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The 1986–87 FA Cup was the 106th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the FA Cup. The competition was won by Coventry City, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2, after extra-time, in the final at Wembley Stadium. It was Tottenham's only defeat in eight finals up to that point. The tournament started in August 1986, with non-league teams competing in the qualifying rounds.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country |  England Wales |
| Defending champions | Liverpool |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Coventry City (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Tottenham Hotspur |
Teams from the Football League Third and Fourth Division entered in this round plus Altrincham, Runcorn, Frickley Athletic and Telford United, were given byes. The first round of games were played over the weekend 15–16 November 1986, with the exception of the Bristol Rovers – Brentford game. Replays were played either in the midweek fixtures on 17th-18th or on 24th.
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The second round of games were played over 6–7 December 1986, with replays being played on 9th–10th.
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Teams from the Football League First and Second Division entered in this round. Most of the third round of games in the FA Cup were played over the weekend 10–11 January 1987. Various matches and replays were played as late as 31 January, however. Holders Liverpool were eliminated by Luton Town.
The fourth round of games were played mainly over the weekend 31 January – 1 February 1987. All other ties took place on 3–4 February.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester City | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 31 January 1987 |
| Replay | Sheffield Wednesday | 3–1 | Chester City | 4 February 1987 |
| 2 | Watford | 1–0 | Chelsea | 1 February 1987 |
| 3 | Walsall | 1–0 | Birmingham City | 31 January 1987 |
| 4 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 31 January 1987 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Luton Town | 4 February 1987 |
| 5 | Swindon Town | 1–2 | Leeds United | 3 February 1987 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2–0 | Preston North End | 31 January 1987 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4–0 | Crystal Palace | 31 January 1987 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 4–0 | Sheffield United | 9 February 1987 |
| 9 | Manchester United | 0–1 | Coventry City | 31 January 1987 |
| 10 | Bradford City | 0–1 | Everton | 31 January 1987 |
| 11 | Wimbledon | 4–0 | Portsmouth | 31 January 1987 |
| 12 | Arsenal | 6–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 31 January 1987 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 2–1 | Cardiff City | 31 January 1987 |
| 14 | Aldershot | 1–1 | Barnsley | 31 January 1987 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 3–0 | Aldershot | 3 February 1987 |
| 15 | Wigan Athletic | 1–0 | Norwich City | 31 January 1987 |
| 16 | Swansea City | 0–1 | Hull City | 3 February 1987 |
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The fifth set of games were played over the weekend 21–22 February 1987, with the first set of replays on 24th-25th.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsall | 1–1 | Watford | 21 February 1987 |
| Replay | Watford | 4–4 | Walsall | 24 February 1987 |
| Replay | Walsall | 0–1 | Watford | 2 March 1987 |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 | West Ham United | 21 February 1987 |
| Replay | West Ham United | 0–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 25 February 1987 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Newcastle United | 21 February 1987 |
| 4 | Wimbledon | 3–1 | Everton | 22 February 1987 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 2–0 | Barnsley | 21 February 1987 |
| 6 | Leeds United | 2–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 21 February 1987 |
| 7 | Stoke City | 0–1 | Coventry City | 21 February 1987 |
| 8 | Wigan Athletic | 3–0 | Hull City | 21 February 1987 |
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The sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 14–15 March 1987. There were no replays; each game was won by the away team.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–3 | Coventry City | 14 March 1987 |
| 2 | Wimbledon | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 15 March 1987 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 1–3 | Watford | 14 March 1987 |
| 4 | Wigan Athletic | 0–2 | Leeds United | 15 March 1987 |
Seven time winners Tottenham Hotspur were drawn with 1984 finalists Watford for the Villa Park semi-final, which saw the North Londoners win 4-1 and reach their eighth final, having won all of their previous FA Cup finals.
Hillsborough was the venue for the other semi-final. Leeds United, managed by their former captain Billy Bremner, were pushing for promotion in the Second Division and making their first serious challenge for a major trophy in over 10 years. Their opponents were Coventry City, who had never reached an FA Cup semi-final before. In a closely fought game, Coventry won 3–2.
| Coventry City | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
Gynn  68' Houchen 78' Bennett 99' |
Report | Rennie 14' Edwards 83' |
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| Coventry City | 3–2 (aet) | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
| Bennett 9' Houchen 64'Mabbutt (o.g.) 96' |
C. Allen 2' Mabbutt 40' |
         Coventry
|
Tottenham
|
After two minutes, Clive Allen scored his 49th goal of the season, heading past keeper Steve Ogrizovic at the near-post from a Chris Waddle cross. Within seven minutes though, Coventry were level through Dave Bennett, a Cup Final loser in 1981 for Manchester City at the hands of Spurs. Tottenham were back in front five minutes before the break through past defender Gary Mabbutt.
Midway through the second half Coventry were level again – Bennett's cross from the right was met by striker Keith Houchen with a diving header. The scores stayed level until full-time and the game went into extra time. Six minutes in, Mabbutt scored an own goal after Lloyd McGrath centred the ball and it took a deflection off of the Spurs defender's knee and over keeper Ray Clemence.
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