FA Cup final: 10 top Chelsea v Liverpool clashes

Chelsea and Liverpool go head-to-head on Saturday in the FA Cup final at Wembley, with both sides set to meet for the fourth time this season. The Reds got the better of Thomas Tuchel’s side back in February, after Jurgen Klopp’s stars triumphed 11-10 on penalties to clinch the League Cup final. It will be the first time the same teams have met in both the League Cup and FA Cup final in the same season since Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday battled both out in 1993. Chelsea and Liverpool have developed a fierce rivalry, and shared some classic encounters down the years, especially in the past decade. Here we rank the top 10. Chelsea were set to get their hands on the treble that season under Tommy Docherty, but Liverpool mastermind Bill Shankly had other ideas. Despite a Chelsea side that included Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti, the Reds managed to triumph at Villa Park. This clash will ever be remembered for the actions of former Liverpool goal machine Luis Suarez. The talismanic Uruguayan sunk his teeth into the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Suarez netted the equaliser in the match in the seventh minute of stoppage time to pour more fuel on the fire, and despite the incident going unnoticed on the day, he found himself in hot water. He was subsequently banned for 10 games by the FA, and eventually left Liverpool for Barcelona. Liverpool went into the FA Cup final having defeated Cardiff City in the final of the League Cup three months earlier, but could not get past a stubborn Chelsea side at Wembley. Both Ramires and Didier Drogba netted for the Blues on the day, with Andy Carroll halving the deficit for the Reds. It was the action of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, however, that made the headlines. Just as it looked as though Carroll would equalise late on, the shot-stopper produced an outstanding save, as the Blues managed to hang on to clinch the trophy. Interestingly, the game was also the last for Kenny Dalglish in the Liverpool dugout. Astonishingly, Liverpool were 6-0 up by 60 minutes in a game which saw Bob Paisley and Billy Liddell make their Liverpool debuts. Before the match, the Reds had already wrapped up the First Division (now the Premier League) title and went into the clash full of confidence. Liddell netted a brace, and both Billy Jones and Willie Fagan also netted two each, as the Reds ran riot at Anfield under manager George Kay. The League Cup final will be forever remembered when Jose Mourinho shushed the Liverpool fans. Steven Gerrard, who was a transfer target for Chelsea the previous summer, put through his own net on 79 minutes, which cancelled out John Arne Riise's record-breaking 45th-second opener. With the scores tied at full-time, both Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman gave the Blues a 3-1 lead in extra-time. Antonio Nunez reduced the deficit for Rafael Benitez’s side, but it wasn’t enough. John Arne Riise’s own goal at Anfield a week earlier in the Champions League semi-final first leg set up what would be another enthralling encounter at Stamford Bridge. Drogba gave Chelsea the lead, but Fernando Torres equalised for Benitez’s men as the tie went to extra-time. Lampard kept his cool to covert a penalty, and Drogba later made it 3-1. Ryan Babel got a goal back for Liverpool, but the Blues managed to get over the line. They would eventually fall short to Manchester United in the final in Moscow. It was a day Liverpool secured the First Division (now Premier League) title at Stamford Bridge. Player-manager Dalglish popped up with the all-important goal on 23 minutes, which ultimately helped them to pip Everton and West Ham to the title. Liverpool were 13 points behind the Toffees at one stage in the campaign, which made it even better for the Reds' fans. A day Steven Gerrard will never forget. The Liverpool legend allowed a pass to slip under his boot, before he fell to the ground, letting Demba Ba pounce and slide the ball beyond the on-rushing Simon Mignolet and into the net. Liverpool’s title dream was over, despite Chelsea resting several key players ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid. Manchester City were eventually crowned champions. It was a game that is still talked about to this day. The famous Luis Garcia ‘ghost goal’ helped Liverpool to the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. Garcia poked the ball past Petr Cech, only to watch centre-back William Gallas hoof it away. However, the referee believed the ball had crossed the line and gave it. Striker Eidur Gudjohnsen had the chance to send Chelsea to the final on away goals late on, but could only see his strike whistle past the post to the relief of Jerzy Dudek. Chelsea went into the clash having secured a 3-1 victory at Anfield the previous week. However, Liverpool raced into a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge through Fabio Aurelio and Xabi Alonso to put Rafa Benitez’s side in control. The Blues, on home turf, had other ideas though. Drogba netted after a Pep Reina goalkeeping error and an Alex thunderbolt levelled the scores on the night. Both goals came in six dramatic second-half minutes. Lampard would put the Blues 3-2 ahead on the night, slotting home Drogba's intelligent cross, but Lucas Leiva's deflected strike was quickly followed by Dirk Kuyt's near-post header. With the score 4-3 to Liverpool, the Reds went in search of another which would have sent them through to the semi-finals on away goals. Chelsea legend Lampard, though, converted Nicolas Anelka's pass to level at 4-4 in the final dramatic action of a truly memorable game.

FA Cup final: 10 top Chelsea v Liverpool clashes

As Jurgen Klopp's side take on Thomas Tuchel's men in a Wembley showpiece for the second time this season, we take a look at classic past encounters