The FA Cup in 1981 was the 100th final played between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.  The first match ended up as a 1-1 draw so a replay was required to decide the winner.

The first match was a dull affair but Manchester City’s veteran Tommy Hutchinson opened the scoring on the half hour.  Spurs chased an equaliser and it came with just 10 minutes on the clock.  City’s first-half hero, Hutchinson was the unfortunate villain when he put the ball into his own net and the Final went to a Wembley replay 9 days later.

The second match was a much better spectacle for fans and at the end of the 90 minutes the FA Cup had produced another legend.  Argentina midfielder Ricardo Villa had joined Tottenham with countryman Oswaldo Ardilles and the two proved a potent force in the League and in the replayed Cup Final in particular.  Villa opened the scoring in the 8th minute of the match.

Manchester City responded 3 minutes later when Steve McKenzie struck a sweet right-foot volley from outside the penalty area through a line of white shirts and into the top-left corner of the goal.  It is still regarded as one the best Cup Final goals.

City took the lead in the 50th minute when Spurs conceded a penalty when Dave Bennett was fouled.  The penalty was converted by Kevin Reeves.   It looked like extra-time was going to be needed when Spurs striker Garth Crooks levelled the scores again after 70 minutes when he struck a shot powerfully past veteran City keeper Joe Corrigan.

But extra-time was averted by one of the best displays of individual brilliance from the bearded Villa. In the 76th minute he received the ball from wide out on the left. Seemingly with the ball on a string he danced a path through half the City team into the penalty area where he jinked from left to right and after six touches of the ball slotted a right-foot shot under Corrigan and into the net.  Spurs held on to full-time and captain Steve Perryman lifted Tottenham’s 6th FA Cup and maintain their impressive unbeaten Cup Final record.

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