View source for 1972 FA Cup final

{{short description|Centenary FA Cup Final}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2023}}
{{For|the women's event|1972 WFA Cup final}}
{{Infobox football match
|                   title = 1972 FA Cup final
| image = Old Wembley Stadium (external view).jpg
| image_size = 200
|                   event = [[1971–72 FA Cup]]
|                   team1 = [[Leeds United A.F.C.|Leeds United]]
|        team1association =
|              team1score = 1
|                   team2 = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
|        team2association =
|              team2score = 0
|                 details =
|                    date = 6 May 1972
|                 stadium = [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]]
|                    city = [[London]]
|      man_of_the_match1a =
| man_of_the_match1atitle =
|      man_of_the_match1b =
| man_of_the_match1btitle =
|                 referee = David Smith ([[Gloucestershire County Football Association|Stonehouse]])
|              attendance = 100,000
|                 weather =
|                previous = [[1971 FA Cup final|1971]]
|                    next = [[1973 FA Cup final|1973]]
}}
The '''1972 FA Cup final''' took place on 6 May 1972 at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]]. It was the centenary final (although only the 91st final due to the world wars) and the 44th to be played at Wembley.

It was contested between cup holders [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], who had won the [[1970–71 Football League First Division|Football League]] and the [[1970–71 FA Cup|FA Cup]] the previous season, and [[Leeds United A.F.C.|Leeds United]], who had won the [[1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup|Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]] and finished second in the league the previous season, but had never won the FA Cup. Arsenal and Leeds became the first clubs to have faced one another in both English domestic cup finals: the two had previously contested the [[1968 Football League Cup Final]], which Leeds had won, 1–0.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Glenda |editor1-last=Rollin |editor2-first=Jack |editor2-last=Rollin |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 2001–2002 |year=2001 |publisher=Headline Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=978-0-7472-7260-1 |pages=584, 599–600}}</ref> Arsenal planned to make it the third successive decade for a club to return as Cup-holders and win for a second successive year, as [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] had done in 1952 and [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] in 1962.

This final is the origin of the song "Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!" (commonly known as "[[Marching On Together]]"), which was the B-side of Leeds's Cup Final record. The song is still played by United and other Leeds sports teams.

To date, this remains Leeds's last victory in a competitive final of any type (not counting the [[1992 FA Charity Shield]]), with their subsequent appearances in the [[1973 FA Cup final]], [[1973 European Cup Winners' Cup Final]], [[1975 European Cup final]], [[1996 Football League Cup final]], and play-off final appearances in [[1987 Football League Second Division play-off final|1987]], [[2006 Football League Championship play-off final|2006]], [[2008 Football League One play-off final|2008]] and [[2024 EFL Championship play-off final|2024]] all ending in defeat. [[Allan Clarke (footballer)|Allan Clarke]]'s winning goal likewise remains the last one scored by any Leeds player in a competitive final (not counting the 1987 play-off final, which took place across two legs and a replay).

==Road to Wembley==
{|width=100%
|-
|width=50% valign=top|

===Leeds United===
''Home teams listed first.''

'''Round 3:''' Leeds United 4–1 [[Bristol Rovers F.C.|Bristol Rovers]]

'''Round 4:''' [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] 0–0 Leeds United
:'''Replay:''' Leeds United 2–0 Liverpool

'''Round 5:''' [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]] 0–2 Leeds United
:&nbsp;
:&nbsp;

'''Round 6:''' Leeds United 2–1 [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]

'''Semi-final:''' Leeds United 3–0 [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]
:(at [[Hillsborough Stadium]], [[Sheffield]])
:&nbsp;
:&nbsp;
|width=50% valign=top|

===Arsenal===
''Home teams listed first.''

'''Round 3:''' [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]] 0–2 Arsenal

'''Round 4:''' Reading 1 –2 Arsenal
:&nbsp;

'''Round 5:''' [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] 2–2 Arsenal
:'''Replay:''' Arsenal 0–0 Derby County
:'''2nd Replay:''' Arsenal 1–0 Derby County (at [[Filbert Street]])

'''Round 6:''' [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]] 0–1 Arsenal

'''Semi-final:''' [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] 1–1 Arsenal
:(at [[Villa Park]], [[Birmingham]])
:'''Replay:''' Arsenal 2–1 Stoke City
::(at [[Goodison Park]], [[Everton, Liverpool|Everton]])
|}

==Match summary==
The Leeds duo [[Mick Jones (footballer, born 1945)|Mick Jones]] and [[Allan Clarke (footballer)|Allan 'Sniffer' Clarke]] combined to produce a goal in the fifty-third minute. Jones sent across a hard, shoulder-high centre and Clarke headed powerfully past Arsenal keeper [[Geoff Barnett (footballer)|Geoff Barnett]]'s left hand from fifteen yards.

A match that often fell below the highest level began badly with a foul by Clarke on [[Alan Ball Jr.|Alan Ball]] in the first five seconds and the first of four bookings – [[Bob McNab]] bringing down [[Peter Lorimer]] as early as the second minute. Neither side played consistently up to their capabilities, yet both had their moments.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} [[Charlie 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 elbow and had to be helped up the steps by [[Norman Hunter (footballer)|Norman Hunter]] to receive his winners' medal.

==Match facts==
{{footballbox
|date=6 May 1972<br />15:00 [[Western European Summer Time|BST]]
|team1=[[Leeds United A.F.C.|Leeds United]]
|score=1–0
|team2=[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
|report=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071026143401/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1972.htm (Report)]
|goals1=[[Allan Clarke (footballer)|Clarke]] {{goal|53}}
|goals2=
|stadium=[[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]], [[London]]
|attendance=100,000
|referee=David Smith}}

{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Football kit
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 | leftarm    = FFFFFF
 | body       = FFFFFF
 | rightarm   = FFFFFF
 | shorts     = FFFFFF
 | socks      = FFFFFF
 | title      = Leeds United
}}
|{{Football kit
 | pattern_la = _redborder
 | pattern_b  = _whitecollarsimple
 | pattern_ra = _redborder
 | pattern_sh =
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 | leftarm    = FFFFFF
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 | socks      = FF0000
 | title      = Arsenal
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|}

{| style="width:100%;"
|-
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|
{| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
|colspan="4"|
|-
!width="25"| !!width="25"|
|-
|GK ||'''1''' ||{{flagicon|SCO}} [[David Harvey (footballer)|David Harvey]]
|-
|RB ||'''2''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paul Reaney]]
|-
|LB ||'''3''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paul Madeley]]
|-
|MF ||'''4''' ||{{flagicon|SCO}}  [[Billy Bremner]] ([[Captain (association football)|c]])
|-
|CB ||'''5''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Charlton]]
|-
|CB ||'''6''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Norman Hunter (footballer)|Norman Hunter]]
|-
|RW ||'''7''' ||{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Peter Lorimer]]
|-
|FW ||'''8''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Allan Clarke (footballer)|Allan Clarke]]
|-
|FW ||'''9''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mick Jones (footballer, born 1945)|Mick Jones]]
|-
|MF||'''10'''||{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Johnny Giles]]
|-
|LW ||'''11'''||{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Eddie Gray (footballer, born 1948)|Eddie Gray]]
|-
|colspan=4|'''Substitute:'''
|-
|MF ||'''12'''|||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mick Bates (English footballer)|Mick Bates]]
|-
|colspan=4|'''Manager:'''
|-
|colspan="4"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Don Revie]]
|}
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|
{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="font-size:90%; margin:auto;"
|-
|colspan="4"|
|-
!width="25"| !!width="25"|
|-
|GK ||'''1''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Geoff Barnett (footballer)|Geoff Barnett]]
|-
|RB ||'''2''' ||{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Pat Rice]]
|-
|LB ||'''3''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob McNab]]
|-
|MF ||'''4''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Storey]]
|-
|CB ||'''5''' ||{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Frank McLintock]] ([[Captain (association football)|c]])
|-
|CB ||'''6''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Simpson (footballer, born 1945)|Peter Simpson]]
|-
|MF ||'''7''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Armstrong (footballer)|George Armstrong]]
|-
|MF ||'''8''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Ball Jr.|Alan Ball]]
|-
|FW ||'''9''' ||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Charlie George]]
|-
|FW ||'''10'''||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Radford (footballer)|John Radford]] {{suboff|73}}
|-
|MF ||'''11'''||{{flagicon|SCO}} [[George Graham (footballer, born 1944)|George Graham]]
|-
|colspan=4|'''Substitute:'''
|-
|FW ||'''12'''||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ray Kennedy]] {{subon|73}}
|-
|colspan=4|'''Manager:'''
|-
|colspan="4"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bertie Mee]]
|}
|}
{|  style="width:100%; font-size:90%;"
|-
|  style="width:50%; vertical-align:top;"|
'''Match rules'''
*90 minutes.
*30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
*Replay if scores still level.
*One named substitute.
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070125195345/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1972prog.htm Match Programme] at fa-cupfinals.co.uk
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081030011453/http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=258939 Game facts] at soccerbase.com
*[http://www.soccerbase.com/tournaments/tournament.sd?tourn_id=651 Full Results from the 1972 FA Cup competition] at soccerbase.com
*[http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/matches/19720506.htm Match Report at Mighty Whites]

{{FA Cup Finals}}
{{1971–72 in English football}}
{{Leeds United A.F.C. matches}}
{{Arsenal F.C. matches}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1972 Fa Cup Final}}
[[Category:1971–72 FA Cup|Final]]
[[Category:FA Cup finals]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. matches|FA Cup Final 1972]]
[[Category:Leeds United F.C. matches|FA Cup Final 1972]]
[[Category:1972 in sport in London|FA Cup Final]]
[[Category:May 1972 sports events in the United Kingdom|FA Cup Final]]