# 1998–99 FA Cup

The 1998–99 FA Cup (known as The AXA-sponsored FA Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 118th season of the FA Cup. The title defenders were Arsenal, who were eliminated in a semi-final replay by eventual winners Manchester United, who beat Newcastle United 2–0 in the final at the old Wembley Stadium. The goals were scored by Teddy Sheringham after 11 minutes, less than two minutes after coming on as a substitute for Roy Keane, and Paul Scholes on 53 minutes. It was the second leg of a historic treble for Manchester United; having already won the Premier League title the previous weekend, they went on to win the Champions League the following Wednesday.

## Calendar

| Round | Initial matches | New entries | Clubs |
| Preliminary round | 5 September 1998 | 172 | 558 → 472 |
| First round qualifying | 19 September 1998 | 206 | 472 → 326 |
| Second round qualifying | 3 October 1998 | 66 | 326 → 220 |
| Third round qualifying | 17 October 1998 | 22 | 220 → 156 |
| Fourth round qualifying | 31 October 1998 | none | 156 → 124 |
| First round proper | 14 November 1998 | 48 | 124 → 84 |
| Second round proper | 5 December 1998 | none | 84 → 64 |
| Third round proper | 2 January 1999 | 44 | 64 → 32 |
| Fourth round proper | 23 January 1999 | none | 32 → 16 |
| Fifth round proper | 13 February 1999 | none | 16 → 8 |
| Sixth round proper | 6 March 1999 | none | 8 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 11 April 1999 | none | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 22 May 1999 | none | 2 → 1 |

## First round proper

The first round featured those non-league teams who had come through the qualifying rounds and the teams from the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system. The matches were played on 14 November 1998. There were ten replays, with three ties requiring a penalty shoot-out to settle.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| 1 | Enfield (6) | 2–2 | York City (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | York City (3) | 2–1 | Enfield (6) | 24 November 1998 |
| 2 | Darlington (4) | 3–2 | Burnley (3) | 17 November 1998 |
| 3 | Bedlington Terriers (8) | 4–1 | Colchester United (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 4 | Preston North End (3) | 3–0 | Ford United (9) | 14 November 1998 |
| 5 | Yeovil Town (5) | 2–2 | West Auckland Town (8) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | West Auckland Town (8) | 1–1 | Yeovil Town (5) | 24 November 1998 |
| Yeovil Town won 5–3 on penalties |||||
| 6 | Reading (3) | 0–1 | Stoke City (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 7 | Walsall (3) | 1–0 | Gresley Rovers (6) | 14 November 1998 |
| 8 | Woking (5) | 0–1 | Scunthorpe United (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 9 | Boreham Wood (6) | 2–3 | Luton Town (3) | 15 November 1998 |
| 10 | Macclesfield Town (3) | 2–2 | Slough Town (6) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | Slough Town (6) | 1–1 | Macclesfield Town (3) | 24 November 1998 |
| Macclesfield Town won 9–8 on penalties |||||
| 11 | Scarborough (4) | 1–1 | Rochdale (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | Rochdale (4) | 2–0 | Scarborough (4) | 24 November 1998 |
| 12 | Wrexham (3) | 1–0 | Peterborough United (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 13 | Hednesford Town (5) | 3–1 | Barnet (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 14 | Wycombe Wanderers (3) | 1–0 | Chesterfield (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 15 | Manchester City (3) | 3–0 | Halifax Town (4) | 13 November 1998 |
| 16 | Fulham (3) | 1–1 | Leigh RMI (6) | 15 November 1998 |
| Replay | Leigh RMI (6) | 0–2 | Fulham (3) | 24 November 1998 |
| 17 | Brentford (4) | 5–0 | Camberley Town (9) | 14 November 1998 |
| 18 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 3–0 | Welling United (5) | 14 November 1998 |
| 19 | Northampton Town (3) | 2–1 | Lancaster City (6) | 14 November 1998 |
| 20 | Plymouth Argyle (4) | 0–0 | Kidderminster Harriers (5) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | Kidderminster Harriers (5) | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle (4) | 1 December 1998 |
| Plymouth Argyle won 5–4 on penalties |||||
| 21 | Oldham Athletic (3) | 2–0 | Gillingham (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 22 | Worcester City (6) | 0–1 | Torquay United (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 23 | Southend United (4) | 0–1 | Doncaster Rovers (5) | 14 November 1998 |
| 24 | Mansfield Town (4) | 2–1 | Hayes (5) | 14 November 1998 |
| 25 | Cardiff City (4) | 6–0 | Chester City (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 26 | Cheltenham Town (5) | 0–1 | Lincoln City (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 27 | Kingstonian (5) | 1–0 | Burton Albion (6) | 14 November 1998 |
| 28 | Dulwich Hamlet (6) | 0–1 | Southport (5) | 14 November 1998 |
| 29 | Runcorn (6) | 1–1 | Stevenage Borough (5) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | Stevenage Borough (5) | 2–0 | Runcorn (6) | 23 November 1998 |
| 30 | Wigan Athletic (3) | 4–3 | Blackpool (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 31 | Tamworth (6) | 2–2 | Exeter City (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| Replay | Exeter City (4) | 4–1 | Tamworth (6) | 24 November 1998 |
| 32 | Leyton Orient (4) | 4–2 | Brighton & Hove Albion (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 33 | Hendon (6) | 0–0 | Notts County (3) | 15 November 1998 |
| Replay | Notts County (3) | 3–0 | Hendon (6) | 1 December 1998 |
| 34 | Basingstoke Town (6) | 1–2 | AFC Bournemouth (3) | 14 November 1998 |
| 35 | Telford United (5) | 0–2 | Cambridge United (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 36 | Swansea City (4) | 3–0 | Millwall (3) | 13 November 1998 |
| 37 | Emley (6) | 1–1 | Rotherham United (4) | 15 November 1998 |
| Replay | Rotherham United (4) | 3–1 | Emley (6) | 24 November 1998 |
| 38 | Hartlepool United (4) | 2–1 | Carlisle United (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 39 | Rushden & Diamonds (5) | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town (4) | 14 November 1998 |
| 40 | Salisbury City (6) | 0–2 | Hull City (4) | 14 November 1998 |

## Second round proper

The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were scheduled to be played on 5 December 1998, with eight replays and two penalty shoot-outs required, each of which featured a team who won on penalties in the previous round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| 1 | Darlington (4) | 1–1 | Manchester City (3) | 4 December 1998 |
| Replay | Manchester City (3) | 1–0 | Darlington (4) | 15 December 1998 |
| 2 | Preston North End (3) | 2–0 | Walsall (3) | 5 December 1998 |
| 3 | Rochdale (4) | 0–0 | Rotherham United (4) | 5 December 1998 |
| Replay | Rotherham United (4) | 4–0 | Rochdale (4) | 15 December 1998 |
| 4 | Yeovil Town (5) | 2–0 | Northampton Town (3) | 5 December 1998 |
| 5 | Notts County (3) | 1–1 | Wigan Athletic (3) | 5 December 1998 |
| Replay | Wigan Athletic (3) | 0–0 | Notts County (3) | 15 December 1998 |
| Notts County won 4–2 on penalties |||||
| 6 | Macclesfield Town (3) | 4–1 | Cambridge United (4) | 5 December 1998 |
| 7 | Lincoln City (3) | 4–1 | Stevenage Borough (5) | 5 December 1998 |
| 8 | Luton Town (3) | 1–2 | Hull City (4) | 5 December 1998 |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers (5) | 0–0 | Rushden & Diamonds (5) | 5 December 1998 |
| Replay | Rushden & Diamonds (5) | 4–2 | Doncaster Rovers (5) | 15 December 1998 |
| 10 | Wrexham (3) | 2–1 | York City (3) | 5 December 1998 |
| 11 | Wycombe Wanderers (3) | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle (4) | 5 December 1998 |
| Replay | Plymouth Argyle (4) | 3–2 | Wycombe Wanderers (3) | 15 December 1998 |
| 12 | Fulham (3) | 4–2 | Hartlepool United (4) | 5 December 1998 |
| 13 | Oldham Athletic (3) | 1–1 | Brentford (4) | 5 December 1998 |
| Replay | Brentford (4) | 2–2 | Oldham Athletic (3) | 15 December 1998 |
| Oldham Athletic won 4–2 on penalties |||||
| 14 | Exeter City (4) | 2–2 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 5 December 1998 |
| Replay | Bristol Rovers (3) | 5–0 | Exeter City (4) | 15 December 1998 |
| 15 | Scunthorpe United (4) | 2–0 | Bedlington Terriers (8) | 5 December 1998 |
| 16 | Mansfield Town (4) | 1–2 | Southport (5) | 5 December 1998 |
| 17 | Cardiff City (4) | 3–1 | Hednesford Town (5) | 5 December 1998 |
| 18 | Kingstonian (5) | 0–0 | Leyton Orient (4) | 6 December 1998 |
| Replay | Leyton Orient (4) | 2–1 | Kingstonian (5) | 15 December 1998 |
| 19 | Torquay United (4) | 0–1 | AFC Bournemouth (3) | 5 December 1998 |
| 20 | Swansea City (4) | 1–0 | Stoke City (3) | 5 December 1998 |

## Third round proper

The third round of the season's FA Cup was scheduled for 2 January 1999. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, the Premier League and the Football League First Division (now known as the Football League Championship). There were six replays, with none of these games requiring a penalty shoot-out.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| 1 | AFC Bournemouth (3) | 1–0 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 2 | Bristol City (2) | 0–2 | Everton (1) | 2 January 1999 |
| 3 | Bury (2) | 0–3 | Stockport County (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 4 | Preston North End (3) | 2–4 | Arsenal (1) | 4 January 1999 |
| 5 | Southampton (1) | 1–1 | Fulham (3) | 2 January 1999 |
| Replay | Fulham (3) | 1–0 | Southampton (1) | 13 January 1999 |
| 6 | Leicester City (1) | 4–2 | Birmingham City (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest (1) | 0–1 | Portsmouth (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 8 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 2–0 | Charlton Athletic (1) | 2 January 1999 |
| 9 | Aston Villa (1) | 3–0 | Hull City (4) | 2 January 1999 |
| 10 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 4–1 | Norwich City (2) | 3 January 1999 |
| 11 | Bolton Wanderers (2) | 1–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 12 | Crewe Alexandra (2) | 1–3 | Oxford United (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 13 | Lincoln City (3) | 0–1 | Sunderland (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 14 | Swindon Town (2) | 0–0 | Barnsley (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| Replay | Barnsley (2) | 3–1 | Swindon Town (2) | 19 January 1999 |
| 15 | Wrexham (3) | 4–3 | Scunthorpe United (4) | 2 January 1999 |
| 16 | Sheffield United (2) | 1–1 | Notts County (3) | 2 January 1999 |
| Replay | Notts County (3) | 3–4 | Sheffield United (2) | 23 January 1999 |
| 17 | Tranmere Rovers (2) | 0–1 | Ipswich Town (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 18 | Newcastle United (1) | 2–1 | Crystal Palace (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 19 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 5–2 | Watford (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers (2) | 0–1 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 21 | Coventry City (1) | 7–0 | Macclesfield Town (3) | 2 January 1999 |
| 22 | West Ham United (1) | 1–1 | Swansea City (4) | 2 January 1999 |
| Replay | Swansea City (4) | 1–0 | West Ham United (1) | 13 January 1999 |
| 23 | Manchester United (1) | 3–1 | Middlesbrough (1) | 3 January 1999 |
| 24 | Plymouth Argyle (4) | 0–3 | Derby County (1) | 2 January 1999 |
| 25 | Bradford City (2) | 2–1 | Grimsby Town (2) | 2 January 1999 |
| 26 | Oldham Athletic (3) | 0–2 | Chelsea (1) | 2 January 1999 |
| 27 | Wimbledon (1) | 1–0 | Manchester City (3) | 2 January 1999 |
| 28 | Cardiff City (4) | 1–1 | Yeovil Town (5) | 2 January 1999 |
| Replay | Yeovil Town (5) | 1–2 | Cardiff City (4) | 12 January 1999 |
| 29 | Port Vale (2) | 0–3 | Liverpool (1) | 3 January 1999 |
| 30 | Southport (5) | 0–2 | Leyton Orient (4) | 2 January 1999 |
| 31 | Rotherham United (4) | 0–1 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 2 January 1999 |
| 32 | Rushden & Diamonds (5) | 0–0 | Leeds United (1) | 2 January 1999 |
| Replay | Leeds United (1) | 3–1 | Rushden & Diamonds (5) | 13 January 1999 |

## Fourth round proper

The fourth-round ties were played with the thirty-two winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for 23 January 1999. There were three replays.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| 1 | Leicester City (1) | 0–3 | Coventry City (1) | 23 January 1999 |
| 2 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 1–0 | Sunderland (2) | 23 January 1999 |
| 3 | Aston Villa (1) | 0–2 | Fulham (3) | 23 January 1999 |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 2–0 | Stockport County (2) | 23 January 1999 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | 1–2 | Arsenal (1) | 24 January 1999 |
| 6 | Everton (1) | 1–0 | Ipswich Town (2) | 23 January 1999 |
| 7 | Wrexham (3) | 1–1 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 23 January 1999 |
| Replay | Huddersfield Town (2) | 2–1 | Wrexham (3) | 3 February 1999 |
| 8 | Sheffield United (2) | 4–1 | Cardiff City (4) | 27 January 1999 |
| 9 | Newcastle United (1) | 3–0 | Bradford City (2) | 23 January 1999 |
| 10 | Barnsley (2) | 3–1 | AFC Bournemouth (3) | 23 January 1999 |
| 11 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 3–0 | Leyton Orient (4) | 23 January 1999 |
| 12 | Portsmouth (2) | 1–5 | Leeds United (1) | 23 January 1999 |
| 13 | Manchester United (1) | 2–1 | Liverpool (1) | 24 January 1999 |
| 14 | Wimbledon (1) | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 23 January 1999 |
| Replay | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 3–0 | Wimbledon (1) | 2 February 1999 |
| 15 | Oxford United (2) | 1–1 | Chelsea (1) | 25 January 1999 |
| Replay | Chelsea (1) | 4–2 | Oxford United (2) | 3 February 1999 |
| 16 | Swansea City (4) | 0–1 | Derby County (1) | 23 January 1999 |

## Fifth round proper

The fifth-round matches were scheduled for 13 February 1999. There were three replays, and one game replayed, Arsenal had beaten Sheffield United in the original tie. However, both sides felt that Arsenal's winning goal had been gained unfairly. Arsenal's boss Arsene Wenger wrote himself into FA Cup folklore with an act of sportsmanship that saw him offer to play the game again after Marc Overmars scored following Nwankwo Kanu's failure to return the ball to the Blades following an injury.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
| 1 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 0–1 | Chelsea (1) | 13 February 1999 |
| 2 | Everton (1) | 2–1 | Coventry City (1) | 13 February 1999 |
| 3 | Newcastle United (1) | 0–0 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 14 February 1999 |
| Replay | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 0–1 | Newcastle United (1) | 24 February 1999 |
| 4 | Barnsley (2) | 4–1 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 13 February 1999 |
| 5 | Manchester United (1) | 1–0 | Fulham (3) | 14 February 1999 |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 2–2 | Derby County (1) | 13 February 1999 |
| Replay | Derby County (1) | 3–1 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 24 February 1999 |
| 7 | Arsenal (1) | 2–1 | Sheffield United (2) | 13 February 1999 |
| Rematch | Arsenal (1) | 2–1 | Sheffield United (2) | 23 February 1999 |
| 8 | Leeds United (1) | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 13 February 1999 |
| Replay | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 2–0 | Leeds United (1) | 24 February 1999 |

## Sixth round proper

The four quarter-final games were scheduled for 6 March 1999, although only the match between Arsenal and Derby County was played on this date. One of the ties, Manchester United–Chelsea, resulted in a draw and went to a replay, which United won.
Barnsley, who lost 1–0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, were the last team left in the competition from outside the Premier League.
Replay

## Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played on 11 April 1999. The original match between Manchester United and Arsenal finished as a goalless draw, as Roy Keane's goal for Manchester United was ruled out for offside, and the tie went to a replay; it was to be the last replay of a drawn semi-final, with all future ties decided by extra time and penalties.
In the replay, David Beckham opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 17th minute with a strike from 30 yards. Dennis Bergkamp equalised via a deflected shot from the same distance midway through the second half, before Arsenal had a second goal disallowed for offside against Nicolas Anelka. In the immediate aftermath, Keane was sent off for a foul on Overmars that earned him a second yellow card. In the final minutes of normal time, Phil Neville conceded a penalty with a foul on Ray Parlour, only for Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel to correctly guess which way Bergkamp would shoot and save the kick. In extra time, Ryan Giggs intercepted a wayward pass from Patrick Vieira just inside the Manchester United half, before dribbling past Vieira, Lee Dixon (twice), Martin Keown and Tony Adams, and beating Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman with a left-footed strike into the roof of the net. It was hailed almost immediately as one of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of the competition.
The other semi-final between Newcastle and Tottenham was goalless after 90 minutes, but two extra-time goals from Newcastle's Alan Shearer (one from the penalty spot) put the Magpies into their second consecutive FA Cup final and ended Spurs' hopes of adding to the League Cup title they had earned earlier in the season.
Replay

## Final

The final took place on 22 May 1999 and was played at the old Wembley Stadium, between Manchester United and Newcastle United. Manchester United had finished as champions and Newcastle 13th in the Premier League that season. The final was a slightly one-sided affair, Manchester United claiming a record 10th success with a 2–0 win. Goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes were scored in the 11th and 53rd minutes respectively. It was the buildup to Manchester United's Treble. Manchester United also became the first team to win the double three times.

## Media coverage

In the United Kingdom, ITV were the free-to-air broadcasters for the second consecutive season, while Sky Sports were the subscription broadcasters for the eleventh consecutive season.
The matches shown live on ITV Sport were:
* Port Vale 0-3 Liverpool (R3)
* Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Arsenal (R4)
* Manchester United 1-0 Fulham (R5)
* Newcastle United 4-1 Everton (QF)
* Newcastle United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (SF)
* Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United (Final)
The matches shown live on Sky Sports were:
* Manchester City 3-0 Halifax Town (R1)
* Boreham Wood 2-3 Luton Town (R1)
* Leigh RMI 0-2 Fulham (R1 Replay)
* Darlington 1-1 Manchester City (R2)
* Kingstonian 0-0 Leyton Orient (R2)
* Brentford 2-2 Oldham Athletic (R2 Replay)
* Manchester United 3-1 Middlesbrough (R3)
* Preston North End 2-4 Arsenal (R3)
* Fulham 1-0 Southampton (R3 Replay)
* Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool (R4)
* Oxford United 1-1 Chelsea (R4)
* Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Wimbledon (R4 Replay)
* Newcastle United 0-0 Blackburn Rovers (R5)
* Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leeds United (R5 Replay)
* Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea (QF)
* Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United (QF Replay)
* Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal (SF)
* Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United (SF Replay)
* Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United (Final)