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Who has had the easiest route to the FA Cup final since the competition returned to Wembley?

Chelsea clebrate FA Cup 2007 Rooney disconsolate May07

Manchester United fans believe they have been hard done by when it comes to FA Cup draws - they may just have a point.

After being drawn against Aston Villa in the third round for the fifth time in 20 years, Manchester United fans took to Twitter in December to bemoan their bad luck in the competition.
Last season United played Watford, who were on the way to promotion from the Championship, and were then drawn against Liverpool and West Ham United, before losing in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Leicester City.
Prior to that, they faced another Premier League side in Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round proper.
The run of top-flight sides ended when they were paired with Middlesbrough for the fourth round but it did get us wondering; who has had the hardest route to the FA Cup final and, conversely, who has had the easiest?
So we've gone back through the record books to find out, starting with the first FA Cup final to be played at the new Wembley in 2007.

Hard routes to the FA Cup final

Chelsea beat United 1-0 after extra time in the first game to be played at a revamped Wembley Stadium but it was the Red Devils who had the hardest route to the final and indeed, the hardest route to the final in the intervening years.

Manchester United beat Aston Villa in the third round who went on to finish 11th in the Premier League. They were then forced to see off Portsmouth, who finished ninth in the top flight, Reading (8th) and Middlesbrough (12th), both after replays.

Admittedly, semi-final opponents Watford finished rock-bottom in the Premier League and all but the semi-final and Boro clash took place at Old Trafford. Nevertheless, since 2007, United are the only finalists who have had to play top-flight teams in every round of the competition.
Premier League winners that year, it is no wonder they ran out of steam in the final.
Crystal Palace, runners up to United in the 2015/16 final, push them close, however.
The Eagles had to overcome top-flight sides Southampton, Tottenham (both away), Stoke and and Watford to reach the showpiece, with a trip to Championship side Reading their only non-Premier League tie.

An extra-time goal from Jesse Lingard broke their hearts in the final. Another case of doing the hard work, only to fall at the last hurdle.

Everton, too, deserve a mention for their run to the 2009 final.
After an easy start against League Two minnows Macclesfield, the Toffees were paired with Premier League sides Liverpool, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Manchester United before eventually coming unstuck against Chelsea 2-1 in the final.
And spare a thought for Bideford, then of the Southern League South, who played 13 games in the competition in the 1973/74 season but still only reached the first round.

Easy routes to the FA Cup final

When it comes to easy routes to the final, however, the 2007/08 edition stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu scored the only goal of a highly forgettable final as Premier League side Portsmouth edged out second-tier Cardiff to win the cup for the first time since 1939.

Pompey progressed to the final having played four sides from the Championship, with Manchester United their only top-flight opposition.

Cardiff's route to their final was even more blessed. They pulled off a 2-0 win at Premier League side Middlesbrough in the sixth round. However, fellow Championship side Barnsley were their opponents in the semi-final, while fellow second-tier side Wolves, League Two Hereford and Chasetown, who were playing in the eighth tier Southern League Midland Division provided their other opponents.

Steve Bruce's Hull City only played one top-flight side on their way to a 2014 semi-final against Sheffield United, beating the League One outfit 5-3 before losing in the final.

And Arsenal, the team that beat them after extra time that day, went on to win the 2017 final having twice been paired with non-league sides - Lincoln City and Sutton United - in the early rounds.

However, while home draws are often seen as the key to cup success, only once since Wembley reopened has a team been drawn at home all the way to the semi-final and gone on to win it - Chelsea in the very first final back in 2007.

READ MORE: Liverpool and Brighton lead the way when it comes to the FA Cup shootout records of the last 32

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