On This Day – 8th April
Wycombe Wanderers famous FA Cup run came to an end on this day in 2001 as they lost 2-1 to Liverpool in the semi final at Villa Park.
Wanderers of the Second Division (the third tier of English football) had already knocked out a Premier League side during their Cup run, having beaten Leicester City in the previous round. They had also beaten Wimbledon, Wolves and Grimsby Town, all of whom were playing in the division above. It was the furthest that the club had ever gone in the competition. Before the 2000/01 season, Wycombe had only gone as far as the Third Round.
Liverpool were taking no chances and fielded a full-strength side against Wycombe at Villa Park. It would take them 78 minutes to score their first goal of the afternoon, with Emile Heskey powering in a header from close range from a Steven Gerrard cross.
Robbie Fowler doubled the Premier League side’s advantage with a free kick from 20 yards five minutes later to all but secure Liverpool’s place in the Final. They were given a scare though as Keith Ryan scored for Wycombe in the 88th minute, but Liverpool managed to hold on to their win.
Liverpool went on to win the FA Cup that season, beating Arsenal 2-1 in the first FA Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Five years later, Liverpool would win the FA Cup for the seventh time in their history. Wycombe have only got as far as the Fourth Round of the competition, when they lost 4-3 to Tottenham Hotspur.
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