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The 1970 FA Cup final was between Chelsea and Leeds United. The match took place on 11 April 1970 at Wembley Stadium. It ended 2–2. This made it the first FA Cup final to require a replay since 1912. The replay was staged at Old Trafford and played on 29 April. After four hours of fiercely contested football, Chelsea eventually won 2–1.
Leeds and Chelsea were two of England’s top teams that season. Leeds finished 2nd and Chelsea finished 3rd in the First Division. The match marked a clash of footballing contrasts. Chelsea were regarded as flamboyant southerners. Leeds were seen as uncompromising northerners. Neither had won the FA Cup before, though both had recently been runners-up, Leeds in 1965 and Chelsea in 1967.
The replay was unique during the years 1923 to 2000. It was the only time an FA Cup final was played at a stadium other than Wembley. The replay attracted a British television audience of more than 28 million. This was the second highest UK audience for a sports broadcast, behind the 1966 World Cup final. It was also the sixth highest audience for any UK broadcast. It has been ranked among the greatest ever FA Cup finals. It was named as the “most brutal game” in the history of English football. This is due to the large number of fouls committed by both teams.
The replay at Old Trafford set a record for an FA Cup final with a television audience of 28 million. It became one of the most notorious clashes in English football. The harshness of play exceeded the previous game at Wembley. The referee in charge of both games was Eric Jennings. He was 47 years old and from Stourbridge. This was his last season as a Football League referee. Jennings allowed rough play by both sides throughout. He played the advantage to its full extent. He booked only one player, Ian Hutchinson of Chelsea.
Only one change was made in either line-up, with Leeds United replacing goalkeeper Gary Sprake with David Harvey.
Modern-day referee David Elleray reviewed the match in 1997. He concluded that in the modern era, the sides would have received six red cards. They would also have received twenty yellow cards between them. Fellow referee Michael Oliver thought 11 reds could have been given.
🗣Nothing wrong with this, ref!
Ron 'Chopper' Harris keeping Leeds at bay during the 1970 FA Cup final replay – which you can watch back in full on the Chelsea app at 7.30pm (UK time)! 👊 pic.twitter.com/fzRMeVjoVz
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 29, 2020
Tommy Baldwin and Terry Cooper were kicking lumps out of one another. They were admittedly two of the quieter men in the two sides. The battle had just begun. The game had barely started when Chelsea’s Ron “Chopper” Harris delivered a kick to Eddie Gray’s back of the knee. This action neutralised the Scottish winger for the rest of the game.
Norman Hunter and Ian Hutchinson traded punches. In his own penalty area, Eddie McCreadie made a flying kick to Billy Bremner’s head. Johnny Giles also lunged at a Chelsea opponent. Charlton kneed and headbutted Peter Osgood. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s goalkeeper Peter Bonetti was injured after being bundled into the net by Leeds’ Jones. Minutes later, Jones shot past the limping Bonetti for the opening goal.
Chelsea equalised twelve minutes before the end. After a flowing move, Osgood scored with a diving header. He received a cross from Charlie Cooke. Jackie Charlton should have been marking Osgood. He had ‘lost’ him while chasing Hutchinson. Charlton was trying to exact retribution for a deadleg administered in the Chelsea penalty area a minute or so earlier. In scoring, Osgood became the last player to date to have scored in every round of the FA Cup. With the game ending 1–1, the final once again went into extra time. One minute before the first period of extra time was to end, Chelsea’s Hutchinson sent in a long throw-in. It missed almost every player in the penalty area. The ball came off Charlton’s head towards the far post. David Webb put the ball into the unguarded net. This action gave Chelsea the lead for the first time in the two games. They kept the lead until the end, securing their first FA Cup win.
The two teams were praised at the time for their determination. They provided fans and audiences with two “splendid games.” However, there was also criticism among football professionals and media for the very physical play. In the modern era, however, the two games are often denoted as “epic” and “iconic”.
In the following season, neither team would reach the quarter-final stage of the Cup. Chelsea were eliminated from the competition in the 4th round. They lost 0–3 to Manchester City at home. In the 5th round, Leeds United were upset in a 2–3 away defeat by Fourth Division outsiders Colchester United.
Chelsea, however, went on to reach the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. The final was played in Piraeus, Greece, at Karaiskakis Stadium. There, they faced Real Madrid. After yet another cup final that went into a replay, the first game ended 1–1. In the second game, Chelsea won 2–1. Thus, the English team won its first European trophy.
The Yorkshire side also succeeded in Europe, beating Juventus of Italy in the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The score was 3–3 after the two legs were completed. Leeds won on the away goals rule following a 2–2 draw in Turin.
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