Since Wembley Stadium reopened in 2007, it has seen some real crackerjack games.
When the FA Cup steps up to the home of English football, the stakes are always high. It is either the semi-final or the final of the competition – a stage that has added an extra boost to some captivating meetings over the years.
Let’s take a trip down the memory bar to look at some of the best FA Cup bands the new Wembley has ever seen.
A true story of two halves, Manchester United’s victory over Everton in the 2016 semi-finals was a roller coaster.
Marouane Fellaini netted in the first half for a dominant United, which was so impressive that Everton fans whipped their own players at the break, and that emotions seemed to light a fire during Toffees.
Romelu Lukaku missed a penalty in the 57th minute, but Everton clawed their way back into the tie through a Chris Smalling own goal, only to have a winning time from Anthony Martial leave Everton and lick their wounds.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea were looking for a league / cup double, but their dreams ended with an excellent display from Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.
The Gunners took an early controversial lead through Alexis Sanchez, where the referee and lineman did not agree on an offside that was eventually dismissed, and it got even worse for Chelsea when Victor Moses received his second yellow card halfway through the second half for a dive. .
Diego Costa kicked home an equalizer shortly after, but Arsenal got the victory they deserved three minutes later through an Aaron Ramsey nod.
Wembley was Didier Drogba’s playground and he was the star of the show in the 2012 final against Liverpool.
Chelsea were the better team in the first hour and led deservedly through goals from Ramires and Drogba, but the introduction of Andy Carroll shook things up so drastically that Liverpool thought they would win the trophy themselves.
Carroll boycotted home after the hour and then had everyone in the arena convinced that he had led to a late equalizer, only for one of the fantastic Wembley saves from Petr Cech to deny him and give Chelsea another FA Cup triumph.
Chelsea juggled a heavy schedule when they met Manchester City in the semi-finals in 2013. Their impoverished squad was no match for City, which was so good that even the Chelsea starters would have fought.
Goals on both sides of the half from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero had City on the right track for a comfortable victory, but the introduction of Fernando Torres by all people turned this tie upside down.
Demba Ba’s worldie gave Chelsea a lifeline and Torres felt unhappy not to win a penalty that could have changed things, but it was City who bounced into the final when it was all over.
While the scoreboard may make this one look a bit one-sided, the London derby between Chelsea and Spurs was actually much more exciting than it may seem.
Drogba put Chelsea 1-0 at the break, shortly afterwards the referee allowed a Juan Mata goal that did not really seem to have crossed the line.
Spurs were completely dropped by the decision and lost their heads (suggesting that this is the story of the Tottenham memes), which meant that a late riot from Ramires, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda could further humiliate them.
Watford and Wolves were two sides who did not expect to get the chance to seal a place in the final, so when they hit the head in the semis, they left everything they had on the field.
In a first half from end to end, Matt Doherty led the Wolves forward, before Raul Jimenez doubled his team’s advantage after the break, but that was when hell broke loose.
Substitute Gerard Deulofeu used every drop of his upbringing in Barcelona to lure the Wolves back into the game with a wonderful strike, before a 94-minute penalty from Troy Deeney sent the game into extra time.
With the game on the line, it was Deulofeu who stood up to count on a composed finish to give Watford a place in the final for the first time since 1984.
They would continue to be completely smacked by Man City in the final, but that’s not the point. This match was fun.
If Watford and Wolves were surprised to be in a semi-final, Hull and Sheffield United were completely lost for words. Knowing that this could be their biggest match in a long time, the two teams threw the sink at each other to put on a real cork.
United were 2-1 at the break, but (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) a Steve Bruce champion class turned things around after the break. The Tigers got full control, and goals from Matt Fryatt, Tom Huddlestone and Stephen Quinn made them 4-2 in the 90th minute.
However, the fun was not over yet. Jamie Murphy netted for the League One Blades to put on a tense final, but a strike from David Meyler deep into injury time made Hull fans party all night.
They could not, right?
It was the feeling of all the spectators in the final in 2013, who had lined up and expected Man City to give Wigan a real hiding place. Roberto Mancini’s side knocked and knocked and knocked on the door, but Wigan did not go.
Roberto Martinez’s side was not passive either. They had their chances, though not as clear as City, but they snatched the game’s only goal through Ben Watson’s head in the 88th minute.
It was probably the biggest FA Cup final of the decade, especially considering Wigan were relegated from the Premier League during the same season.
The 2014 final would never be entertaining. Arsenal were overwhelming favorites and should have conjured Hull with four or five goals, but still they were 2-0 for eight minutes.
What followed was 112 minutes of pure excitement.
With Hull fans bouncing, the Tigers dug in and did everything they could to fight an Arsenal squad that wanted to end a 3,283-day wait for a trophy. Santi Cazorla pulled one back early and the Gunners had to wait until the 71st minute for Laurent Koscielny’s equalizer.
In the middle of the Arsenal waves, some scary attacks came from Hull, but no one could arrive before the end of the regulation period and needed another 30 to sort things out.
By this time, Hull were visibly exhausted, allowing the quality of Aaron Ramsey to shine through and steer Arsenal to a victory that should have been so much easier.
Chelsea and Tottenham were fighting for the league title towards the end of the 2016/17 season, so it was always obvious that their semi-final match in April would be a classic.
In an end-to-end war, it was Willian who made the breakthrough from a free kick after just five minutes, and after Harry Kane nodded an equalizer, the Brazilian restored Chelsea’s lead from the penalty spot before half-time.
Dele Alli got a fantastic equalizer, after which Antonio Conte decided to use his big cannons. Then came Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, the latter of whom came to Chelsea for rescue for the fifth time.
The Belgian drove home a goal for goal in the 75th minute, before setting up an absolute arrow driver from Nemanja Matic who assured that there would be no Spurs comeback this time.
The match was so good that it famously broke Jermaine Jenas, who could not turn her head around the fact that Chelsea had just dismantled their beloved Spurs with ruthless efficiency.
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