In 1950–51 Blackpool stormed to a third-place finish, and Matthews played 44 games in league and cup. He cited his highlights of the season as a 2–0 win at Sunderland, a 4–4 draw at Arsenal, and a 4–2 defeat at Newcastle United. They also reached the 1951 FA Cup Final, where they were favourites to beat opponents Newcastle; however Matthews ended up with a second runners-up medal thanks to a brace from Jackie Milburn.