The great FA Cup finals live forever in the history of English football.
They go down as iconic moments in time and the first Manchester derby has all the makings of a classic to be remembered among the very best. The 1979 final when Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-2 after the most dramatic finish you will ever see.
Back in 1988, when Wimbledon upset mighty Liverpool and the late, great BBC commentator John Motson declared: “The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club.”
Ricky Villa’s famous dribble through the Manchester City defence as the Tottenham midfielder scored one of the all-time great Wembley goals in the 1981 replay.
You could list about ten great finals. What is wonderful about the FA Cup now is that it has almost rediscovered its rightful place in the English game. It went through a dip but is now well and truly back.
It’s hard to even put your finger on exactly why. Pep Guardiola deserves his share of credit. The Manchester City boss has always taken the domestic cups seriously.
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Admittedly, City have had more success in the League Cup under Guardiola, but they have never written off the FA Cup and have always been competitive. It matters. Manchester United have won the FA Cup 12 times, It reflects just how seriously the big boys take it. Chelsea have been in six of the last seven finals. Jurgen Klopp has even embraced it. Liverpool won it on penalties last yea r.
With the Premier League title getting tougher, the FA Cup now is a throwback to yesteryear when it was a highlight of any season, a chance for a club to lift a major trophy and win the most famous knock-out competition in the world.
The 3pm kick-off time this year is an added bonus. The TV companies are desperate to show it later - 5.15pm is their favoured time as it means viewers are likely to tune it and not switch over when prime-time shows kick in - but the police had the final say for safety reasons.
Having the traditional time just plays into the special feeling around this year’s final. A military band, the Massed Bands of the Royal Corps of Army Music, plays into the throwback. As does Sir Alex Ferguson and Mike Summerbee walking out the match ball.
But the extra spice comes with the rivalry of United and City. United want to complete a domestic cup double after already lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley in February. But more than that, much more than that, the chance to stop City taking another step towards emulating their famous Treble of 1999.
United might regard those trophies - the Premier League title, FA Cup and Champions League - as their greatest ever season even in the club’s glorious, unrivalled history, Heaven forbid City match it.
The City upstarts have already won the title. Now they have the FA Cup final in front of them. Followed by the Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday week in Istanbul.
This final will be tougher for City to win than even the Champions League final. There is so much at stake. United are desperate to beat them and stop them from emulating their piece of magical history.
That is what makes this FA Cup final so special. The FA Cup is back in all its glory. And this final has the potential to go down as one of the best.
