Highlights
Manchester City has won the FA Cup seven times, showcasing their storied history in the competition.
City's victories range from early triumphs in the 1900s to dominant performances in recent years.
Notable highlights include their inaugural win in 1903-04, a commanding 6-0 victory in 2018-19, and their latest triumph in 2022-23 against Manchester United.
After defeating Chelsea in the 2024 FA Cup semi-finals, Manchester City will make their 11th appearance in the competition final to win their eighth title. This is the third FA Cup final City have reached under Pep Guardiola and for the third time consecutively. City are the sixth-most winners of the competition with seven, level with Aston Villa. They are just one trophy away from matching Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool’s tally.
Here are Manchester City's FA Cup final wins to date:
1-0 vs Bolton Wanderers (1903-04)
City has been one of the sides to taste early success since the FA Cup came into existence in the 1871-72 season. They won the title for the first time in the early 1900s in their first final itself. The city side contained legends like Billie Gillespie and Billy Meredith who scored the only goal in the final against Bolton Wanderers. The team was led by the Scottish manager Tom Maley.
2-1 vs Portsmouth (1933-34)
After failing to lift the trophy even after reaching two finals in subsequent years, City found success in their fourth attempt at the title. Failing to beat Everton, the side made it to consecutive finals for the first time in their history in the 1933-34 season. Portsmouth were the opponent this time and took the lead in the first half forcing City to respond. Something that the side managed to do with the elegance of forward Fred Tilson who scored a brace in the last 15 minutes aided by his goalkeeper Frank Swift's heroics.
3-1 vs Birmingham City (1955-56)
The third title for Manchester City came in the same scenario after losing their fifth FA Cup final to Newcastle a season ago. The side under Les McDowall, the longest-serving manager in the club’s history, had to battle hard to reach the tournament final with some close wins. However, upon reaching the showpiece, City showed more courage and went up a goal ahead in only the 3rd minute of the match through Joe Hayes. Although Birmingham City equalised, the Cityzens stunned them again with two quick-fire goals in the second half by Jack Dyson and Robert Johnstone to write their name on the trophy.
1-0 vs Leicester City (1968-69)
The next triumph for the club from Manchester came 12 years later in their seventh final. Despite their coach Malcolm Allison serving a touchline ban, City managed to see off a spirited Leicester City side with a 1-0 victory coming from a 24th-minute strike by Neil Young. The Foxes caused problems with their attacking play and went close to scoring several times. However, City being clinical in the crucial period of the match brought them the honour.
1-0 vs Stoke City (2010-11)
Manchester City could only manage one more final before the 21st century which they lost to the Tottenham Hotspurs in the final that was replayed after the initial match was drawn. The club failed to make the showpiece again till the time there was a change in ownership. After the UAE-led City group bought the club, they made it to their ninth FA Cup final only three years after the takeover. City managed to beat a snappy Stoke City side 1-0 in the final with a 74th-minute strike from Yaya Touré to land themselves a fifth title.
6-0 vs Watford (2018-19)
The 2018-19 FA Cup triumph was certainly the most dominating one for Manchester City in the competition history. Learning from their shock loss to Wigan Athletic in the 2012–13 season, City did not settle for any compliance with surprise finalists Watford and thrashed them 6-0. David Silva opened the scoring in the 26th minute with Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling scoring a remarkable brace and player of the match De Bruyne finding the goal in between. The win completed a domestic treble for Manchester City who won the League Cup and the Premier League as well that season. This was also the joint highest margin of victory in the FA Cup final history.
2-1 vs Manchester United (2022-23)
The latest FA Cup win could be the most memorable one for the Cityzens as they beat their city rivals Manchester United and emulated their treble win in 1999 by clinching the Premier League and Champions League in the 2022-23 season. It was the most chaotic start the FA Cup final ever had with Ilkay Gundogan smashing a volley in with just 12 seconds on the clock, making it the fastest goal in the history of the competition final. Although Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot to make it 1–1, Gundogan popped up with the winner this time by completing his brace in the 51st minute.
