Date: Saturday, 29th April 1967.
Venue: Villa
Park, Birmingham.
Competition: FA
Cup Semi-Final.
Score: Chelsea
1 Leeds United 0
Scorers: Chelsea:
Hateley. Leeds United: Nil.
Attendance:
62,378 (Receipts £32,490).
Teams:
Chelsea: Bonetti; A.
Harris, McCreadie; Hollins,
Hinton, R. Harris; Cooke, Baldwin, Hateley,
Tamblyn, Doyle. Unused Sub: Kirkup.
Leeds United: Sprake;
Reaney, Bell;
Bremner, Madeley, Hunter;
Giles, Belfitt (Lorimer), Greenhoff, Gray, Cooper.
Referee: K.H.
Burns (Dudley).
Controversy raged for weeks
about Referee Ken Burns’ decision to disallow a last minute Peter Lorimer effort which would have put United
level in a tense, close fought FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park. The game became infamous,
particularly in the eyes of the Leeds fans, for the Lorimer
‘goal that never was’. United were twice denied an equalizer in the final seven
minutes by referee Ken Burns, but it was the second from substitute Peter Lorimer that was too much for the Leeds fans.
United, a goal down thought
that they had squared the tie seven minutes from time when Terry Cooper raced
on to Billy Bremner’s flick and his shot flew past
Peter Bonetti, only to have a marginal offside
decision go against him. The winger maintained that he was in an on-side
position when the ball was played through to him.
It was a bitter pill to
swallow but worse medicine was to follow. Only seconds remained when United won
a free-kick on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area and Johnny Giles
rolled the ball to substitute Peter Lorimer, whose
fierce shot zipped past the defensive wall, beyond Bonetti’s
reach and into the net for what appeared to be a breathtaking goal. As the
young Scot turned to celebrate, referee Burns order the free-kick to be retaken
because the Chelsea wall had not been ten yards from the ball when
the kick was taken and he had not been ready for the kick to be taken. Despite
protests from the United players the referee stood
firm, the kick was retaken and Chelsea cleared the ball to find themselves
through to the Final against London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur. Chelsea Manager Tommy Docherty admitted it was a cruel technicality
and commented, “It was a great shot and I thought it was a good goal. I would
have had no complaints if it had counted.” When the kick was retaken, Lorimer’s effort cannoned off the wall to safety and just
about summed up a frustrating day for United’s off
form attack.
Jimmy Greenhoff,
without a goal since January, failed to ruffle Marvin Hinton and United were
lucky no to concede a penalty when Gary Sprake caught
Tommy Baldwin in the face with his boot when collecting a centre. Chelsea, who
had also eliminated Leeds
from the fourth round the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge the previous season, won the game
with a fine goal about which there could be no argument. Tricky winger Charlie
Cooke skipped past Billy Bremner and Rod Belfitt on the left before whipping over a cross for Tony Hateley to head powerfully past the diving Sprake with only a minute of the first half remaining. It
was no more than Chelsea deserved as they had the edge in the first
half. Hateley, a big money signing from Aston Villa,
was a constant aerial threat to a United defence lacking the dominance of centre-half Jack Charlton,
while the Leeds attack collectively had made little
impression until Peter Lorimer had replaced Rod Belfitt. He almost scored with his first shot after he came
on in the seventieth minute.
Match Action:
Tony Hateley and
Peter Bonetti combined to keep Paul Madeley out
Jimmy Greenhoff tussles with Bell,
Greenhoff, Giles, Bremner
and Madeley protest the Cooper,
Greenhoff and Giles protest the
Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti disallowed
Lorimer goal
disallowed Lorimer
goal
Teams:
