Chelsea v Leeds United: 1970 FA Cup final replay – live! | Football

Both teams are unchanged from the first match, with one exception: David Harvey replaces Gary Sprake in the Leeds goal. Sprake hasn’t been dropped for his hapless fumbling of Peter Houseman’s shot in the first match at Wembley; he suffered a knee injury during the European Cup semi-final defeat at Celtic Park, so that’s him kaput. Incidentally, when the BBC flashed up the teamsheets, they used a Leeds crest that hasn’t been seen on the shirt since 1961. Superstitious old Don Revie will have got rid of that for a good reason, lads; you may be messing with his ju-ju.

Chelsea: Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, Eddie McCreadie, John Hollins, John Dempsey, David Webb, Tommy Baldwin, Charlie Cooke, Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Houseman.
Sub: Marvin Hinton.

Leeds United: David Harvey, Paul Madeley, Terry Cooper, Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter, Peter Lorimer, Allan Clarke, Mick Jones, Johnny Giles, Eddie Gray.
Sub: Mick Bates.

Referee: Eric Jennings (Stourbridge).

Leeds United go into this FA Cup final replay – the first since 1912 – hoping it won’t put the finishing touches to a triptych of misery. A season that once promised so much – an unprecedented league, cup and European treble – is coming apart at the seams. A fixture pile-up cost them their championship crown, the First Division title gifted to Everton, while Jock Stein’s Celtic bossed them in the semi-finals of the European Cup. Now this is all that’s left. Don Revie’s sensational side couldn’t end up completely empty handed, could they?

But never mind the overall context of their Homeric season; Leeds won’t be happy to be contesting this replay on the merits of the first match alone. They were the better side two weeks ago, on a quagmire of a pitch at Wembley. (The pitch at the home of English football had been churned up days before its showpiece by the Horse of the Year show.) Leeds took the lead twice. On 20 minutes, Jack Charlton flapped his scrapeover at a cross; his header trickled over the goalline, half-turn by half-turn. Eddie McCreadie tried to kick it away, but took a fresh-air swipe and fell on his arse, like a drunk in a Frank Randle film. Peter Houseman equalised just before the break, his speculative long-range shot creeping into the bottom right corner under the body of Gary Sprake (who was sporting the sort of huge blond quiff not seen since ABC Television stopped making Oh Boy). Houseman celebrated by accidentally spitting all over his shirt.

Six minutes from time, Leeds looked to have won their first FA Cup, Mick Jones lashing into the bottom-left corner after Allan Clarke had hit the right-hand post with a header. But only two minutes later, Ian Hutchinson flashed home a near-post header from a left-wing John Hollins cross. Extra time produced no more goals, and with the rutted, muddy pitch now a complete joke, the FA decided to bundle everyone up to Old Trafford for the replay. And so here we are.

Can Leeds salvage their season by winning their first FA Cup? Or can Dave Sexton’s men lift Chelsea’s first FA Cup instead? It’s a summit meeting between two of the best teams in football right now, Revie’s men having finished second in the First Division behind Everton, Chelsea just behind them in third. Ancient history favours Chelsea, who have beaten Leeds on all four previous occasions they’ve met in the cup; this season’s league results point to a Leeds win, their having won 2-0 at Elland Road and 5-2 at Stamford Bridge. It’s Leeds’ 63rd match of the season. It’s Chelsea’s 54th. It’s on!

Kick off: 7.30pm on 29 April 1970. (3pm GMT today)