14 May 1981 - He Was A Pre-Maradona

On 14 May 1981, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester City 3-2 in the 1981 FA Cup Final before a crowd of 92,000 at London's Wembley Stadium. The match on 14 May was a replay, since the originally-scheduled Final on 9 May ended in a 1-1 draw.

Spurs opened the scoring with a goal from their Argentinian midfielder Ricardo Villa in the 8th minute. The lead was short-lived, however, as forward Steve McKenzie equalized for City four minutes later. In the 50th minute, City midfielder Dave Bennett drew a penalty, which forward Kevin Reeves converted, giving City a 2-1 advantage. Spurs then drew level in the 70th minute with a goal from forward Garth Crooks.

With the match tied at 2-2 in the 76th minute, Spurs' Irish midfielder Tony Galvin played a pass to Villa on the edge of the box. Villa then weaved a path through the City defense in front of the goal and deftly slipped the ball past keeper Joe Corrigan. English press after the match called Villa's game-winner "The Goal of the Century."