Parlour? Villa? Gerrard? Ranking best FA Cup final goals

ByAlex Bysouth

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

There's something magical about those seconds before the FA Cup final kicks off. Trumpets and tin-foil trophies, players as tense as the travelling fans, gaffers pacing the dugout in full club suits. The anticipation of a new hero emerging.

Everyone has an era in which they can reel off the details of every final - those childhood-turned-teenage years when the kits, colours, goalscorers and captains traipsing Wembley's steep steps are etched in the memory.

Don't ask me what happened a couple of years ago... but Paul Rideout in '95? Eric Cantona against Liverpool? All there in vivid detail.

Some goals, though, are written in FA Cup folklore, rolled out for every cup final montage - they're the belters, the moments of individual magic, the strikes that sealed shock wins. I've attempted to rank the top 10 below.

10. Youri Tielemans - Leicester v Chelsea 2021

The real Leicester City miracle was winning a 5,000-1 shot Premier League title five years earlier, but clinching a first FA Cup in 2021 was almost as special. And it was sealed with an absolute rasper.

Youri Tielemans received a pass inside the Chelsea half, took two touches to shift it out of his feet before angling a bullet-like drive into Kepa Arrizabalaga's top corner. Pick that out.

Covid restrictions meant only 20,000 were at Wembley to witness it but, as they head into League One five years on, Foxes fans will hold on to those fond cup-winning memories.

9. Ben Watson - Wigan v Man City 2013

This isn't as technically satisfying as many of the efforts on the list, although a well-executed set-piece is not to be sniffed at, but not many goals come close to producing as big a shock as Wigan Athletic's win over Manchester City in 2013.

That the winner came in the 91st minute only added to the drama, Ben Watson rising like an Atlantic salmon to meet Shaun Maloney's corner at the front post and flick a looping header into the far corner against a City side who had won their first Premier League title the year before.

Wigan fans were back in London three days later, this time to watch their side get relegated from the Premier League after a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal.

8. Charlie George - Arsenal v Liverpool 1971

The celebration is iconic. Charlie George donned in yellow, laying down on his back, arms outstretched, lifting his head and scruffily sideburned cheeks before he is mobbed by Arsenal team-mates after scoring the winner against Liverpool deep into extra time.

You can almost sense the burning quads and cramping calf muscles through the grainy footage as George plays a one-two before lashing a strike beyond Ray Clemence from the edge of the box to seal Arsenal a league and cup double.

"As soon as it left my foot, I knew it was a goal," said the maverick Gunners forward.

7. Ray Parlour - Arsenal v Chelsea 2002

Ray Parlour was never prolific. In fact, he had only scored once in 37 games all season before Arsenal's FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2002.

But the 'Romford Pele' could produce when it mattered. With 20 minutes to go at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the midfielder's sweaty curls could be spotted bounding through blue shirts to pick up Sylvain Wiltord's pass.

Parlour looked like he wanted to shift the ball on to a team-mate but, as William Gallas and Marcel Desailly backed off, suddenly he had room 30 yards out to curl an effort beyond despairing goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

Freddie Ljungberg scored a special solo effort of his own 10 minutes later to take the trophy back to north London.

6. Norman Whiteside - Man Utd v Everton 1985

The odds were stacked against Manchester United, down to 10 men heading into extra time against an Everton side who were chasing a treble and had already beaten them twice that season.

But in the 110th minute, Mark Hughes threaded a ball into Norman Whiteside's path with the outside of his boot.

The midfielder scrambled down the right, cut in towards the edge of the box on his left and, with a subtle little stepover, created enough room to wrap a curling effort around Toffees defender Pat van den Hauwe and beyond keeper Neville Southall into the far corner.

"Some people have had the audacity to ask if it was a cross!" he later told BBC Radio 5 live.

5. Ilkay Gundogan - Man City v Man Utd 2023

Twelve seconds on the clock, captain's armband proudly cradling your bicep against your city rivals, ball dropping through the Wembley sunshine - there's never been a better excuse than to just hit one on the volley.

Ilkay Gundogan executed his effort with perfection, lacing a ferocious, dipping strike into David de Gea's top corner, the Manchester United stopper only able to watch it fly in.

Gundogan's goal is the fastest in FA Cup final history, and one of the best too.

The skipper scored again to seal Manchester City the FA Cup, before they beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later to secure the Treble.

4. Michael Owen - Liverpool v Arsenal 2001

A young Michael Owen was electrifying. By the 2001 FA Cup final some of his early hamstring problems had already begun, but this was a 21-year-old on his way to winning the Ballon d'Or.

Even then, the diminutive forward looked like a schoolkid thrust into an adult's game and forced to wear a shirt several sizes too big.

Liverpool trailed Arsenal 1-0 in the Cardiff sunshine when Owen levelled with a smartly taken half-volley in the 83rd minute. His winner five minutes later, though, was straight out of the Chester-born striker's playbook.

With Liverpool under pressure, Patrik Berger looped a clearance into the channel. Owen gave Lee Dixon a head start but scorched across the turf to get there before him.

His first touch took the ball away from the covering Tony Adams, his second fired a left-footed shot a fraction inside David Seaman's far post.

"If I could have one day back, I would rewind to that day," Owen later said.

3. Roberto di Matteo - Chelsea v Middlesbrough 1997

Fans were still getting comfortable in their seats, the first toots of a trumpet echoing around Wembley, with not even a minute having passed when Roberto di Matteo collected a pass 10 yards inside his own half.

The Italian surged forward, Middlesbrough's midfield seemingly still in the dressing room, until he reached 30 yards from goal and unleashed a ferocious effort that appeared to pick up speed as it cannoned into the net off the underside of the crossbar.

The midfielder set off in pure elation, sprinting down the touchline, team-mates trying to haul him back to celebrate. Chelsea went on to win 2-0, the club's first major trophy in 26 years.

2. Steven Gerrard - Liverpool v West Ham 2006

This is like that Top of the Pops moment where you're waiting to find out who's number one. There'll be groans from Merseyside as Steven Gerrard's name is read out, cheers in north London as they know what's coming up.

Gerrard was renowned for his belters, but he's arguably never hit one as sweet as this.

Hobbling around with cramp as Liverpool trailed West Ham 3-2 in added time, lactic acid coursing through his thighs, the midfielder swung a right boot at a bobbling ball 40 yards out and it fizzed just above the turf until hitting the back of Shaka Hislop's net.

"I saw him coming on to it but there were a lot of players between him and me, and he hit it so well it was in the back of the net almost before I could react," Hislop told 5 Live.

Liverpool went on to win on penalties, Gerrard also netting from the spot.

"When that went in I felt like the most special and important player in the world," he said about his wonder strike.

1. Ricky Villa - Tottenham v Man City 1981

At number one it's the beauty and pure adrenaline-fuelled emotion of Ricky Villa, a man who was devastated to have been taken off a few days earlier as Spurs and Manchester City drew 1-1 at Wembley.

Cometh the replay, cometh the bearded Argentine.

With the game tied 2-2 with 14 minutes remaining, and having already netted earlier on, Villa set off on his famous dribble - shorts clinging to his upper quads, hair billowing in the Thursday evening Wembley breeze, Chas & Dave ringing in his ears, skipping through light blue shirts under a floodlit glare and slotting between hapless Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Corrigan's legs.

"I remember getting the ball and my first instinct was to attack," Villa told BBC Radio 5 Live. "As soon as I ran towards the goal I forgot about everyone around me.

"I lost control of the ball just a little before the goal but I shot and I was lucky before I scored. Sometimes you need a little luck and this is what happened.

"It changed my life in the English league."