2014–15 FA Cup

Common card · No. 330815

The 2014–15 FA Cup, also called the 2014–15 FA Challenge Cup, was the 134th occurrence of the FA Cup, the main domestic cup in English football and the oldest knockout competition in the world. It was the first season when the BBC and BT Sport hosted televised matches, seven years after the BBC lost the rights to ITV. The 2014–15 season's Cup also marked the first time that 3G (third generation) artificial pitches were allowed in all rounds of the competition, designed to lower costs for maintenance. After Queens Park Rangers (the first English artificial pitch, from 1981 to 1988), Luton Town, Oldham Athletic and Preston North End trialled artificial pitches in the 1980s, they were made illegal in 1995. The defending champions were Premier League side Arsenal, who beat Hull City 3–2 in the previous final. They retained the trophy after beating Aston Villa 4–0 in the final. The semi-finals took place at Wembley Stadium, as they have since 2008, to offset the cost of the new stadium, despite...

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