Reds prepare for 13th Final

Superstitious Liverpool supporters will be hoping 13 is not an unlucky number for them in this year's FA Cup Final.

The match against West Ham takes place at the Millennium Stadium on May 13 and also marks Liverpool's 13th appearance in the Final.

They have won the trophy six times so far and here the theFA.com looks back at Liverpool's previous 12 visits to The Final of the 125-year-old competition.

Early history

Liverpool’s first appearance in an FA Cup Final came 92 years ago when, in 1914, they lost to Burnley 1-0.

Liverpool lost again in their next Final, 46 years later, when they were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal.

It was third time lucky for manager Bill Shankly's side, in 1965, when they overcame Leeds 2-1 after extra-time.

Shankly got Liverpool back to Wembley just six years later and another Final that went to extra-time, but this time Arsenal were the 2-1 winners as they clinched the League and FA Cup Double.

Shankly and Liverpool won the Cup for the second time in 1974 with a 3-0 win over Newcastle United.

Liverpool supporters again had to wait only three years for their next Final appearance, but this time they lost 2-1 to Manchester United, in 1977.

Classic Finals

Possibly the highlight of Liverpool’s FA Cup history came in 1986 when the club secured their first League and Cup double by overcoming local rivals Everton. The Reds came back from a goal down at half-time as Ian Rush scored twice after the break.

That high was followed by a massive low, two seasons later, when they missed out on another Double following a shock defeat by underdogs Wimbledon, who had been a non-League side just 11 years earlier. Lawrie Sanchez headed the only goal of a game that also featured the first penalty miss in The Final when John Aldridge's shot was saved by Dave Beasant.

Liverpool contested their second all-Merseyside Final in 1989 and won again. Rush also scored twice, but this time the match went to extra-time before Liverpool won 3-2.

Modern history

Rush scored his fifth and last FA Cup Final goal in 1992 to help Liverpool beat Sunderland 2-0 and take the trophy back to Anfield for the fifth time. Rush's five goals make him the leading scorer in FA Cup Final history.

Just four years later Eric Cantona's only goal was the difference between Manchester United and Liverpool in the White Suit Final of 1996.

Liverpool's sixth and last Final win was largely thanks to England striker Michael Owen. He scored two late goals as Liverpool came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 in the first Final to be played at the Millennium Stadium, in May 2001.