# 2008–09 FA Youth Cup

The 2008–09 FA Youth Cup was the 57th FA Youth Cup. A record 474 clubs participated in the competition. The competition started in September 2008 with the preliminary round and concluded with the final on 22 and 26 May 2009.
Arsenal knocked out holders Manchester City en route to the final, where they beat 2006 and 2007 winners Liverpool 6–2 on aggregate to lift the FA Youth Cup for the 7th time.

## Calendar

Qualifying ties played in the week commencing; proper ties played by the closing date.
| Round | Date | Fixture(s) | Clubs | New entries |
| Preliminary Round | 8 September 2008 | 119 | 474 → 355 | 238 |
| First Round Qualifying | 15 September 2008 | 132 | 355 → 223 | 145 |
| Second Round Qualifying | 6 October 2008 | 66 | 223 → 157 | |
| Third Round Qualifying | 20 October 2008 | 33 | 157 → 124 | |
| First Round | 11 November 2008 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 47 |
| Second Round | 26 November 2008 | 20 | 84 → 64 | |
| Third Round | 15 December 2008 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44 |
| Fourth Round | 20 January 2009 | 16 | 32 → 16 | |
| Fifth Round | 7 March 2009 | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Sixth Round | 16 March 2009 | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | First leg: 16 April 2009 Second leg: 22 April 2009 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | First leg: 22 May 2009 Second leg: 26 May 2009 | 1 | 2 → 1 | |

## First round

The League One and League Two teams will enter at this round except Notts County which did not apply, along with the winners of the previous round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Grimsby Town | 0–1 | Lincoln City | |
| 2 | Bradford City | 1–0 | Scunthorpe United | 172 |
| 3 | Rochdale | 1–0 | Huddersfield Town | 302 |
| 4 | Hartlepool United | 1–4 | Carlisle United | 116 |
| 5 | Bury | 0–2 | Crewe Alexandra | 237 |
| 6 | Worksop Town | 0–3 | Rotherham United | 91 |
| 7 | Darlington | 2 – 3(aet) | Tranmere Rovers | 210 |
| 8 | Nantwich Town | 5–0 | Curzon Ashton | 157 |
| 9 | York City | 2–3 | Stockport County | 155 |
| 10 | Chester City | 0–2 | Leeds United | 247 |
| 11 | Macclesfield Town | 4–1 | Morecambe | 89 |
| 12 | Accrington Stanley | 3–1 | Wakefield | 275 |
| 13 | Fleetwood Town | 0–3 | Oldham Athletic | 120 |
| 14 | Shrewsbury Town | 2–0 | Chesterfield | 110 |
| 15 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Port Vale | 330 |
| 16 | Coventry Sphinx | 2–3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 196 |
| 17 | Solihull Moors | 2–0 | FCV Reds | 95 |
| 18 | Oadby Town | 2–1 | Hinckley United | 110 |
| 19 | Mansfield Town | 3–2 | Peterborough United | 124 |
| 20 | Rushden & Diamonds | 1–2 | Northampton Town | 215 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 21 | Walsall | 5–3 | Hednesford Town | 299 |
| 22 | Millwall | 2–0 | Luton Town | |
| 23 | Gillingham | 3–0 | Eastbourne Borough | 425 |
| 24 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5–1 | Dover Athletic | 88 |
| 25 | Southend United | 3 – 3(8–9p) | Brentford | 252 |
| 26 | Stevenage Borough | 2–3 | Thurrock | 122 |
| 27 | Banbury United | 1–2 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 203 |
| 28 | Cambridge United | 4–1 | Colchester United | 171 |
| 29 | Lewes | 2–0 | Histon | 187 |
| 30 | Boreham Wood | 0–5 | Leyton Orient | 151 |
| 31 | Hayes & Yeading United | 1–2 | Croydon Athletic | 96 |
| 32 | Burgess Hill Town | 0–2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 205 |
| 33 | Basingstoke Town | 0–2 | Barnet | 172 |
| 34 | Aldershot Town | 1–4 | Havant & Waterlooville | 169 |
| 35 | Didcot Town | 2 – 2(1–4p) | Cirencester Town | 126 |
| 36 | Cheltenham Town | 5–1 | Newport County | 232 |
| 37 | AFC Bournemouth | 0–1 | Bristol Rovers | |
| 38 | Swindon Town | 4–1 | Eastleigh | 229 |
| 39 | Yeovil Town | 4–1 | Hereford United | 147 |
| 40 | Woking | 1 – 2(aet) | Exeter City | 147 |

## Second round

The winners from the first round matches will progress to second round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Accrington Stanley | 0–3 | Carlisle United | 245 |
| 2 | Oldham Athletic | 2–0 | Rotherham United | 152 |
| 3 | Walsall | 4 – 3(aet) | Rochdale | 155 |
| 4 | Solihull Moors | 0–2 | Tranmere Rovers | 167 |
| 5 | Nantwich Town | 2–1 | Macclesfield Town | 478 |
| 6 | Stockport County | 3 – 3(2–4p) | Crewe Alexandra | 236 |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 3–1 | Mansfield Town | 105 |
| 8 | Shrewsbury Town | 2–0 | Bradford City | 135 |
| 9 | Oadby Town | 0–3 | Leeds United | 521 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 3–1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 292 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 11 | Swindon Town | 3–0 | Exeter City | 175 or 350 |
| 12 | Yeovil Town | 1–2 | Cirencester Town | 144 |
| 13 | Cambridge United | 0–2 | Northampton Town | 252 |
| 14 | Lewes | 3–0 | Croydon Athletic | 195 |
| 15 | Barnet | 3–1 | Havant & Waterlooville | 92 |
| 16 | Brentford | 6–2 | Thurrock | 253 |
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 3–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 140 |
| 18 | Millwall | 5–1 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 372 |
| 19 | Cheltenham Town | 0–1 | Gillingham | 240 |
| 20 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1–2 | Leyton Orient | 215 |

## Third round

The 20 Premier League and 24 Championship teams enter at this stage, along with the winners of the second round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Swansea City | 0–3 | Manchester City | 945 |
| 2 | Brentford | 1–2 | Middlesbrough | 356 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 2–3 | Chelsea | 1,246 |
| 4 | Cardiff City | 3–0 | Blackpool | 325 |
| 5 | Swindon Town | 1–5 | Crystal Palace | 388 |
| 6 | Reading | 0–1 | Preston North End | 303 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3–0 | Sheffield United | 2,662 |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 2–1 | Gillingham | 166 |
| 9 | Leyton Orient | 0–4 | Watford | 328 |
| 10 | Barnsley | 2–3 | Walsall | 130 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 1–0 | Wigan Athletic | 405 |
| 12 | Sunderland | 2–1 | Cirencester Town | 253 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 1–2 | Liverpool | 908 |
| 14 | Carlisle United | 1–3 | Crewe Alexandra | 267 |
| 15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–3 | Millwall | 329 |
| 16 | Coventry City | 2 – 3(aet) | Stoke City | 335 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 17 | Ipswich Town | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 411 |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–0 | Doncaster Rovers | 876 |
| 19 | Burnley | 3–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 470 |
| 20 | Northampton Town | 0–3 | Tranmere Rovers | 212 |
| 21 | Aston Villa | 2–3 | Arsenal | 1,060 |
| 22 | Southampton | 3 – 1(aet) | Derby County | 327 |
| 23 | Barnet | 1–2 | Bristol Rovers | 72 |
| 24 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Fulham | 355 |
| 25 | Newcastle United | 2–1 | Oldham Athletic | 1,171 |
| 26 | Lewes | 1–2 | Hull City | 529 |
| 27 | Queens Park Rangers | 5 – 3(aet) | Bristol City | 239 |
| 28 | Everton | 2–0 | Nantwich Town | 798 |
| 29 | Birmingham City | 2 – 1(aet) | Lincoln City | 136 |
| 30 | Leicester City | 2–3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 448 |
| 31 | Charlton Athletic | 2 – 1(aet) | Blackburn Rovers | 807 |
| 32 | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | West Ham United | 472 |

## Fourth round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 4 – 2(aet) | Crystal Palace | 413 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 3–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 712 |
| 3 | Preston North End | 0 – 1(aet) | Sunderland | 565 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 5–1 | Walsall | 217 |
| 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–3 | Newcastle United | 517 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 1 – 1(4–2p) | Stoke City | 817 |
| 7 | Southampton | 0–1 | Watford | 586 |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle | 3–2 | Millwall | 443 |
| 9 | Bristol Rovers | 2 – 2(2–4p) | Liverpool | 2,459 |
| 10 | Bolton Wanderers | 4–0 | Hull City | 947 |
| 11 | Burnley | 1–3 | Everton | 478 |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | 686 |
| 13 | Charlton Athletic | 0–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 968 |
| 14 | Birmingham City | 3–2 | Crewe Alexandra | 171 |
| 15 | Portsmouth | 0–1 | Manchester City | 276 |
| 16 | Cardiff City | 0 – 0(5–4p) | Tranmere Rovers | 485 |

## Fifth round

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 2 – 3(aet) | Watford | 1,823 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 1–0 | Chelsea | 2,193 |
| 3 | Sunderland | 0–4 | Arsenal | 1,207 |
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2,111 |
| 5 | Everton | 1 – 1(1–3p) | Norwich City | 249 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 4–2 | Newcastle United | 905 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 0–2 | Bolton Wanderers | 450 |
| 8 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Birmingham City | 499 |

## Quarter-finals

| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Report | Attendance |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 1–0 | Watford | Report | 2,404 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 1–0 | Norwich City | Report | 3,254 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–3 | Arsenal | Report | 19,084 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 4–2 | Bolton Wanderers | Report | 2,676 |

## Semi-finals
### Second leg

Arsenal won 6–2 on aggregate.
Liverpool won 6–1 on aggregate.

## Final
### First leg

| Arsenal | Liverpool |
ARSENAL: :
| | 1 | James Shea |
| | 2 | Craig Eastmond |
| | 3 | Thomas Cruise |
| | 4 | Kyle Bartley |
| | 5 | Emmanuel Frimpong |
| | 6 | Luke Ayling |
| | 7 | Henri Lansbury |
| | 8 | Francis Coquelin |
| | 9 | Gilles Sunu |
| | 10 | Jack Wilshere |
| | 11 | Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (c) |
| Substitutes: ||||
| | 12 | Rhys Murphy |
| | 13 | Charlie Mann |
| | 14 | Sanchez Watt |
| | 15 | Conor Henderson |
| | 16 | Cedric Evina |
| Manager: ||||
| Steve Bould ||||
LIVERPOOL: :
| | 1 | Dean Bouzanis |
| | 2 | Karl Clair |
| | 3 | Christopher Buchtmann |
| | 4 | Daniel Ayala |
| | 5 | Joe Kennedy (c) |
| | 6 | Andre Wisdom |
| | 7 | David Amoo |
| | 8 | Steven Irwin |
| | 9 | Lauri Dalla Valle |
| | 10 | Tom Ince |
| | 11 | Alexander Kačaniklić |
| Substitutes: ||||
| | 12 | Nathan Eccleston |
| | 13 | Deale Chamberlain |
| | 14 | Michael Roberts |
| | 15 | Alex Cooper |
| | 16 | Jack Robinson |
| Manager: ||||
| Hughie McAuley ||||

### Second leg

| Liverpool | Arsenal |
LIVERPOOL: :
| | 1 | Dean Bouzanis |
| | 2 | Steven Irwin |
| | 3 | Jack Robinson |
| | 4 | Daniel Ayala |
| | 5 | Joe Kennedy (c) |
| | 6 | Andre Wisdom |
| | 7 | David Amoo |
| | 8 | Christopher Buchtmann |
| | 9 | Lauri Dalla Valle |
| | 10 | Tom Ince |
| | 11 | Alexander Kačaniklić |
| Substitutes: ||||
| | 12 | Nathan Eccleston |
| | 13 | Deale Chamberlain |
| | 14 | Alex Cooper |
| | 15 | Michael Roberts |
| | 16 | Karl Clair |
| Manager: ||||
| Hughie McAuley ||||
ARSENAL: :
| | 1 | James Shea |
| | 2 | Craig Eastmond |
| | 3 | Thomas Cruise |
| | 4 | Kyle Bartley |
| | 5 | Francis Coquelin |
| | 6 | Luke Ayling |
| | 7 | Henri Lansbury |
| | 8 | Jack Wilshere |
| | 9 | Gilles Sunu |
| | 10 | Sanchez Watt |
| | 11 | Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (c) |
| Substitutes: ||||
| | 12 | Rhys Murphy |
| | 13 | Charlie Mann |
| | 14 | Conor Henderson |
| | 15 | Oğuzhan Özyakup |
| | 16 | Cedric Evina |
| Manager: ||||
| Steve Bould ||||
Arsenal won 6–2 on aggregate.