2011–12 FA Cup

The 2011–12 FA Cup (also known as the FA Cup with Budweiser for sponsorship reasons) was the 131st season of the world's oldest football knock-out competition, the FA Cup. The closing date for applications was 1 April 2011, and saw 825 clubs apply to enter. On 8 July 2011, the FA announced that 763 clubs had been accepted, which remains, as of 2025/26, the record number of entrants. The final was played on 5 May 2012 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea won their fourth title in 6 years, and seventh overall, with a 2–1 victory over Liverpool. This is the first season in which the tournament was sponsored by Budweiser. Premier League side Manchester City were the defending champions, but they were eliminated by local rivals Manchester United in the third round. The competition was overshadowed by the collapse of Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba during their sixth round match with Tottenham Hotspur. Muamba went into cardiac arrest on the pitch and, following failed attempts to resuscitate him, was taken to the London Chest Hospital, where he went on to recover despite his heart stopping for over 75 minutes. The match was subsequently abandoned. On 27 March the match was replayed, with Tottenham winning 3–1. Muamba attended the final to congratulate Chelsea. The winners of the competition would have earned a place in the group stage of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. However, since Chelsea went on to win the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, they qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League as the title holders. The FA Cup berth for European qualification was not exercised as runners-up Liverpool had already won that season's League Cup and Tottenham Hotspur, the fourth-place finishers in the Premier League, lost their Champions League spot at the expense of sixth-placed Chelsea, as no association was...