2014–15 FA Cup

2014–15 FA Cup
Football Association Challenge Cup
Country  England
 Wales
Dates 16 August 2014 – 30 May 2015
Teams 736
Champions Arsenal (12th title)
Runners-up Aston Villa
Top goal scorer(s) Saido Berahino
Paul Gallagher
Jon Stead
(5 goals each)
← 2013–14 2015–16 →

The 2014–15 FA Cup, also called the 2014–15 FA Challenge Cup,[1] was the 134th occurrence of the FA Cup, the main domestic cup in English football and the oldest knockout competition in the world.[2] It was the first season when the BBC and BT Sport hosted televised matches, seven years after the BBC lost the rights to ITV.[3] The 2014–15 season's Cup also marked the first time that 3G (third generation) artificial pitches were allowed in all rounds of the competition, designed to lower costs for maintenance.[4] After Queens Park Rangers (the first English artificial pitch, from 1981 to 1988), Luton Town, Oldham Athletic and Preston North End trialled artificial pitches in the 1980s, they were made illegal in 1995.[4]

The defending champions were Premier League side Arsenal, after they beat Hull City 3–2 in the previous final on 17 May 2014.[5]

The semi-finals took place at Wembley Stadium, as they have since 2008, to offset the cost of the new stadium, despite protestations from some supporters.[6] The stadium also hosted the final.

The winner of the FA Cup earns automatic qualification to the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stages. However, as Arsenal qualified for the UEFA Champions League via their league position, Southampton, the highest placed team in the 2014–15 Premier League not already Europe-qualified took this Europa League place. In a change to Europa League rules, qualifying slots for national cup winners no longer pass to the runners-up if the winners have already qualified through their league.[7]

Arsenal retained the trophy, beating Aston Villa 4–0 in the final.[8]

Teams

Round Clubs
remaining 		Clubs
involved 		Winners from
previous round 		New entries
this round 		Leagues entering at this round
First Round Proper 124 80 32 48 Football League One
Football League Two
Second Round Proper 84 40 40 none none
Third Round Proper 64 64 20 44 Premier League
Football League Championship
Fourth Round Proper 32 32 32 none none
Fifth Round Proper 16 16 16 none none
Sixth Round Proper 8 8 8 none none
Semi-Finals 4 4 4 none none
Final 2 2 2 none none

Prize fund

Round No. of Clubs
receive fund 		Prize fund
per club[9]
Extra Preliminary Round winners 184 £1,500
Preliminary Round winners 160 £1,925
First Round Qualifying winners 116 £3,000
Second Round Qualifying winners 80 £4,500
Third Round Qualifying winners 40 £7,500
Fourth Round Qualifying winners 32 £12,500
First Round Proper winners 40 £18,000
Second Round Proper winners 20 £27,000
Third Round Proper winners 32 £67,500
Fourth Round Proper winners 16 £90,000
Fifth Round Proper winners 8 £180,000
Sixth Round winners 4 £360,000
Semi-Final losers 2 £450,000
Semi-Final winners 2 £900,000
Final runners-up 1 £900,000
Final winner 1 £1,800,000
Total £15,132,000

Qualifying rounds

All of the competing teams that are not members of either the Premier League or the Football League had to compete in the qualifying rounds to win a place in the First Round Proper.[1]

First Round Proper

The First Round draw took place on Monday 27 October at 7pm at St George's Park. A total of 80 teams competed, 32 of which had progressed from the Fourth Qualifying Round and 48 from League One and League Two of the Football League. The lowest ranked sides in this round were Norton United and Warrington Town, both of whom compete at level 8 of English football.

Second Round Proper

The Second Round draw took place on Monday 10 November at 7pm at the National Football Museum. A total of 40 teams competed, all of which had progressed from the First Round. The lowest ranked side in this round is Warrington Town, who compete at level 8 of English football. Chesterfield initially faced expulsion from the tournament after fielding an ineligible player,[10] but were required to play their second round fixture against Milton Keynes Dons again.[11]

Scunthorpe United's penalty win over Worcester City set a new competition record for most penalty kicks taken with 32.[12]

Third Round Proper

The Third Round draw took place on Monday 8 December at 7 pm at The Deep in Hull and broadcast live on BBC Two.[14] A total of 64 teams competed, 20 of which had progressed from the Second Round and 44 clubs from the Premier League and Football League Championship. The lowest ranked side in this round was Blyth Spartans, who compete at level 7 of English football.

Fourth Round Proper

The Fourth Round draw took place on Monday 5 January 2015 at 7:30 pm in the clubhouse of AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames and was broadcast live on BBC One.[15][16][17] In the draw the title holders Arsenal drew a trip to Brighton against Brighton & Hove Albion while the lowest ranked side in this round, Cambridge United (who compete at level 4 of English football) drew Premier League club Manchester United.[18] A total of 32 teams competed, all of which had progressed from the third round.

Fifth Round Proper

The Fifth Round draw took place on Monday 26 January 2015 at 7:20 pm on The One Show, which was broadcast live on BBC One, and the matches took place between 14 and 16 February 2015.[20] In the draw, title holders Arsenal drew Middlesbrough (who eliminated Manchester City in fourth round) and Bradford City (who eliminated Chelsea in fourth round) were rewarded a home tie against Sunderland.[21] The lowest ranked sides in this round were Bradford City and Preston North End (who compete at level 3 of English football)

Sixth Round Proper

The Sixth Round draw took place on Monday 16 February 2015 at 7:35 pm on BBC One,[22] and the regular matches were played between 7 and 9 March. The lowest ranked side in this round were Bradford City (who compete at level 3 of English football).[23]

Semi-Finals

The Semi-Finals draw took place on Monday 9 March 2015 at approx 9:45 pm in Old Trafford, Manchester and was broadcast on BBC One after the match between Manchester United and Arsenal.[24] In the draw, title holders Arsenal drew Reading, while Aston Villa drew Liverpool.[25] The matches were played at Wembley Stadium on 18 and 19 April 2015.[26] The lowest ranked side in this round were Reading (who compete at level 2 of English football).[27]

18 April 2015
17:20 BST
Reading (2) 1–2 (a.e.t.) Arsenal (1)
McCleary  54' Report Sánchez  40', 105+1'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 84,081
Referee: Martin Atkinson

19 April 2015
15:00 BST
Aston Villa (1) 2–1 Liverpool (1)
Benteke  36'
Delph  54'		 Report Coutinho  30'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 85,416
Referee: Michael Oliver

Final

For more details on this topic, see 2015 FA Cup Final.

30 May 2015
17:30 BST
Arsenal (1) 4–0 Aston Villa (1)
Walcott  40'
Sánchez  50'
Mertesacker  62'
Giroud  90+3'		 Report
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 89,283
Referee: Jonathan Moss

Top scorers

As of 30 May 2015 [28]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 England Saido Berahino West Bromwich Albion 5
Scotland Paul Gallagher Preston North End
England Jon Stead Bradford City
4 England Robert Dale Blyth Spartans 4
Chile Alexis Sánchez Arsenal
6 22 players 3

Broadcasting rights

The domestic broadcasting rights for the competition are held by the BBC and subscription channel BT Sport. The BBC has held the rights since 2014–15, while BT Sport bought ESPN's remaining FA Cup rights in February 2013.[29] The FA Cup Final must be broadcast live on UK terrestrial television under the Ofcom code of protected sporting events.[30]

These matches were broadcast live on UK television:

Round BT Sport BBC
First Round Proper[31][32] Halifax Town v Bradford City
Havant & Waterlooville v Preston North End
Aldershot Town v Portsmouth (Replay)
Maidstone United v Stevenage (Replay)		 Warrington Town v Exeter City
Second Round Proper[33][34] Gateshead v Warrington Town
Colchester United v Peterborough United
Chester v Barnsley (Replay)
Worcester City v Scunthorpe United (Replay)		 Hartlepool United v Blyth Spartans
Wrexham[35] v Maidstone United (BBC Wales)
Third Round Proper[36] Dover Athletic v Crystal Palace
Yeovil Town v Manchester United
Everton v West Ham United
West Ham United v Everton (Replay) 		Arsenal v Hull City
Wimbledon v Liverpool
Cardiff City v Colchester United [37] (BBC Wales)
Ipswich Town v Southampton (Replay)
Fourth Round Proper[38] Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers
Brighton and Hove Albion v Arsenal
Rochdale v Stoke City
Manchester United v Cambridge United (Replay)

Cambridge United v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City (BBC Wales)
Bristol City v West Ham United
Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool (Replay)[39]

Fifth Round Proper[40] West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Arsenal v Middlesbrough

Aston Villa v Leicester City
Preston North End v Manchester United

Sixth Round Proper[41] Bradford City v Reading
Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool (Replay)[42]		 Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion
Manchester United v Arsenal
Reading v Bradford City (Replay)[43]
Semi-Finals[44] Aston Villa v Liverpool[45] Reading v Arsenal[46]
Final Arsenal v Aston Villa

Welsh language channel S4C broadcast the first round proper match between Wrexham and Woking. This was the only FA Cup match of the season that S4C broadcast.[47]

International broadcasters

Country Broadcaster
 Albania Tring Sport
 Belgium Sporting Telenet
 Brazil ESPN Brasil
 Canada Sportsnet World
 Denmark SBS Discovery Channel (Kanal 5, 6'eren, 7'eren)
 France beIN Sport
 India Star Sports
 Italy Fox Sports
   Nepal Star Sports
 Netherlands Fox Sports
 Norway TV2
 Sweden TV10
 United States Fox Sports

Notes

  1. ↑ On 15 December, the Football Association ordered that the match be replayed, due to Chesterfield fielding an ineligible player.
  2. ↑ West Ham were fined £71,000 for fielding Diafra Sakho after he had been withdrawn from the Senegal squad for the 2015 African Cup of Nations. However, they were allowed to remain in the competition.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rules of the FA Challenge Cup Competition". The FA. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "History of The FA Cup". The FA. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Gibson, Owen (17 July 2013). "BBC and BT Sport to share FA Cup TV rights". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 "3G pitches allowed in all rounds of FA Cup from 2014–15". BBC. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Arsenal 3 Hull City 2". BBC. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "FA Cup: Greg Dyke says semi-finals will stay at Wembley". BBC. 13 April 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Strategic talks in Dubrovnik". UEFA. 20 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "FA Cup Final as it happened". Guardian. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "The FA Cup Prize Fund". FA.
  10. ↑ "FA Cup: Chesterfield face expulsion over ineligible player". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Chesterfield ordered to replay FA Cup tie". FourFourTwo. 2014-12-15.
  12. ↑ Scott, Ged (18 December 2014). "Worcester City 1-1 Scunthorpe United (13-14 on penalties)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "MK Dons v Chesterfield FA Cup tie to be replayed". BBC Sport. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Deep anticipation as Hull City hosts third round draw of the FA Cup". The Yorkshire Post. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Get 2015 off to a flyer as The FA Cup hits BBC and BT Sport". The FA. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "When is the FA Cup fourth round draw? And what third round ties are on TV?". The Independent. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Derby County: FA Cup fourth round draw to be made on Monday evening". Derby Telegraph. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "FA Cup: Man Utd drawn against Cambridge Utd in fourth round". BBC Sport. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Diafra Sakho: West Ham fined £71,000 by Fifa for rule breach". BBC Sport. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  20. ↑ "Fifth Round Proper draw details". The FA. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "FA Cup draw: Arsenal will play Middlesbrough in fifth round". BBC Sport. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "England boss Roy Hodgson to make FA Cup Sixth Round draw". The FA. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  23. ↑ "Holders Arsenal to face Manchester United in last eight". BBC Sport. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  24. ↑ "FA Cup Semi-Final draw set for Old Trafford on Monday". The FA. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  25. ↑ "FA Cup draw: Arsenal land Bradford or Reading in semis". BBC Sport. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "The Football Association Fixture List – Season 2014–2015". The FA. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  27. ↑ "FA Cup draw: Arsenal to play Reading in semi-finals". BBC. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "2014/2015 FA Cup Top Scorers". World Football. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  29. ↑ "BT buys ESPN's UK and Ireland TV channels". Daily Telegraph. 25 February 2013.
  30. ↑ "Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events" (PDF). Ofcom.
  31. ↑ "The FA Cup on TV". The FA.
  32. ↑ "BT Sport to show live coverage of FA Cup replays". The FA.
  33. ↑ "FA Cup Second Round Proper television ties confirmed". The FA.
  34. ↑ "Chester and Worcester FA Cup replays to be televised". The FA.
  35. ↑ "Reds go live again". Wrexham FC. 13 November 2014.
  36. ↑ "AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool FA Cup third round tie to be shown live". The Guardian. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  37. ↑ "FA Cup: Cardiff City v Colchester United live on BBC Wales". BBC Sport. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  38. ↑ "The FA Cup Fourth Round television ties announced". The FA. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  39. ↑ "FA Cup: BBC to show Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool". BBC Sport. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  40. ↑ "The FA Cup Fifth Round television ties announced". The FA. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  41. ↑ "FA Cup Sixth Round match dates and kick-offs confirmed". The FA. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  42. ↑ "Live football on BT Sport". BT Sport. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  43. ↑ "FA Cup: BBC to show Reading-Bradford replay". BBC Sport. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  44. ↑ "FA Cup semi-final times confirmed for Wembley". The FA. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  45. ↑ "Live football on BT Sport". BT Sport. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  46. ↑ "FA Cup: BBC to show semi-final between Reading and Arsenal". BBC Sport. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  47. ↑ "'Dydd Sul disglair' ar S4C wrth i Clwb ddarlledu gêm gwpan FA Wrecsam v Woking yn fyw" (Press release) (in Welsh). S4C. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
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