Event of the Day: FA Cup Final
Our event of the day is the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Manchester City and Watford compete for England’s most prestigious knock-out trophy. Manchester City will hope to complete the elusive domestic treble and win their first FA Cup since 2011. Watford, appearing in their second FA Cup final in club history, will look to complete an upset. This is sure to be a must-watch match. Manchester City find themselves on the edge of history. If they beat Watford today, they will become the first English men’s team to complete the domestic treble and the first English club to do so since Arsenal Ladies in the 2006-07 season. Being locked in a tight Premier League race with Liverpool for the entirety of the season while also pursuing a deep, if eventually unsuccessful Champions League run meant that less focus was given to the FA Cup. However, this meant that young players in the City organisation have been given a chance to shine. Phil Foden, an 18-year-old midfielder who has spent his entire youth career with Manchester City, is the team’s joint top-scorer in the competition with three goals. City’s draws throughout the tournament have provided a relatively smooth road to the final, outscoring Rotherham, Burnley, Newport County, Swansea and Brighton 20-3. The biggest scare of the tournament came against Swansea, when City scored three times in the last twenty-one minutes of the match to erase a 2-0 lead that Swansea had built early in the first half. City’s last FA Cup win came in 2011 against Stoke City. They also made the 2013 final but lost 1-0 to Wigan. The last time Watford made the FA Cup final was in 1984, when they lost 2-0 to Everton.
Arguably, the Hornets have had the harder run in the competition, facing three Premier League teams on their road to the final. There has been no stand out scorer for the team, with four players sharing the title of top scorer on two goals apiece. Against Watford, Manchester City are on a 15-game unbeaten streak (thirteen wins, two draws) which stretches back to February 1997 and includes three FA Cup clashes. The last time Watford beat City was in March 1989. The Hornets are on a four-game winless streak, including a bruising 4-1 loss at home to West Ham. However, if they can upset Manchester City, they will be rewarded with a place in the group stage of next season’s Europa League. With City looking to complete the elusive treble and Watford looking for the ultimate upset, you won’t want to miss this match.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the final day of the Premiership Rugby season. Exeter versus Northampton will be a crucial match as Exeter look to hold onto the top seeding in the playoffs while Northampton look to remain in the playoffs. If Northampton lose, then Harlequins need to beat Wasps to take the fourth seed in the playoffs. With a lot of season-defining rugby today, be sure to tune in. Elsewhere, in golf, the PGA Championship continues on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York. In the MLB, the battle for the American League East continues as the New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays for the third game of their series at Yankee Stadium. The eighth stage of the Giro d’Italia takes place between Tortoreto Lido and Pesaro. The Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships continue in Slovakia. In the AFL, North Melbourne host the Sydney Swans at Blundstone Arena in Bellerive.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Manchester City; Watford