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| Event | 2018–19 FA Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 18 May 2019 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) | ||||||
| Referee | Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 85,854 | ||||||
← 2018 2020 → | |||||||
The 2019 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 2018–19 FA Cup and the 138th final of the FA Cup. It was played at Wembley Stadium, London, England on 18 May 2019. The match was contested by Manchester City and Watford. The winners will enter the group stage of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.
This match is the fourth time that the two teams have been drawn against each other—although the first, in the 1985–86 season, involved two replays—and the first time in which they have played against each other later than the Fourth Round. Manchester City have won two of their previous meetings and Watford one. Manchester City have reached the FA Cup final for the eleventh time, whereas Watford will be making only their second appearance in the final.
The game was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both BBC and BT Sport. BBC One provided the free-to-air coverage and BT Sport 2 was the pay-TV alternative.
Route to the final[]
Manchester City[]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Rotherham United (H) | 7–0 |
| 4th | Burnley (H) | 5–0 |
| 5th | Newport County (A) | 4–1 |
| QF | Swansea City (A) | 3–2 |
| SF | Brighton & Hove Albion (N) | 1–0 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue. | ||
As a Premier League club, Manchester City started in the third round where they were drawn with Championship Rotherham United at home. At their City of Manchester Stadium Manchester City won 7–0 due to goals from Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, an own-goal from Semi Ajayi, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane. In the fourth round, they drew fellow Premier League Burnley at home where they won 5–0 due to goals from Jesus, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, an own-goal from Kevin Long and Sergio Agüero. In the fifth round, they played Football League Two Newport County away. At Rodney Parade in Wales, Manchester City won 4–1 due to goals from Sane, two from Foden and Mahrez. In the quarter finals, they drew Swansea City of the Football League Championship away. At the Welsh Liberty Stadium they won 3–2 due to goals from Silva, an own-goal from Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Agüero. In the semi-final at neutral Wembley Stadium, they were drawn with Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion and progressed to the final after a 1–0 win with a Jesus goal.
Watford[]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Woking (A) | 2–0 |
| 4th | Newcastle United (A) | 2–0 |
| 5th | Queens Park Rangers (A) | 1–0 |
| QF | Crystal Palace (H) | 2–1 |
| SF | Wolverhampton Wanderers (N) | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue. | ||
Also a Premier League club, Watford also started in the third round. They were drawn away at National League South side Woking. At the Kingfield Stadium Watford won 2–0 with goals from Will Hughes and Troy Deeney. In the next round they played fellow Premier League Newcastle United away. At St James' Park, Watford progressed following a 2–0 win with goals from Andre Gray and Isaac Success. In the fifth round they played Football League Championship Queen's Park Rangers away. At Loftus Road, Watford won 1–0 following an Etienne Capoue goal. In the quarter finals they played fellow Premier League Crystal Palace at home. At their Vicarage Road, Watford won 2–1 with a goal each from Capoue and Gray. At neutral Wembley stadium against fellow Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers, they came from 2–0 down to win 3–2 after extra time to reach the final with two goals from Gerard Deulofeu and a penalty from Deeney.
Pre-game[]
Manchester City earned their place in the final as part of a possible quadruple after having already won the 2018–19 EFL Cup. Watford qualified for their first FA Cup final since 1984 and having lost four semi-finals since 1987.
Both clubs received an allocation of approximately 28,000 tickets. For adults, these were priced £45, £70, £115 and £145, with concessions in place. 14,000 tickets were distributed through the football family, which included volunteers representing County FAs, FA affiliated leagues, clubs and charities. Manchester City supporters were situated in the east side of the ground, while Watford's fans were allocated in the west.
Match[]
Team selection[]
Watford left-back José Holebas was sent off on the last day of the Premier League season in a 4–1 home defeat by West Ham United; the resulting one-match suspension would have ruled him out of the final. On 13 May, the red card was rescinded, clearing him for potential selection. The final may also be Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes' last professional football match as he announced his retirement at the end of the season.
Details[]
| 18 May 2019 17:00 BST |
Manchester City | 6–0 | Watford | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 85,854 Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) |
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David Silva  26'Jesus 38', 68'De Bruyne 61'Sterling 81', 87'
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Report |
          Man City
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   Watford
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Man of the Match:
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Match rules
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External links[]
| 2018-19 FA Cup match days |
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Qualifying round | First round | Second round | Third round | Fourth round | Fifth round | Sixth round | Semi-Finals | Final |
| Manchester City F.C. matches - 2018-19 |
| 2018-19 Premier League |
|
Arsenal (a) · Tottenham Hotspur (a) · Southampton (h) · Manchester United (h) · Arsenal (h) · Tottenham Hotspur (h) · Manchester United (a) · Burnley (a) · Brighton & Hove Albion (a) |
| 2018-19 FA Cup |
|
Rotherham United (h) · Burnley (h) · Newport County (a) · Swansea City (a) · Brighton & Hove Albion (n) · Watford (n) |
| 2018-19 EFL Cup |
|
Oxford United (a) · Fulham (h) · Leicester City (a) · Burton Albion (h) · Burton Albion (a) · |
| 2018-19 Champions League |
|
Lyon (h) · 1899 Hoffenheim (a) · Shakhtar Donetsk (a) · Shakhtar Donetsk (h) · Lyon (a) · 1899 Hoffenheim (h) · Schalke 04 (a) · Schalke 04 (h) · Tottenham Hotspur (a) · Tottenham Hotspur (h) |
| FA Community Shield |
| Watford F.C. matches - 2018-19 |
| 2018-19 Premier League |
| 2018-19 FA Cup |
|
Woking (a) · Newcastle United (a) · Queens Park Rangers (a) · Crystal Palace (h) · Wolverhampton Wanderers (n) · Manchester City (n) |
| 2018-19 EFL Cup |