2005 FA Cup Final

2005 FA Cup Final

The match programme cover
Event 2004–05 FA Cup
Arsenal won 5–4 on penalties
Date 21 May 2005
Venue Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Man of the Match Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)[1]
Referee Rob Styles (Hampshire)
Attendance 71,876
Weather Mostly cloudly, rain showers
10 °C (50 °F)[2]

The 2005 FA Cup Final was held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on 21 May 2005 between Arsenal and Manchester United. In a tense but surprisingly one-sided encounter, Arsenal ran out winners after 120 goalless minutes, despite being outplayed throughout the game, becoming the first club to win the Cup on penalties. It was the first goalless draw in an FA Cup final since 1912.

The match took place at the Millennium Stadium for the fifth consecutive year, due to the ongoing reconstruction of Wembley Stadium, the final's usual venue. The match was refereed by Rob Styles, who was aided by assistant referees Jim Devine, Paul Canadine and fourth official Neale Barry.

The game was the 17th FA Cup final appearance for both teams; both teams have appeared once since. It was Arsenal's 10th FA Cup win.

Route to the final

Arsenal

Round Opposition Score
3rd Stoke City (h) 2–1
4th Wolves (h) 2–0
5th Sheffield United (h) 1–1
Sheffield United (a) 0–0 (4–2 pen)
6th Bolton Wanderers (a) 0–1
Semi-final Blackburn Rovers (n) 3–0
Key: (h) = Home venue; (a) = Away venue; (n) = Neutral venue.

As both Arsenal and Manchester United were Premier League clubs, they entered the competition in the third round. Arsenal's cup run started with a home tie against Stoke City. The visitors took the lead just before the break, but goals from José Antonio Reyes and Robin van Persie in the second half meant Arsenal won 2–1.[3] They then faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in the next round; a goal apiece from Patrick Vieira and Fredrik Ljungberg secured a comfortable 2–0 victory.[4]

Arsenal's opponent in the fifth round was Sheffield United. After 35 minutes Dennis Bergkamp was sent off for his apparent push on Danny Cullip. With eleven minutes of normal time remaining, Robert Pirès scored for Arsenal, but the team conceded a late penalty which Andy Gray converted.[5] The equaliser for Sheffield United meant the match was replayed at Bramall Lane on 1 March 2005. Both teams played out a goalless draw afer full-time and throughout extra-time, so the tie was decided by a penalty shootout. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia saved two penalties, which ensured progress into the quarter-finals.[6]

Bolton Wanderers hosted Arsenal at the Reebok Stadium in the sixth round of the competition. Ljungberg scored the only goal of the tie after just three minutes; he had an opportunity to extend Arsenal's lead in stoppage time, but hit the ball over from six yards. It was described by BBC Sport as the "most glaring miss of the match, if not the entire season."[7]

Arsenal faced Blackburn Rovers in the semi-final which was played at the Millennium Stadium. Two goals from Van Persie and one from Pirès gave Arsenal a 3–0 win, in a match marred by Blackburn's aggressive tactics.[8]

Manchester United

Round Opposition Score
3rd Exeter City (h) 0–0
Exeter City (a) 0–2
4th Middlesbrough (h) 3–0
5th Everton (a) 0–2
6th Southampton (a) 0–4
Semi-final Newcastle United (n) 1–4
Key: (h) = Home venue; (a) = Away venue; (n) = Neutral venue.

The holders of the FA Cup, Manchester United began their defence of the trophy with a home tie against non-league Exeter City.[9] United had made several first team changes and struggled to find a breakthrough in the tie. Even with the second half introductions of Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo, the visitors held on for a goalless draw.[10] The match was replayed at Exeter's home ground, St James Park on 19 January 2005. Ronaldo scored the opening goal of the match in the ninth minute and Wayne Rooney added a second, three minutes from normal time.[11]

Manchester United's opponents in the fourth round was Middlesbrough. Rooney scored twice in the team's 3–0 victory – he lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for his first goal and volleyed it for his second. Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren credited Rooney's performance afterwards and said he made the difference in the tie. Everton hosted Manchester United in the next round at Goodison Park. A goal apiece from Quinton Fortune and Ronaldo in either half ensured a 2–0 win.[12]

Southampton was Manchester United's opponent in the sixth round. After two minutes at St Mary's United took the lead; a shot by Roy Keane near the penalty area hit Southampton's Peter Crouch and deflected into the goal. Ronaldo scored United's second and additional goals from Scholes meant they progressed into the last four of the competition; the final score was 4–0.[13]

In the semi-final Manchester United faced Newcastle United at the Millennium Stadium. Manchester United took the lead in the 19th minute when Ruud van Nistelrooy scored. Scholes extended the team's advantage just before half time and Van Nistelrooy scored his second goal of the match in the 58th minute. Shola Ameobi scored what proved a mere consolation a minute later, as Ronaldo scored United's fourth goal of the match late on.[14]

Build-up

The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the fifth year in a row.

The match was the fifth meeting between the two clubs in the 2004–05 season. Despite finishing six points ahead of Manchester United in the league, Arsenal had lost both league fixtures between the clubs, as well as a League Cup fifth-round tie, which was played out by the clubs' fringe and reserve team players. Arsenal had won the season's first encounter in the FA Community Shield, also at the Millennium Stadium, by a 3–1 scoreline.

The clubs had met in an FA Cup final before – in 1979, when Arsenal won 3–2. Manchester United were appearing in their 17th FA Cup Final, their second in as many years, and had won the FA Cup on 11 of their previous 16 appearances (including beating Milwall in the 2004 final). Two of these victories had yielded a League/FA Cup "double" (in 1994 and 1996) and in 1999 they had won the 1998–99 FA Cup as part of a unique Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. Arsenal were also appearing in their 17th Cup final, winning nine of the previous 16.

Planned protests

The build-up to the final had focused upon many Manchester United fans' discontent at their takeover by American businessman and sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer, and large demonstrations were planned inside and outside the Millennium Stadium. Despite this, the final was played in the rain and only a small group of around 100 supporters held protests and sang anti-Glazer songs. The police were out in force but did not have any trouble to deal with.[15]

Match

Team selection

Arsenal's Thierry Henry was injured for the match, so manager Arsène Wenger opted for a 4–5–1 formation, with Dennis Bergkamp playing as a lone striker. Henry's absence also opened a place in midfield for Gilberto Silva, while José Antonio Reyes and Robert Pirès were selected on the wings ahead of Fredrik Ljungberg and Robin van Persie, who were both named as substitutes. In defence, Philippe Senderos's form saw him selected at centre-back ahead of Sol Campbell, despite the England international's return from injury.[16]

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson had a defensive selection dilemma ahead of the final, with both of his starting full-backs, Gabriel Heinze (ankle) and Gary Neville (groin), having suffered injuries.[17] Neville eventually recovered enough to make the substitutes' bench, despite only playing in one of the team's last five games, but Heinze missed the game entirely, Mikael Silvestre taking his place at left-back. Neville's absence meant that John O'Shea started at right-back. Neville was joined on the bench by winger Ryan Giggs and goalkeeper Tim Howard; Giggs' omission was a surprise, and it meant that Darren Fletcher started on the right wing, while Cristiano Ronaldo played on the left. Howard, on the other hand, had been competing for the number 1 jersey with Roy Carroll all season, and it was ultimately the Northern Irishman who was picked.[16]

Roy Keane was appearing in his seventh FA Cup Final having previously played in the 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2004 finals. This is the most number of finals for a player since Lord Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird played in nine finals in the early years of the competition. Ryan Giggs was playing in his sixth FA Cup Final. Arsenal's Ashley Cole was playing in his fourth FA Cup Final, having appeared in the 2001, 2002 and 2003 games.

Summary

First half

Manchester United kicked the game off, and also fashioned the first chance of the game; Cristiano Ronaldo beat Lauren on the left wing to put over a cross, only for Paul Scholes to head the ball over the crossbar after losing his marker. Two minutes later, a break from José Antonio Reyes had Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll scampering across from his goal to meet the Spaniard, forcing Reyes wide enough to allow the United defence time to get back.

Manchester United had the ball in the back of the net on 27 minutes, when Rio Ferdinand turned in the rebound after Jens Lehmann saved from Wayne Rooney, but the assistant referee correctly ruled that Ferdinand was offside. After a brief Arsenal attack, Mikaël Silvestre played a long, diagonal ball to Ruud van Nistelrooy on the right wing. The Dutch forward controlled the ball and then outpaced Ashley Cole to the goal line; he then cut the ball back to Rooney, whose first-time shot was turned over the bar by Lehmann. The consequent corner broke to Rooney on the edge of the penalty area, but his shot was deflected behind for another corner, which Scholes took. The England midfielder floated the ball over to the edge of the penalty area, where Rooney was waiting, only to volley it just over the bar.

In the closing stages of the first half, Van Nistelrooy got his first shot on goal, turning Philippe Senderos only to send the ball trickling along the floor for Lehmann to save comfortably. The first half finished with a foul on Rooney, who had done well to break free of challenges from Cole, Patrick Vieira and Senderos, who eventually brought Rooney down. The English forward took the free kick himself, but it went over the bar to cheers from the Arsenal fans and the sound of the referee's half-time whistle.

Second half

Manchester United fashioned the first chance of the second half after just three minutes, when Rooney cut inside from the right along the face of the penalty area, but his left-footed shot was blocked away for a corner kick. Soon after, Van Nistelrooy received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and held it up before playing a through-ball to his captain, Roy Keane, but Keane's low cross was diverted behind by Kolo Touré before it reached Wayne Rooney. United then had their third chance in the space of five minutes when Ronaldo shot just wide from 25 yards, from the left corner of the penalty area.

Throughout the match, Lauren committed several fouls on Cristiano Ronaldo, and confronted the Portuguese winger early in the second half, before finally being booked for persistent fouling in the 62nd minute. Ronaldo took the free kick himself but put it just over the bar from 30 yards. In the 64th minute, Arsenal were awarded a free kick for a John O'Shea foul on Reyes; Dennis Bergkamp took the kick, which was headed away by Ferdinand, but only as far as Robert Pirès, whose side-footed volley went over the bar. The free kick was to be Bergkamp's last contribution to the final, as he was then substituted by Fredrik Ljungberg in the 65th minute.

United then went back downfield and Cristiano Ronaldo took on Lauren, who dared not dive in for a tackle and risk a second yellow card. Ronaldo got past the Cameroonian full-back and then chipped a cross into the penalty area, but Van Nistelrooy was unable to make enough contact with the ball to force his header on target. A minute later, Silvestre found Rooney with another diagonal pass; Rooney attempted to drive in a low cross, but it ended up heading towards goal and came back off the foot of the post. Darren Fletcher was first to the ball but he fired a shot across the face of the goal and out for a goal kick. With their very next attack, United sent Ronaldo away down the left wing again; he sent over another cross, but it was again too far in front of Van Nistelrooy.

Reyes received his first yellow card in the 76th minute, when he was late in tackling Silvestre after the French defender had played a backpass to Carroll. The break in play allowed Manchester United to make their first substitution, bringing on Quinton Fortune for O'Shea, who appeared to be struggling with a calf injury. With six minutes left in normal time, United won a corner on the left hand side, which Ronaldo played short to Scholes. Scholes returned the ball to Ronaldo, who crossed it into the penalty area, where Keane was unmarked at the back post. The ball eventually broke to the United captain, who shot, only to see four Arsenal players between him and the goal, ready to block his effort behind for another corner. Lehmann came to meet the second corner kick, but missed the ball, allowing it to go all the way through to Van Nistelrooy; the Dutchman headed the ball goalwards, but Ljungberg was on the line and headed it up onto the crossbar and away.

Arsenal then made their second substitution, bringing on Robin van Persie in place of Cesc Fàbregas. As the match entered injury time at the end of the second half, Ronaldo made yet another run down the left wing, outpacing Lauren to Wayne Rooney's through-ball. The ball broke back to Rooney 30 yards from goal, but his shot went over the bar. The second half finished with a Wes Brown cross from the right wing that made its way across the penalty area to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese could only head the ball straight at Lehmann.

Extra time

Manchester United brought Ryan Giggs on at the start of extra time, the Welshman taking Fletcher's place in the midfield. They immediately tried to play him in down the left wing, but the pass was over-hit and went beyond Giggs. Arsenal finally got their first shot on target in the seventh minute of extra time, when a Van Persie free kick – awarded for a soft foul by Silvestre – forced a diving save from Carroll. Four minutes later, Manchester United appealed for a penalty kick when a cross from Giggs struck Cole, but replays showed that the ball hit the Arsenal full-back in the midriff. United sustained their attack, and the ball came to Scholes in the penalty area, but his shot on the turn was well saved by Lehmann. The resultant corner was taken short by Scholes, before it was played back to him; his cross found Van Nistelrooy unmarked in the area, but the Dutchman headed over the bar from six yards out. United then had another penalty shout when Giggs volleyed a long ball from Scholes into Touré's body and up onto the Ivorian's hand, but referee Rob Styles turned their claims down. Arsenal then brought on Edu to replace Pirès for the remaining 15 minutes.

The second half of extra time began with yet another chance for Manchester United, this time constructed from a Giggs break down the left wing, but Van Nistelrooy failed in his attempt to back-heel Giggs' cross into the goal and the opportunity was wasted. Five minutes into the second half, Reyes committed another late tackle on Silvestre, for which he received a final warning from referee Styles. Reyes himself was then the victim of a late tackle by Scholes, who was shown a yellow card. The match threatened to descend into a mass brawl soon after, when Quinton Fortune caught Ljungberg in the face with a flailing arm and then committed a high tackle on Edu, provoking a reaction from the Arsenal players. A shoulder-charge by Rooney on Cole resulted in an Arsenal free kick on the left wing; Van Persie swung the ball over and it was only cleared as far as Ljungberg, but the Swede struck a shot with his shin and the ball spun wide. With a couple of minutes left in the extra period, Manchester United won a free kick on the left corner of the Arsenal penalty area when Vieira lazily tripped Ronaldo and received a booking, but Giggs' cross from the free kick was headed away. Meanwhile, Manchester United's substitute goalkeeper, Tim Howard, was seen warming up behind the goal, suggesting that he was preparing to come on for Carroll in the event of a penalty shootout; however, no substitution was made.

The referee added two minutes of injury time at the end of extra time, during which time Manchester United won another free kick, but Scholes' shot was straight at the Arsenal defensive wall. Then, with just seconds left in regulation time, Ronaldo made a break towards the Arsenal half, only to be cynically body-checked by Reyes. Referee Styles made no hesitation and showed Reyes a second yellow card, making the Spaniard the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final, after Manchester United's Kevin Moran in 1985. The full-time whistle went immediately after Reyes' dismissal, and the match finished at 0–0, making it the first FA Cup Final to result in a penalty shootout.

Penalty shootout

Van Nistelrooy took the first penalty for Manchester United, in front of the United fans, and sent Lehmann the wrong way to give United the early advantage. Lauren then converted the next penalty for Arsenal, before Scholes stepped up to take United's second, only to see it saved by Lehmann, diving low to his right. The next six penalties were all scored – Ljungberg, Van Persie and Cole for Arsenal, Ronaldo, Rooney and Keane for Manchester United – leaving Vieira with the opportunity to win the FA Cup for Arsenal in his last match for the club before moving to Juventus. Although Carroll guessed the correct way to dive, Vieira's kick was just out of his reach, giving Arsenal their 10th FA Cup.

Match details

Arsenal
Manchester United
GK 1 Germany Jens Lehmann
RB 12Cameroon Lauren  59'
CB 28Ivory Coast Kolo Touré
CB 20Switzerland Philippe Senderos
LB 3 England Ashley Cole  16'
CM 15Spain Cesc Fàbregas  86'
CM 4 France Patrick Vieira (c)  118'
CM 19Brazil Gilberto Silva
RW 7 France Robert Pirès  105'
LW 9 Spain José Antonio Reyes Yellow cardYellow cardRed card 75', 120'
CF 10Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp  65'
Substitutes:
GK 24Spain Manuel Almunia
DF 23England Sol Campbell
MF 8 Sweden Fredrik Ljungberg  65'
MF 17Brazil Edu  105'
FW 11Netherlands Robin van Persie  86'
Manager:
France Arsène Wenger
GK 13Northern Ireland Roy Carroll
RB 22Republic of Ireland John O'Shea  77'
CB 5 England Rio Ferdinand
CB 6 England Wes Brown
LB 27France Mikaël Silvestre  21'
RM 24Scotland Darren Fletcher  91'
CM 16Republic of Ireland Roy Keane (c)
CM 18England Paul Scholes  112'
LM 7 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo
SS 8 England Wayne Rooney
CF 10Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy
Substitutes:
GK 1 United States Tim Howard
DF 2 England Gary Neville
DF 25South Africa Quinton Fortune  77'
MF 11Wales Ryan Giggs  91'
FW 14England Alan Smith
Manager:
Scotland Sir Alex Ferguson

Match officials

Man of the match

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shootout if scores still level.
  • Five substitutes named.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

Statistics

Statistic[18] Arsenal Manchester United
Goals scored 0 0
Possession 56% 44%
Shots on target 1 8
Shots off target 4 12
Corner kicks 1 12
Offsides 3 6
Fouls 30 23
Yellow cards 3 1
Red cards 1 0

References

  1. ↑ Lawrence, Amy (22 May 2005). "Vieira holds his nerve to claim historic penalty prize for Arsenal". The Observer (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  2. ↑ "History for Cardiff-Wales, United Kingdom". Weather Underground. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Arsenal 2–1 Stoke". BBC Sport (BBC). 9 January 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Arsenal 2–0 Wolves". BBC Sport (BBC). 29 January 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Paul (21 February 2005). "Arsenal struggle to draw breath". The Observer (London). Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sheff Utd 0-0 Arsenal (aet)". BBC Sport (BBC). 1 March 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bolton 0–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport (BBC). 12 March 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Paul (17 April 2005). "Van Persie doubles up to deliver knockout". The Observer (London). Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Yeading face Newcastle in FA Cup". BBC Sport (BBC). 16 December 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Allsop, Derick (10 January 2005). "Exeter leave United humbled hosts". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Exeter 0–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport (BBC). 19 January 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Everton 0–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport (BBC). 19 February 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  13. ↑ Lawrence, Amy (13 March 2005). "Coastal breeze for United as Keane blows away resistance". The Observer (London). Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  14. ↑ McCarra, Kevin (18 April 2005). "Ferguson's men triumph by a one-way street". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Rainy FA Cup final dampens demonstrations". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 May 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "FA Cup final 2005 build-up". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 21 May 2005. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  17. ↑ "Double injury blow for United". Mail Online (Associated Newspapers). 18 May 2005. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  18. ↑ Lipton, Martin (22 May 2005). "Football: Yes I know it was boring, but we won because we are united". Daily Mirror (London). Retrieved 14 July 2014.

External links