| Event | FA Cup 1997–98 | ||||||
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| Date | 16 May 1998 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Ray Parlour | ||||||
| Referee | Paul Durkin (Dorset) | ||||||
| Attendance | 79,183 | ||||||
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The 1998 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Newcastle United at Wembley. Arsenal won 2–0, with goals by Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka to complete their second league and cup double.
It was Arsenal's seventh success in the competition - placing them third on the list of clubs with the most FA Cup triumphs, equal with Aston Villa but behind Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
It was Newcastle United's first domestic cup final since the 1976 Football League Cup Final and first FA Cup Final since 1974.
Arsenal's success made them only the second English club to win the league championship and FA Cup double twice. Manchester United were the other club to achieve this, having won the double in 1994 and again in 1996. Unlike United, however, Arsenal had achieved this feat with an entirely different set of players.
It was Arsenal's first FA Cup triumph in five years, but six players from the 1993 team featured in this triumph - David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Tony Adams, non-playing substitute Ian Wright, and Ray Parlour (who had started the original final in 1993, but missed the replay).
It was also the third time Newcastle had faced Arsenal in an FA Cup final, Newcastle winning the previous two in 1932 and 1952.
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The 1998 FA Cup Final was Arsenal's chance to win the League and FA Cup double for the second time in their history, since their first such achievement in 1971. It was manager, Arsène Wenger's first Cup Final at Arsenal. It was a hot sunny day at Wembley and their opponents Newcastle United, were underdogs, having finished in 13th place that season under Kenny Dalglish. It was the club's first FA Cup Final since 1974.
The game came to life in the 23rd minute, when a perfect through-ball by Ray Parlour found Marc Overmars, who resisted the challenge of defender Alessandro Pistone to prod the ball through the legs of the onrushing goalkeeper Shay Given and give Arsenal a 1-0 lead.
Early in the second half, Newcastle were given a great chance to equalise when Martin Keown slipped on the ball. Alan Shearer pounced on the opportunity but his left-foot shot hit the foot of the post, and rebounded back out. The contest was all over in the 69th minute when another great pass by man of the match Parlour found the teenage striker Nicolas Anelka.[1] Anelka raced through and slid the ball past Given to give the Gunners a 2-0 lead. Newcastle were left to rue another missed chance when Nikos Dabizas hit the bar with a header, but it was to be Arsenal's day. Sportingly, the Newcastle fans applauded the Arsenal team as they made their way up the Wembley steps to collect the trophy.
| 16 May 1998 15:00 BST |
Arsenal | 2 – 0 | Newcastle United | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 79,183 Referee: Paul Durkin (Dorset) |
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| Overmars 23' Anelka 69' |
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Arsenal
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Newcastle United
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MATCH RULES
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