Liverpool in the FA Cup: Full history, total wins and top goalscorers

As one of England’s most prestigious clubs, Liverpool unsurprisingly have a rich history in the FA Cup.

The Reds’ participation in the competition dates all the way back to 1893 and only two clubs have won the FA Cup more often than Liverpool since its inception over 150 years ago.

The Merseyside outfit have enjoyed plenty of memorable duels in years gone by, most recently getting their hands on the trophy in 2022.

Here’s the full history of Liverpool in the FA Cup, including trophy wins, low points, top scorers and more.

Only Arsenal (14) and Manchester United (12) have won the FA Cup more than Liverpool, with the Reds taking the trophy home on eight separate occasions.

Liverpool first won the competition in 1964/65, beating Leeds United 2-1 after extra-time, and it took them almost a decade to lift their second FA Cup trophy – doing so in 1973/74 with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle United.

The Reds won the competition three times in seven seasons between 1985/86 and 1991/92, including two victories over Merseyside rivals Everton at Wembley Stadium.

Liverpool have been triumphant in the FA Cup three times since the start of the 21st century as well, most recently being crowned champions in 2022 when they beat Chelsea on penalties in the final.

Liverpool have had the misfortune of finishing runners-up in the FA Cup on seven occasions, most recently suffering Wembley heartbreak in the 2012 final against Chelsea. The Reds would get their revenge on the Blues a decade later, but it remains a heart-breaking defeat as Kenny Dalglish’s side were set to do the domestic cup double.

The Reds have lost to bitter rivals Man Utd twice in the final, with the ‘Spice Boys’ suffering an infamous defeat in 1996 to a late Eric Cantona strike.

Having already beaten Chelsea during the 2021/22 season in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool managed to get another one over on the Blues in the FA Cup final that same campaign.

It wasn’t a game of huge drama at Wembley, with the match finishing 0-0 after extra-time exactly as the Carabao Cup final had. However, there is always intrigue where penalties are concerned.

From each side’s first four penalties, only Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta would miss after slamming the post. After Jorginho dispatched the Blues’ fifth spot kick, Sadio Mane had the chance to win it for the Reds but saw his penalty saved by Senegalese teammate Edouard Mendy.

Fortunately for Liverpool, Alisson would save Mason Mount’s spot kick later in the shootout, with unlikely hero Kostas Tsimikas netting the winning strike from 12 yards.

With Liverpool’s most fruitful period in the FA Cup coming during the late 1980s and early 1990s, it’s hardly surprising that club record goalscorer Ian Rush also tops the charts in England’s oldest cup competition.

The Welshman netted an astonishing 39 goals in just 61 matches, including five goals in finals, and is the record scorer in the competition’s history by a margin of 15 goals including the three strikes Rush produced for other clubs in the FA Cup.

Nobody even comes close to matching Rush’s grand total in a Liverpool shirt. The next best is Roger Hunt with 18 goals in 44 games.

Of players still in action for the Reds, Mohamed Salah is top of the list with five goals, followed by Harvey Elliot with three.

One of the biggest shocks in FA Cup final history was summed up perfectly by BBC commentator John Motson. As the final whistle blew on Wimbledon’s shock triumph over Liverpool in 1988, Motson uttered the immortal line: “The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club.”

Wimbledon, who were known for their physicality, were enormous underdogs for the clash having only been in the First Division for two seasons at the time of the final. Meanwhile, newly-crowned champions Liverpool were looking to do the double and were expected to ease to victory.

However, things didn’t go to plan for the Reds, who fell behind to Lawrie Sanchez’s header before half-time. John Aldridge had the chance to level from the spot but saw his penalty saved by Dave Beasant after an hour at Wembley.

In the end, Liverpool couldn’t find a way back into the match, succumbing to an underwhelming 1-0 defeat on the big stage.

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