Whether it is showdowns in the Premier League on a yearly basis or their many notable meetings in the Champions League, Liverpool and Chelsea have compiled quite the storied rivalry over the years, 115 to be precise with their first official meeting coming on Christmas Day in 1907.
However, from the 191 previous competitive encounters between two of the giants of the English game, just 11 have been played in the FA Cup with the only final taking place as recently as 2012.
On Saturday, Chelsea will be looking to win their ninth FA Cup, which would take the Blues into third place in the all-time list, while Liverpool can move level with their upcoming opponents and Tottenham Hotspur with success in the capital.
Ahead of the clash at Wembley Stadium, Sports Mole takes a look back at the occasions when Liverpool and Chelsea have gone head-to-head in the oldest football competition in the world.
When the teams met in their maiden FA Cup tie back in 1932, it came at the quarter-final stage, the most notable result en route to that tie being Liverpool's 2-1 victory away at Everton in the third round. However, it was Chelsea who prevailed at Anfield, courtesy of goals from George Pearson and Hughie Gallacher, but their run came to an end when they succumbed to Newcastle United in the last four.
Another 30 years had passed by before the clubs were drawn against each other for a second time, the third-round meeting arguably proving to be the tie of the round as Liverpool won by a 4-3 scoreline. Ian St John and Bobby Tambling - now both legends for their respective clubs - scored doubles, but it was efforts from Roger Hunt and Alan A'Court which ultimately got Liverpool over the line.
The third and fourth ties came in quick succession. In 1965, Liverpool got another eye-catching win on the board, winning 2-0 in the semi-finals thanks to second-half goals from Peter Thompson and Willie Stevenson. Less than a year later in January 1966, Chelsea got their revenge with more success in the third round, Peter Osgood's opener being followed by Tambling's third FA Cup goal against Liverpool.
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From 1978 onwards, any FA Cup encounters between the sides were well spaced out, the minimum period being four years. In the year previously mentioned, Chelsea yet again won in the third round, this time by a 4-2 scoreline with Clive Walker contributing a double and Kenny Dalglish chipping in with a consolation effort for the losers on that occasion. Liverpool were given the chance to reach the fifth round four years later before Chelsea knocked them out of the competition, Colin Lee and Peter Rhoades-Brown getting the decisive goals.
In 1986, Liverpool ended their losing streak against Chelsea in the competition by edging out the West Londoners 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, Mark Lawrenson and Ian Rush getting the goals. It proved a crucial result for the Merseyside giants during that campaign as they proceeded to reach the final, coming from behind the defeat Everton by a 3-1 scoreline at Wembley.
Remarkably, Saturday's showdown will represent just the fifth encounter between these two clubs in the 36 years which have followed, an 11-year gap coming before they went head-to-head in the early stages once again. There is an argument that Chelsea produced one of their all-time great FA Cup performances to progress to the last 16 having found themselves 2-0 down after 21 minutes due to goals from Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore.
However, in 26 second-half minutes, the Blues scored four times through Mark Hughes, Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli to win 4-2 in front of a limited home crowd due to the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. Later that season, Chelsea would lift the trophy, Roberto Di Matteo scoring what was then the fastest-ever goal in the final against Middlesbrough.
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When the teams renewed FA Cup hostilities at the semi-final stage in 2006, the recent Champions League meetings between the clubs had made it a blockbuster clash. Liverpool came through a quartet of fixtures with three goalless draws and a famous 1-0 win in the second leg of their semi-final tie in 2004-05, arguably handing them the edge in another knockout game, and Rafael Benitez once again got the better of Jose Mourinho as Liverpool won 2-1 at Old Trafford courtesy of goals from John Arne Riise and Luis Garcia.
Like Chelsea did nine years ago, the Reds went on to win the competition, edging out West Ham United on penalties in a final which is remembered for Steven Gerrard's 30-yard strike which kept his team in the final.
Another six years passed by before the clubs finally earned an opportunity to lock horns in the final. The game preceded a Premier League fixture between the two sides three days later and Chelsea's attempt to win their first Champions League, but Di Matteo's team prevailed by a 2-1 scoreline thanks to efforts from Ramires and Didier Drogba. Andy Carroll halved the deficit for Liverpool and thought he had netted a second, only for the officials deeming that Petr Cech had pulled off a famous FA Cup save rather than the substitute's header had crossed the line.
Eight years later, the teams would meet in what has been their only FA Cup tie in a decade. The game took place just a couple of weeks before England went into lockdown due to coronavirus, but a capacity crowd was present at Stamford Bridge to witness Chelsea win 2-0 in the fifth round. Willian and Ross Barkley scored in either half as Frank Lampard got the better of Jurgen Klopp, with teenager Billy Gilmour stealing the show in midfield.
Overall, the head-to-head record reads 7-4 on Chelsea's favour, and the Blues are on a two-game winning streak in this competition. There has always been at least two goals in a FA Cup tie between the sides, a good sign that Saturday's final could live up to its billing.
Darren Plant
