Hey kids, how about a history lesson?

29th April 1970. Old Trafford.

A thread of the most infamous Chelsea - Leeds match ever.

WARNING: May contain scenes of extreme violence

Read on... 👇 #lufc
The rivalry between the teams had grown through the 60s, fuelled by Leeds wrongly being denied a late equaliser in the 1967 FA Cup Semi Final.

Leeds had got to the final having overcome Man Utd by a single goal after 2 replays in the Semi Final.
The final had been played on 11th April, but the replay was delayed by 3 weeks due to Leeds’ fixture congestion, including the European Cup semi final v Celtic.

Leeds had bossed the Final but were denied victory by a superb performance from the Peter Bonetti in Chelsea’s goal.
The tone for the replay was set in the first 10 mins with a succession of crude fouls.

After just 2 mins David Webb - who’d been run so ragged by Eddie Gray in the final that he’d been moved from RB to CB - saw an opportunity for revenge with a flying 2 footed lunge...
10’ Leeds first opportunity comes in the form of a difficult chance for Lorimer, after some great play from Terry Cooper
13’ Clarke is hacked down in the corner by Webb again. In the modern game this would have definitely been a second yellow following the earlier foul on Gray.

In 1970, referee Eric Jennings doesn’t even give a foul!
18’ After a pretty even opening, with neither team able to maintain much possession, the niggle starts to build... after a few hefty attempts to stop Cooper rampaging down the left, Chelsea’s Baldwin is stopped in his tracks by a hefty Giles body check...
24’ Leeds are starting to get on top, just as they did in the final 18 days earlier. Lovely skill by Lorimer to beat Webb, but he flashes his shot wide from distance.
26’ Chelsea create trouble for themselves with a loose pass. Bonetti scampers out from his goal but Lorimer nips ahead of him. He rounds the keeper on the outside, but McCreadie clears on the goal line - and then gets a leg left in by Clarke as he clears...
28’ Leeds are much the stronger team now. Bremner powers down the middle, passes to Clarke on the left-hand edge of the area, who takes the ball inside with his first touch, swivels past Webb with his second, and fires a shot just inches wide.

So close to the opener.
31’ A pivotal moment. A high ball into the box sees Jones and Bonetti go up for it at the near post. Bonetti takes some time to get up and looks in real pain.

Chelsea trainer Harry Medhurst, a former Chelsea keeper, comes on to assist.

The match is stopped for almost 4 mins
35’ GOAL!!!
Clarke picks the ball up, turns, evades three tackles and pokes the ball forward to Jones who drifts past Hollins, evades the desperate slide tackle of McCreadie and unleashes a thunderbastard into the top left.

A stunning goal and superb work from Leeds’ front two
42’ Gray looks to turn Harris down the left, who cynically hacks Gray’s left leg from under him.

Gray, now injured, is clearly being targeted by Chelsea after his man of the match performance in the first game.

Slowly reaching boiling point...

HALF TIME: Chelsea 0-1 Leeds
52’ An enduring image of the match as Osgood goes straight through Charlton’s back. Big Jack springs up and shoulder barges Osgood to the floor. Baldwin comes racing in but the linesman gets in between to prevent any escalation.

No bookings of course!
53’ Charlton - being roundly booed by the Chelsea fans - storms up the middle but is brought down from behind by Dempsey.

But Big Jack’s more angry with Clarke for not making the right run!

Tempers are getting a little frayed to say the least...
56’ An intense 60 seconds that includes Bremner sliding in studs up on Hutchinson, who swings a wild boot back at Bremner, followed by some excellent play from Leeds culminating in Jones teeing up Giles to shoot inches wide from the edge of the box.
65’ Leeds are still the better team and are leading for third time in the Final.

Bremner, on the floor, slyly trips Osgood. But then as Bremner gets up, Hutchinson enters from stage left and shoves him to the floor - earning what turns out to be the *only* booking of the match.
78’ GOAL!

Hutchinson cuts in from the right, leaves it to Cooke, who floats a diagonal ball in. Osgood ghosts in and flicks a fine diving header past the outrushing Harvey and into the bottom left.

Against the run of play, but Osgood has scored in every round of the FA Cup.
85’ The ball loops towards Bremner in the box, when McCreadie launches a Berardi-esque kung-fu kick towards his head! Surely a penalty? No, the ref waves play on!

Chelsea break upfield and Hutchinson smashes it into the side netting. If he’d scored Leeds would have gone mad.
89’ Leeds push for a late winner. Giles hooks the ball into the box and as Bremner tries to control on the spot he is barged over, sandwiched by Webb from behind and Hollins in front. Surely a penalty for either challenge, or possibly both at once?

Play on (of course)...
90’ Eddie Gray dribbles down the middle before floating a chip over the bar from the edge of the box.

So close to a winner, but the game goes to Extra Time...
A scrappy start to ET with few clear cut chances until...

104’ GOAL!
With Hunter and Osgood both suffering cramp Hutchinson flings a long throw into the box. Osgood flicks on, and Webb beats both Gray and Lorimer at the back post to put a header into the net from close range.
With the effects of multiple cup runs taking effect, the Leeds players just don’t have it in the legs to come back.

After 240 minutes that had seen everything - except a red card - Webb, who should have been off after 15 mins, ultimately wins the titanic battle for Chelsea.
In 1997 David Elleray famously “re-refereed” the match and decided that there should have been six red cards and twenty yellows given under modern interpretation of the rules.

This year Michael Oliver did the same and decided on 11 reds, but he did call it ‘proper football’...
Some notable facts about the match:

It was the only time between 1923 and 2000 that the final was played away from Wembley

It attracted a TV audience of 28 million - second only for sport behind the 1966 World Cup Final.

It’s the last FA Cup Final to be played in April.
You can follow @LUFC1992_v2.
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