From Bert Trautmann to Mary Earps, the FA Cup Final has a habit of casting the goalkeeper as the central character of the story.
Header Image: via Chelsea FC
Of all the fixtures in English football, none captures the magic of the game quite like the FA Cup Final. Over the years, the venue may have changed, the broadcasting rights shifted hands, and the competition itself has waxed and waned in cultural significance, but the final remains a stage for singular, career-defining moments. And for goalkeepers especially, it’s long been more than just another game. It’s a stage where careers are made, myths are forged, and moments are etched into football folklore.
From Bert Trautmann to Mary Earps, the FA Cup Final has a habit of casting the goalkeeper as the central character of the story. In both the men’s and women’s games, it remains one of those fixtures where the person between the posts is just as — if not more — likely to steal the headlines as the player who finds the net. In the league, mistakes can be atoned for the following week. In the cup final, the goalkeeper may never get that chance again. Everything is at stake, and in moments like this, the best goalkeepers rise to the occasion and deliver something unforgettable.
With this season’s men’s and women’s FA Cup Finals on the horizon, it’s the perfect moment to look back at some of the competition’s most unforgettable goalkeeping performances - moments of bravery, defiance, and sheer shot-stopping brilliance that have echoed through its long, storied history.
1956: The Man with the Broken Neck
There’s really only one place to start. In 1956, Manchester City’s Bert Trautmann played the final 17 minutes of the FA Cup Final with a broken neck. An ex-German paratrooper turned Manchester folk hero, Trautmann collided with Birmingham’s Peter Murphy late in the game, and in an era before substitutions, had no choice but to carry on.
Not only did he stay on the pitch, but he pulled off a series of crucial saves to help City secure a 3–1 victory. It wasn’t until a hospital visit, three days later, that the true extent of his injuries was revealed: five fractured vertebrae, one of which had come millimetres from severing his spinal cord. It’s still the most storied FA Cup performance by a goalkeeper, and with substitutions and modern player welfare protocols in place, it’s likely to remain so. Which, all things considered, is probably for the best.
1973: Montgomery’s Double Save
Two decades after Trautmann’s heroics, Sunderland’s Jimmy Montgomery pulled off what’s still widely regarded as the greatest double save in FA Cup history. With Second Division Sunderland clinging to a 1–0 lead against Don Revie’s all-conquering Leeds United, Montgomery first parried Trevor Cherry’s close-range header. That alone was impressive. What followed was extraordinary.
As Peter Lorimer pounced on the rebound and smashed a shot destined for the roof of the net, Montgomery somehow managed to flick it onto the underside of the bar. It preserved one of the FA Cup’s most famous upsets and cemented Montgomery’s place in Wembley folklore.
1975 and 1981: Sue Buckett’s Spot-Kick Heroics
While the men’s game was carving out its own myths, Sue Buckett was quietly making history in the Women’s FA Cup Final. In 1975, she became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in a women’s final - a crucial moment that helped Southampton WFC lift the trophy.
Buckett wasn’t done there. She repeated the feat in 1981, further cementing her place as one of the pioneers of the women’s game, at a time when the FA still refused to officially recognise or sanction women’s football. A trailblazer in every sense.
1988: Beasant’s Wembley Penalty Heroics
Wembley’s hosted its fair share of drama, but few FA Cup Finals have been as shocking as Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang toppling Liverpool’s dominant side in 1988. The defining moment came when Dave Beasant — the Dons’ charismatic captain — became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup Final at Wembley (Sue Buckett’s heroics took place at Brewers Hill, home of Dunstable Town, and Knowsley Road, St Helens).
Diving low to his left to deny John Aldridge’s penalty, Beasant not only preserved Wimbledon’s narrow lead but also immortalised himself in FA Cup Final history. It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the mayhem, romance, and unpredictability that the FA Cup still serves up year after year.
1993: Lesley Higgs’ Player of the Match Performance
While Beasant was grabbing headlines in the men’s game, Lesley Higgs was making her mark on the rapidly growing Women’s FA Cup. In the 1993 final, Higgs delivered a sensational performance for Arsenal against Knowsley United, producing a series of vital saves to maintain the Gunners’ lead in a tense, hard-fought contest.
She was rightly named Player of the Match, becoming one of the first goalkeepers to earn the honour in a Women’s FA Cup final. In an era when media coverage was scarce and recognition even rarer, Higgs’ performance serves as a powerful reminder of the talent, resilience, and often overlooked brilliance that have always been present in the women’s game.
2007 and 20212: Čech at the New Wembley
When the men’s FA Cup Final returned to its spiritual home, the newly rebuilt Wembley, in 2007, it was only fitting that one of the Premier League era’s greatest goalkeepers would take centre stage. In a tetchy, attritional final between Chelsea and Manchester United, Petr Čech was immense — sharp off his line, commanding his area with authority, impervious under crosses, and producing two crucial saves from Wayne Rooney in the second half and extra time.
With the game deadlocked at 0–0, Čech’s composure kept Chelsea alive before Didier Drogba’s late winner sealed the cup. It was the first final at the new Wembley, and Čech’s performance set the early standard for those who followed.
Cech would frequent Wembley several times over the course of his Chelsea career. One of the greatest saves in an FA Cup Final came five years later against Liverpool, with the Czech goalkeeper clawing a close range Andy Carroll header out of the top corner in simply astonishing fashion.
2023: Berger’s Emotional Wembley Moment
In the 2023 Women’s FA Cup Final, much of the pre-match focus was on Sam Kerr’s scoring record and Manchester United’s rapid rise. But as the match unfolded, it was Ann-Katrin Berger’s performance that quietly became one of the day’s defining stories.
Just months after announcing she was cancer-free following treatment for thyroid cancer, Berger stood firm under relentless United pressure, producing sharp, vital saves — including a crucial stop from Millie Turner’s header — to keep Chelsea level. Her bravery, resilience, and calm authority encapsulated the defiance that has come to define her career.
While Kerr eventually grabbed the winner, Berger’s display was every bit as decisive. It wasn’t just a performance; it was a deeply human, emotional moment, played out in front of a record-breaking Wembley crowd.
2024: Earps the Icon
If there were ever any doubts about Mary Earps’ status as one of the game’s leading figures, the 2024 Women’s FA Cup Final put them to bed. Earps dominated at Wembley, commanding her defence, producing a handful of trademark saves, and clinching the trophy in front of a sell-out crowd. On a stage where goalkeepers often play a decisive role, Earps’ leadership and shot-stopping were vital to United’s triumph, further cementing her reputation as one of the world’s best.
The FA Cup Final has always offered goalkeepers a unique kind of immortality. In league football, consistency is king — but in a final, it’s about one moment, one decision, one save. And few stages have elevated goalkeepers from the shadows to centre stage, turning them into icons — or villains — quite like the FA Cup Final.
And as this year’s finals approach, there’s every chance another name will be added to the list.
In the men’s final, Manchester City’s Ederson — ice-cold composure with inch-perfect distribution — will look to steer Pep Guardiola’s side to yet another domestic honour. A win would salvage a turbulent season for the sky blues and reinforce Ederson’s standing as one of the defining goalkeepers of his era, with a realistic chance to become the first keeper to register an assist in an FA Cup final.
Facing him is Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson, a keeper with sharp reflexes, a competitive edge, and a point to prove. For Henderson, it has real potential to be a career-defining game. Victory would deliver Palace their first-ever FA Cup in the club’s 119-year history and see Henderson immortalised in South London as part of the team that brought silverware to Selhurst Park.
In the women’s final, Chelsea’s Zecira Musovic — a player built for big moments — will be tasked with keeping the Blues on top. A win would mark Chelsea’s continued dominance in the domestic game and see Musovic claim a personal statement victory on one of English football’s greatest stages.
Lining up against her is Earps, England’s number one and a player whose leadership, reflexes, and ability to rise to the occasion have made her one of the standout figures in world football. Having lifted the trophy last year, another commanding display would not only seal consecutive FA Cup wins but place her firmly among the greats of the competition’s long history.
If there’s one certainty in a final, it’s that when the pressure rises and the margins narrow, the goalkeepers will have their say. And don’t be surprised if, come full-time, the name on everyone’s lips belongs to the one wearing gloves.
