The FA Cup was founded in 1871 and is one of the most illustrious sport competitions in the UK. Any team from across the football leagues and non-leagues have a chance of obtaining glory. Over the years notable “big clubs” have been knocked out by smaller teams. Although giant killings happen in soccer, you may be wondering how many times has Arsenal won the FA Cup?
How many times has Arsenal won the FA Cup? Arsenal became the undisputed kings of the FA Cup after the Gunners lifted the trophy for a record 14th time beating London rivals Chelsea 2-1 in the 2020 FA Cup final.
How did Arsenal end up winning the FA Cup so many times, given their recent decline. Today, we will have a brief look at each of the FA Cup triumphs the club has had over their illustrious history.
Arsenal FA Cup 1930 Winners
Arsenal won their first-ever FA Cup title in 1930 under their legendary manager Herbert Chapman. The Gunners played Huddersfield Town in the final. Chapman had formerly managed Huddersfield. So, as a token of respect to him, both teams entered the pitch side by side.
Arsenal won the match by 2-0, as Alex James and Jack Lambert found the back of the net. During the second half, the Graff Zepplin, the largest airship of the world back then, had appeared on the horizon and distracted the spectators from the match.
Arsenal 1936 FA Cup Winners
Six years after their first FA Cup win, Arsenal returned to Wembley to face Sheffield United in the FA Cup final. George Allison was in charge of the Arsenal team after Herbert Chapman had passed away. So, the pressure of expectation was quite high on Allison’s shoulders.
Thankfully, his players did not disappoint him. Arsenal had a difficult time trying to break down Sheffield’s compact defensive shape. The Blades looked threatening on the counter, but Arsenal got the decisive goal as the ever-reliable Tim Drake scored the only goal of the match.
Arsenal 1950 FA Cup Winners
The 1950 FA Cup final is remembered for the controversial omission of Bob Paisley from the Liverpool team. Paisley, who later became Liverpool’s most successful manager in history, found himself on the bench despite scoring a brace against Merseyside rivals Everton in the semifinal.
Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 victory, thanks to a Reg Lewis brace, with a goal on either halves of the game. Dennis Compton was also part of the Arsenal team that day. Compton made his name as a cricketer later on and played 78 test matches for England.
Arsenal 1971 FA Cup Winners
Arsenal and Liverpool locked horns in an FA Cup final again in 1971. This time, the match dragged into extra time as the match ended 0-0 in regulation time. Stephen Heighway took the lead for Liverpool in the 92nd minute, but Edward Kelly and Charles George decided it for Arsenal.
Arsenal 1979 FA Cup Winners
Football historians often label the 1979 FA Cup final as one of the most entertaining FA Cup ties of all time. Arsenal saw a 2-0 lead disappear within a matter of minutes as Manchester United levelled the score in the 88th minute.
As Man United fans were getting their hopes up for a dramatic comeback victory, Alan Sunderland threw a spanner into all the hard work the Red Devils had done to get back in the game. The former England international scored a last-minute goal and won the title for Arsenal.
Arsenal 1993 FA Cup Winners
The 1993 FA Cup final was decided with a replay. The original game between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday ended in 1-1 while the replay ended 2-1 in favour of the London club. Arsenal also won the League Cup that year and became the first English club to win the domestic cup double.
Arsenal 1998 FA Cup Winners
In 1998, Arsenal faced Newcastle in an FA Cup final for the third time in their history. The Gunners were hoping for better luck this time around as they were defeated by the Toons in both of their previous FA Cup final meetings. Arsenal won the match 2-0.
2002 FA Cup Winners
As the new Wembley was under construction, the 2002 FA Cup final took place in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg found their names on the scoresheet as the Gunners won 2-0 against Chelsea.
Arsenal 2003 FA Cup Winners
Arsenal defended the FA Cup successfully in the 2003 FA Cup final. The defending champions returned to Cardiff to take on Southampton in the final, a team they had beaten 6-1 in their previous meeting. But, it proved to be a difficult game for Arsenal and a Robert Pires goal made the difference.
Arsenal 2005 FA Cup Winners
The 2005 FA Cup final pitted two of the best teams in England against each other. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal faced Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. After a goalless proceeding in regulation time, Arsenal won the match 5-4 in penalties.
Arsenal 2014 FA Cup Winners
Arsenal ended their nine-year trophy drought in 2014, as they won the FA Cup for the 11th time in their history. Hull City signalled to stage an upset as they went 2-0 up within 10 minutes, but Arsenal mounted a comeback and eventually won the match 3-2.
Arsenal 2015 FA Cup Winners
Arsenal made light work of Aston Villa in the 2015 FA Cup final to take home their 12th FA Cup crown. Arsenal’s new summer signing Alexis Sanchez found the net, and the others were scored by Theo Walcott, Per Mertesacker, and Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal 2017 FA Cup Winners
Arsenal had finished out of top four for the first time under Arsene Wenger in 2016/17. But, they finished the season with a high by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. This was the lost trophy Arsenal had won under the Frenchman, who served the club for 22 years.
Arsenal 2020 FA Cup Winners
Arsenal had been going through a difficult time ever since Arsene Wenger left the club. Unai Emery was dismissed as head coach halfway through the season and Mikel Arteta took over the reigns, but he couldn’t inspire the Gunners to finish above 8th.
That left only the FA Cup as a possible route to European football. With Europa League football at stake, Arsenal came from a goal behind to win the match 2-1 and become the all-time leading winners of England’s most prestigious domestic cup competition.
