2013 FA Cup Feenal

The **2013 FA Cup Feenal** wis the 132nt feenal o the FA Cup, the warld's auldest fitbaa cup competeetion. The match, contestit bi Manchester City an Wigan Athletic, teuk place on 11 Mey 2013 at Wembley Stadium in Lunnon, an kickit aff at 5:15&nbsp;p.m. It wis Wigan's first FA Cup feenal an Manchester City's 10t. Wigan pulled aff a shock veectory against favourites City, winnin in circumstances reminiscent o the 1988 FA Cup Feenal when Wimbledon owercame Liverpool. Ben Watson's stoppage-time heidit goal producit the "greatest FA Cup Final upset for a quarter of a century". In the Unitit Kinrick, the match wis televisit bi ITV an ESPN.

The competeetion winners wur awairdit a place in the group stage o the 2013–14 Europa League competeetion. Acause Manchester City an thair semi-feenal opponent Chelsea haed awready qualifee'd for the follaein saison's Champions League bi virtue o the clubs' league poseetions, Wigan gained a Europa League place bi winnin thair semi-feenal match.

Wigan awner Dave Whelan led oot the Wigan team afore kick aff alang wi manager Roberto Martínez. The anerly goal o the gemme came a few minutes efter City's Pablo Zabaleta haed been sent aff for a seicont yellae caird, becomin the third player tae be sent aff in a FA Cup feenal. The cup wis jyntly liftit bi playin caiptain Emmerson Boyce an club caiptain Gary Caldwell.

On 20 Mey, Wigan haed a open-top bus tour o the toun tae celebrate the FA Cup veectory. Manchester City sackit manager Roberto Mancini twa days later amid rumours o the manager's fate pre-match while Wigan failed tae avoid relegation frae the Premier League, becomin the first team tae win the Cup an succumb tae relegation in the same saison.

## Route tae the feenal

### Manchester City

Enterin the FA Cup in the third roond bi virtue o Premier League status, Manchester City's first gemme wis at hame against Watford. In City's side, a notable absentee wis Joe Hart who wis replacit bi substitute goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon. Hart haed been designatit the club's domestic cup goalkeeper but haed concedit fower goals in his previous gemme. The City team teuk control efter a mixed first 20 minutes. Carlos Tévez an Gareth Barry scored in the first hauf. In the seicont hauf, substitute academy player Marcos Lopes scored athin seiconts o takkin the field in the 90t minute tae acome the club's youngest iver goalscorer at the age o 17 years an aicht days.

City progressed tae a fowert roond match at the Britannia Stadium tae play Stoke City. In a match dominatit bi City it teuk till the 86t minute for City tae score a goal frae a powerful drive frae Pablo Zabaleta. The fift roond gemme teuk place on 17 Februar against Leeds United, a strang 4–0 win boostit club spirits efter progress in the league haed stagnatit. Awtho Leeds haed knockit oot Tottenham Hotspur in the previous roond, thay concedit twa goals includin a penalty bi Sergio Agüero in the first 15 minutes, an rarely leukit capable o reducin the deficit. Faur goals bi Tévez an Agüero sealed the tee, an City's progression tae the saxt roond, whaur thay wur drawn at hame tae Championship club Barnsley.

Barnsley, haein played seicont- an third-tier teams in thair previous cup fixturs, haed thair backs tae the waw against City, an the disparity showed as thay teuk a oor tae record thair first shot on target, bi which pynt thay haed concedit fower. Tévez scored a hat-trick an set up twa mair for David Silva an Aleksandar Kolarov as City swept thair opponents aside.

In the semi-feenals, City teuk on defendin champions Chelsea at Wembley for the fowert time in the FA Cup, an the first time syne 1971, in the semi-feenal on 14 Apryle. In a fast-pacit match, City teuk control lairgely pinnin Chelsea back for lang periods an teuk the lead in the 35t minute, when Samir Nasri's poorly-timit cross wis deflectit back intae his awn path for him tae sweep the baw ower Petr Čech. Chelsea, the less energetic o the teams pickit thairsels up but failed tae tak control o the gemme, an wur punished twa minutes intae the seicont hauf when a quick Gareth Barry free-kick put the baw on the heid o Agüero, who sent a heich loopin heider intae the far corner ayont Čech's reach. City continued tae press an haed mair opportunities tae score but when Fernando Torres came ontae the field frae the substitute's bench, Chelsea fashioned a chance for Demba Ba, whose reflex kick gae Chelsea a goal. Resurgent, Chelsea dominatit the last 25 minutes, the baw barely leavin City's hauf but for a haundful o wastit coonter-attacks, while a series o defensive substitutions confirmit City's intent tae play the gemme oot rather than seekin a third. Despite the pressur thay exertit, Chelsea wur unable tae score, an defeat meant thay haed failed tae reach the FA Cup feenal an wad no be able tae defend thair trophy. Chelsea's goal meant that City wur athin 29 minutes o bein the first team syne 1966 tae reach a FA Cup feenal athoot concedin a goal.

### Wigan Athletic

Premier League Wigan's FA Cup campaign began in the third roond against League One Bournemouth. Roberto Martínez fieldit a nummer o fringe players, an made nine chynges tae the team that played a Premier League match fower days earlier. Despite haein hame advantage, the club wis unable tae progress tae the next roond in ane gemme, drawin 1–1. Towards the end o the first hauf, Eunan O'Kane struck a sweet shot frae ootside the penalty aurie intae the tap richt corner, while Jordi Gómez levelled the tee mid-wey throu the seicont hauf on the reboond frae the penalty spot efter twa o his team-mates haed struck the bar. Bi the time o the replay, Bournemouth wur on a impressive 18-match unbeaten run, but concedit the tee an unbeaten run throu poor defensive wirk as Mauro Boselli pickit up a waik pass frae the Bournemouth midfield tae thair awn defence, thumpin the baw hame frae some wey oot when nae defender closed him doun. Bournmouth struck the bar twice, but while baith teams came close tae scorin, Boselli's goal put Wigan throu tae the next roond.

Wigan wur drawn against nan-league Macclesfield Town in the fowert roond. Snaw haed tae be cleared frae the pitch on the fore-nuin o the gemme tae avoid it bein postponed. Gómez scored the anerly goal frae a penalty awairdit efter Callum McManaman wis brocht doun in the box in the saxt minute o play. The early goal did no dent the spirits o Macclesfield, the lawest rankit team remainin in the competeetion, who came back strangly comin close tae equalisin, but Wigan progressed wi a 1–0 win. Victory gae Wigan thair seicont appearance in the FA Cup Fift roond syne the foondin o the club in 1932.

Wigan wur drawn awa again – thair first gemme against Bournemouth wis thair anerly hame gemme o the campaign – tae Huddersfield Town. The team quickly teuk control, McManaman scored his first FA Cup goal o the saison on 31 minutes efter runnin intae the box an jinkin aroond the nearside defender tae blast the baw ower the goalkeeper. Less nor ten minutes later, Gómez' shot wis deflectit ontae the fuit o Arouna Kone, who wis close eneuch tae the goal that his ootstretched leg amaist crossed the goal line, tho he wis questionably. Goals frae James McArthur an Kone's seicont sealed the tee, awtho Lee Novak's heider, leavin keeper Joel Robles on the goal line, gae Huddersfield a consolation.

A quairter-feenal draw against Everton at Goodison Park seemit tae spell the end o Wigan's cup run when the club drew Premier League opposition for the first time. Everton wur juist pullin oot o a bad run o fuirm, haein taken 12 pynts frae 27. Tho Everton haed the lairger share o possession, Wigan pruivit mair clinical an efficient destroyin Everton's howps wi three goals in fower minutes. Awtho Everton continued tae fecht, Wigan haed a third clean sheet an the first FA Cup semi-feenal appearance in the club's history.

For Wigan's fift appearance at Wembley Stadium, thay drew Championship side Millwall, while Manchester City an Chelsea haed the "pouer match" o the penultimate roond on the follaein day. Tho the match wis scrappy in the beginnin, Wigan scored in the 25t minute when Kone hit a perfect cross ontae the fuit o Shaun Maloney, who foond hissel in space in front o the sax-yard box an hit his shot unner Millwall goalkeeper David Forde. While the possession statistics suggestit a fairly even match, Millwall's failur tae register a shot on target tauld as Wigan insteid went close several times afore Gómez play a well-timit throu baw past the Millwall defence tae McManaman, who picked it up an teuk it roond Forde afore slottin hame Wigan's seicont in the 78t minute, sealin the win for Wigan. While Wigan haed qualifee'd for thair first iver FA Cup feenal, the gemme wis notable for the response frae a section o the Millwall croud, punches thrown atween fans turned intae scuffles wi the polis, marrin the occasion for aw involvit.

## Pre-match
Manchester City appeared in an FA Cup Feenal for the tent time syne the club wis foondit in 1880. The club haed wan the cup five times (in 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969 an 2011) an wur runners-up fower times (1926, 1933, 1955 an 1981). Wigan Athletic made thair first appearance in a FA Cup Feenal syne the club wis foondit in 1932.

Wigan Athletic wore the club's black awa kit for the feenal an uised the awa team dressin ruim an wut allocatit the East End o the stadium. Manchester City fans occupee'd the West End an the team played in thair hame kit efter winnin the coin toss tae decide who wad wear which kit.

Ticket prices for the feenal stairtit at £45 an wur available at £65, £85 an £115, wi a £10 discoont for concessions. Manchester City receivit a initial allocation o 25,000 tickets, later increased tae 31,779, while Wigan requestit 21,000 tickets, later increased tae a 25,000 allocation.

The tradeetional pre-match anthem, "Abide with Me", wis performit bi muisical quairtet Amore alangside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The naitional anthem wis performit bi Amorean aw wi the Baund o the Grenadier Guards.

## Match
### Details

### Statistics

**Source:** BBC Sport

## Post-match
As FA Cup winners, Wigan Athletic receivit £1.8&nbsp;million frae the FA Cup Prize Fund, while Manchester City earned £900,000.

## References

## Freemit airtins
*Offeecial match heichlichts