1987 FA Cup final
The 1987 FA Cup final between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium, London, England was the 106th Final of the FA Cup, English football's primary cup competition. It was the third final for Tottenham Hotspur in seven years, the team having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982, while Coventry were making their first appearance. Both clubs were in the Football League First Division that season, giving them entry into the competition in the third round. They each won five games en route to the final, with Coventry beating Leeds United 3–2 and Tottenham beating Watford 4–1 in their respective semi-finals. Both clubs recorded songs to commemorate reaching the final. After a December league match between the two sides had finished 4–3 to Coventry, both Tottenham manager David Pleat and Coventry joint-manager John Sillett anticipated an exciting final.
Neil Midgley refereed the match in front of a crowd of 96,000. Within two minutes of the kick-off, Tottenham took the lead. Chris Waddle played in a cross from the right wing and Clive Allen beat defender Trevor Peake to the ball to head it past Steve Ogrizovic in the Coventry goal. The scores were level seven minutes later: a deep cross from Greg Downs was headed on by Keith Houchen to Dave Bennett who rounded Ray Clemence and struck the ball past Steve Hodge into the corner of the Tottenham goal. Coventry's Cyrille Regis had a goal disallowed and then, five minutes before half-time, Tottenham restored their one-goal lead. A free kick from Hoddle was touched on by Gary Mabbutt and bounced into the far corner of the Coventry goal. Midway through the second half, Coventry were level once again, with Houchen converting a Bennett cross with a diving header, which would later be selected as the BBC Goal of the Season. With the game even at full time, extra time was needed to decide the match. The only goal of extra time was scored in its first period when a cross from Lloyd McGrath looped off Mabbutt's left knee and over Clemence for an own goal, making the final score 3–2 to Coventry.
The match is regarded by many pundits as one of the greatest finals in the history of the competition, with BBC TV commentator John Motson calling it "the finest Cup Final I've had the pleasure of commentating on". Allen's goal was his 49th goal of the season for Tottenham which, as of 2021, remains a club record. Having won the FA Cup, Coventry would normally have qualified to participate in the 1987–88 European Cup Winners' Cup, but the ban on English clubs in European football following the Heysel Stadium disaster meant they were unable to take part, along with Tottenham who would have qualified for the 1987–88 UEFA Cup having finished third in the league.
Background
The FA Cup is an annual knockout tournament involving professional and amateur men's association football clubs in the English football league system. It is the world's oldest football cup competition. The 1986–87 tournament began in August 1986 with the preliminary round, followed by qualification rounds and then the rounds of the tournament itself culminating in the showpiece final. According to their level within the league system, many teams received byes through to later rounds. As First Division clubs, Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur both received byes through to the third round which featured the last 64 teams in the competition. The 1987 final was the 106th final to be played since it was first held in 1872.In the two league matches between Coventry and Tottenham during the season, each side won their home games. The fixture at White Hart Lane in November 1986 was won 1–0 by Tottenham, with Allen scoring the only goal. The return match at Coventry's Highfield Road was held one month later, shortly after Christmas. In a match described by Coventry City historian Jim Brown as an "epic encounter", Tottenham led 2–1 at half-time but Dave Bennett turned the game around after the interval with two goals in four minutes. Tottenham thought they had salvaged a point with a Nico Claesen equaliser two minutes before the end but Cyrille Regis scored in injury time to secure a 4–3 win for Coventry. Tottenham finished the league campaign in third place, while Coventry ended in tenth position. The 1987 final was Tottenham Hotspur's third FA Cup final in seven years and eighth overall, their most recent appearance being the 1982 FA Cup Final where they beat Queens Park Rangers 1–0 in a replay after drawing the original final 1–1. Coventry were making their first domestic cup final appearance.
Route to the final
Coventry City
Coventry began their FA Cup campaign in the third round with a match against Third Division side Bolton Wanderers at Highfield Road in early January. Coventry won 3–0 in frozen conditions, with Greg Downs, Regis and Bennett scoring the goals. The club's manager for the 1986–87 season was George Curtis, with John Sillett as first-team coach; the two were effectively joint managers. Their fourth-round match was away against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Curtis told the press before the game that "our name is on the cup", but United were the firm favourites. The game was once again played on a frozen pitch and Coventry won 1–0 through a Keith Houchen goal. Recently appointed United manager Alex Ferguson cited Coventry's better play for his team's defeat, saying "their players were prepared to risk life and limb – ours weren't".Another away match followed in the fifth round, this time at Stoke City of the Second Division, who had suffered only one defeat since November. The home side played better in the first half but Coventry withstood the pressure and once again took the game 1–0, Micky Gynn scoring on the rebound after David Phillips had failed to convert a Nick Pickering cross in the 72nd minute. The quarter-final was at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday and scores were level after a first-half Regis goal was cancelled out by a 67th-minute equaliser by Gary Megson. But Coventry scored twice in the final stages to progress to their first ever semi-final, against Leeds United.
The semi-final was also played at Hillsborough, this time as a neutral venue, and 27,000 Coventry supporters travelled to Sheffield for the game. Leeds were in the Second Division at the time and Coventry were pre-match favourites, but Leeds started better, forcing goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic to make two early saves and taking the lead after 14 minutes. Coventry played better after going behind, with Regis going close to scoring on three occasions, and eventually equalised after 69 minutes through a Gynn goal. Houchen's goal ten minutes later gave them a 2–1 lead but Leeds equalised with seven minutes remaining. Bennett scored nine minutes into extra time and Coventry held on for the win.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham also began their FA Cup campaign in the third round, with a home match against Fourth Division side Scunthorpe United. It was Scunthorpe's first game at White Hart Lane, and despite the large separation in league position, the two sides were evenly matched in the first half. Gary Mabbutt opened the scoring for Tottenham on 19 minutes, before Steve Johnson equalised for the visitors four minutes later. With the cold wind at their backs, Tottenham began to control the game after half-time, opening up a 3–1 lead through Claesen and Chris Waddle goals. Ken DeMange made it 3–2 late in the game, and Scunthorpe had the chance to force a replay in the final minute through a Johnson header, but it was saved by Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence. Tottenham's fourth-round match was more straightforward, as they beat Second Division Crystal Palace 4–0 at White Hart Lane. Mabbutt and a Gary O'Reilly own-goal made it 2–0 at half-time, before a Clive Allen penalty and Claesen goal sealed the game.In a match described by Martin Howey of the Newcastle Journal as "captivating", Tottenham beat fellow First Division side Newcastle United 1–0 in the fifth round. The game's only goal was scored by Allen, again from the penalty spot, after Newcastle's Peter Jackson was deemed by the referee to have fouled Richard Gough. Their quarter-final opponents were Wimbledon, who had advanced to that round of the competition for the first time. In a scrappy game, featuring numerous free kicks and offside decisions, Wimbledon held on until 80 minutes after which late goals by Glenn Hoddle and Waddle sealed a 2–0 win for Tottenham. Manager David Pleat said afterwards that his team had performed well defensively, despite Wimbledon's style of play being "difficult to contend with".
In the semi-final, played in April 1987 at the neutral venue of Villa Park in Birmingham, Tottenham faced Graham Taylor's Watford. Despite playing into the wind in the first half, Tottenham dominated the game from the start. They took the lead after 11 minutes when Steve Hodge followed up a long-range Allen shot, which Watford goalkeeper Gary Plumley had failed to hold. Two minutes later, Plumley was beaten again when John McClelland deflected another Allen shot into his own goal. Watford began to create more chances as Tottenham eased off, forcing Clemence to make two difficult saves in succession. But the Londoners reasserted control 10 minutes before half-time as Paul Allen retrieved a cleared corner, beat two defenders and fired a left-footed shot past Plumley. Claesen replaced the injured Allen on 75 minutes, helping to set up Tottenham's fourth goal with his first touch. Claesen's pass reached Ossie Ardiles, who in turn passed to Waddle, whose lay-off was finished by Hodge. Watford then scored a late consolation goal through Malcolm Allen, giving a final score of 4–1 to Tottenham.
Match
Pre-match
Both clubs recorded songs to commemorate reaching the final. London musicians Chas & Dave released a song called "Hot Shot Tottenham!" which reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. Coventry's single "Go for It" reached number 61. Having never lost in their seven previous finals, Tottenham were considered by bookmakers as heavy favourites to win. All but one of the 13 players in their squad had played international football, many with considerable Wembley experience, and striker Allen had netted 48 goals in the season to date. By contrast, Coventry had only one international in Phillips, and only four of their players had appeared at the national stadium. Speaking a week before the game, Irish defender Jimmy Holmes, who had previously played for both clubs, predicted that with the talent of Hoddle, Ardiles, Waddle, Hodge and Allen, Tottenham would be hard to beat. He did not write off Coventry's chances altogether, however, noting that "if they go at , and keep them under pressure, anything is possible". Recalling the league game at Highfield Road, Pleat predicted an exciting game, noting that "neither side knows how to defend, and both have pace in midfield"; he also expressed optimism that the players and supporters would approach match "in a good spirit" citing improved refereeing, a reduction in hooliganism in English football, and increased crowds. Sillett also predicted an exciting final, saying "it could be a classic – and it won't be for the want of trying".Both sides adopted a 4–4–2 formation. Coventry had to play without regular full-back Brian Borrows, after he suffered an injury in the season's final league game. His place in the starting 11 was taken by midfielder Gynn, with Phillips moving from the midfield to the defence to replace Borrows. Tottenham fielded a full-strength squad, with Chris Hughton playing at right back in place of Gary Stevens. Hughton had missed all but ten of the team's games since November due to an injury but was fit for the final, and Pleat's decision was influenced in part by Stevens's potential versatility as a substitute. It was the first season in which teams were allowed to select two substitutes for an FA Cup match.
Tottenham wore all-white kit while Coventry played in blue-and-white striped shirts, navy shorts and blue socks. In the league match at Highfield Road, the referee had deemed the two kits too similar in colour and, because they had not brought their away kit, Tottenham had been ordered to wear Coventry's yellow away shirts. There was no such issue with their kit for the final, although due to a mix-up only half of the Tottenham players wore the Holsten sponsorship on their shirts. The referee for the match was Neil Midgley of Greater Manchester. After the national anthem was played, the Duchess of Kent was introduced to both sides by their respective captains, while accompanied by Bert Millichip, chairman of the Football Association.