner table and he can, he's got the same, not the same
amount, but he's got the same trophies as Schmeichel Bar in
the Champions League. You're kind of like.
True. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, you can. Imagine the friendly band.
Got your Premier League medal medals?
Come on, little cub, you've still got a lot to learn.
Come at the king, you better not miss.
Michael. Just a medal on each finger.
Yeah, too right Tommy, Too cool, the Chelsea manager suggested.
This is great and I kind of want to see this bit kind of
bitterness if if England crash that his team was simply unlucky
and suggested that barred Mr. Hamble in the build up to the
winning goal. He also described Tillerman's
goal as fantastic but lucky. Lucky you make your own luck.
If you hit a shot of that, it's not about luck with that.
I I love that, like Marina does that kind of thing.
It's like, yeah, the whole world knows you're just being bitter.
Yeah. Like, there's no one is.
Can't help themselves. Oh, it was lucky, too Cool.
Said so. So it must have been, Yeah.
No, nothing lucky about that. TT elements made his own luck.
Brilliant goal. So Chelsea became the first
team. This is cool.
Well, not cool for them, but since Newcastle United in 9899
to lose 2 consecutive FA Cup finals.
Oh yeah, wow. And this was the 45th FA Cup
final to finish one nil. Is that right?
And that is at least 20 more times than any other scoreline
in It's basically. 1/3 of FA Cup finals are one nil there or
thereabouts. Kind of shows how tight they can
get, isn't it? So I thought we finished the
2021 Historic Cup final with the the BBC report and kind of the
quote of it is. I feel like we should have ABBC
montage style music underneath. Maybe stop crying your heart at
the final whistle. It was just like old times as
those thousands of Leicester supporters stayed in their seats
for the trophy celebration to take in scenes that will live
them with them forever. While the chase Chelsea end was
a scene of desolation before it became a sea of deserted red
seats, it only emphasized once more that football, quite
simply, is not the same in any form without the fans.
I mean, I cannot think of a better way to end our episode
this week, so I'm going to let those words hang in the air.
But join us next week as we look into another great FA Cup final.