2005 FA Cup final

Association football championship match between Arsenal and Manchester United, held in 2005
the women's event

The 2005 FA Cup final was a football match played between Arsenal and Manchester United on 21 May 2005 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of the 2004–05 FA Cup, the 124th season of English football's primary cup competition, the FA Cup. Arsenal became the first team to win the FA Cup via a penalty shoot out, despite being outplayed throughout the game, after neither side managed to score in the initial 90 minutes or in 30 minutes of extra time. The shoot out finished 5–4 to Arsenal, with Patrick Vieira scoring the winning penalty after Paul Scholes' shot was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. As both teams were in the highest tier of English football, the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester United entered the competition in the third round. Matches up to the semi final were contested on a one off basis, with a replay taking place if the match ended in a draw. Both clubs only needed one replay along the way to the final; Arsenal's tie against Sheffield United in the fifth round was decided by a penalty shootout, whereas Manchester United overcame non league Exeter City in the third round, after the original tie ended goalless. Protests over the impending takeover of Manchester United by American businessman Malcolm Glazer had threatened to overshadow the final, though demonstrations in Cardiff required little intervention from the police. Both managers for the final made surprising changes to their team; Arsène Wenger unconventionally deployed a defensive formation, while Sir Alex Ferguson left midfielder Ryan Giggs on the bench. Manchester United dominated the match, creating four times as many shots as their opponents, but struggled to find the breakthrough. In extra time, Arsenal's José Antonio Reyes was sent off for a second bookable offence, becoming only the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup final. The British press unanimously agreed that Arsenal were fortunate to win; Wenger himself admitted so in his press conference afterwards. A television audience of over 480 million worldwide watched the final; in the United Kingdom, coverage of the match peaked at 12.8 million, making it the highest rated FA Cup match since the 1996 final.

The FA Cup is English football's primary cup competition. Clubs in the Premier League enter the FA Cup in the third round and are drawn randomly with the remaining clubs. If a match is drawn, the tie is replayed at the ground of the away team from the original match. As with league fixtures, FA Cup matches are subject to change in the event of games being selected for television coverage and this often can be influenced by clashes with other competitions. In September 2004, it was announced that the Millennium Stadium was chosen as the venue for the semi finals, in addition to the final.

Round Opposition Score 3rd Stoke City (H) 2–1 4th Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) 2–0 5th Sheffield United (H) 1–1 Sheffield United (A) 0–0(4–2 pen) 6th Bolton Wanderers (A) 1–0 SF Blackburn Rovers (N) 3–0 Key: (h) = Home venue; (a) = Away venue; (n) = Neutral venue. 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. They then faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in the next round; a goal apiece from Patrick Vieira and Freddie Ljungberg secured a comfortable 2–0 victory. 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 Pires scored for Arsenal, but the team conceded a late penalty which Andy Gray converted. The equaliser for Sheffield United meant the match was replayed at Bramall Lane on 1 March 2005. Both teams played out a goalless draw after 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. 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." Arsenal faced Blackburn Rovers in the semi final which was played on 16 April 2005. Two goals from Van Persie and one from Pires gave Arsenal a 3–0 win, in a match marred by Blackburn's aggressive tactics.

Round Opposition Score 3rd Exeter City (H) 0–0 Exeter City (A) 2–0 4th Middlesbrough (H) 3–0 5th Everton (A) 2–0 6th Southampton (A) 4–0 SF Newcastle United (N) 4–1 Key: (h) = Home venue; (a) = Away venue; (n) = Neutral venue. Manchester United, the holders of the FA Cup, began their defence of the trophy with a home tie against non league Exeter City. 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. 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. 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. 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. In the semi final Manchester United faced Newcastle United at the Millennium Stadium. They took the lead in the 19th minute when Ruud van Nistelrooy scored, and Scholes extended the team's advantage just before half time. Van Nistelrooy made it 3–0 in the 58th minute, before Shola Ameobi scored what proved a mere consolation a minute later, as Ronaldo added United's fourth late on.

The final marked 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 Millwall in the 2004 final). Two of these victories had yielded a domestic double (in 1994 and 1996) and in 1999 they had won the FA Cup as part of a unique Treble, consisting of the cup, the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal were also appearing in their 17th Cup final – their fourth in five years. They had won the cup nine times previously, most recently in 2003, when they beat Southampton in the final. Meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United were keenly contested during the 2000s and highly publicised by the media; the cup final this season had added significance as neither club won the league after a decade of dominance, and it was their only chance of silverware. The emergence of Chelsea, who were crowned league champions in April, had presented a long term threat to Arsenal and Manchester United's duopoly on English football, as they were financed by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. and were linked to Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand. Wenger welcomed Chelsea's emergence, describing them as the "third force" in English football, but he raised concerns over their conduct and what he perceived as artificial growth. It was reported on the eve of the final that Philippe Senderos would start ahead of first teamer Sol Campbell. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed suggestions that his team had been over physical in previous meetings against Arsenal. Referring back to the league fixture in October 2004, he told reporters: "We committed three fouls on Reyes, for instance, but that hardly constitutes The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, does it? There were six by them on Cristiano Ronaldo." He questioned the character of Arsenal's players after they lost their unbeaten record, and likened their protest to propaganda, as a way to disguise their crisis – " it was convenient for them to say they were kicked off the park."

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. Arsenal fans taunted Manchester United fans by waving American flags, sarcastically chanting "U S A", and singing "Manchester, Yank, Yank, Yank", in reference to a chant in which "Yank" is replaced with "wank".

Wenger opted for a 4–5–1 formation, with Bergkamp playing as a lone striker. The absence of Henry also opened a place in midfield for Gilberto Silva, while José Antonio Reyes and Pires were selected on the wings ahead of Ljungberg and Robin van Persie, who were both named as substitutes. 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, Mikaël 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 Ronaldo played on the left.

Manchester United kicked the game off, and also fashioned the first chance of the game; Ronaldo beat Lauren on the left wing to put over a cross, only for Scholes to head the ball over the crossbar after losing his marker. Two minutes later, a break from José Antonio Reyes had 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 Ferdinand turned in the rebound after Jens Lehmann saved from Rooney, but the assistant referee ruled that Ferdinand was offside. 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.

As the Arsenal players ran towards Vieira and Lehmann to celebrate, Ferguson and Keane were seen consoling various players and staff members. Mark Lawrenson, the BBC's co commentator for the final, summarised to his counterpart John Motson: "Well, we must congratulate Arsenal on the way they took the penalties – they were excellent [ ] But I have to say over the course of the 120 minutes, Manchester United have been mugged." He admitted his players had practised taking penalties, but was quick to point out "you don't score because of the practising – keeping your nerve is more important." Ferguson was proud of his team's performance, but admitted their failure throughout the season to convert chances into goals, had cost them once more. Keane, like his manager, rued the missed opportunities and said it was a small consolation: "We dominated but I'm sure the Arsenal players won't be too bothered about that – they've got the winners' medals and the cup and we haven't." Hansen agreed with Ferguson that United's lack of goal threat cost them on the day, but felt their future was rosier than Arsenal's. while ex Arsenal player Alan Smith noted his former club's win demonstrated how Wenger "for the first time, practically, in his nine year Highbury tenure, had set up his side with the opposition in mind." Capturing United's sombre mood, The Times football correspondent Matt Dickinson wrote: "The black shirts turned out not to be in protest at Glazer but a reflection of their mood after the first FA Cup Final to be decided by a penalty shoot out." The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both the BBC and Sky Sports, with BBC One providing the free to air coverage and Sky Sports 1 being the pay TV alternative. BBC One held the majority of the viewership, with a peak audience of 12.8 million (67.1% viewing share), which made it the most watched final in nine years. The match itself was watched by 10 million viewers (61%), and coverage of the final averaged at 7.3 million (50.5%). Global audience figures for the 2005 FA Cup Final totalled 484 million.

The 2005 final was Vieira's last match as an Arsenal player; he joined Juventus in the close season for a combined total fee of €20 million. Wenger's decision to sell his captain was made so the team could benefit from Fàbregas, who broke into the first eleven during the season. In later years, Wenger deviated from his usual counter attacking style, and imposed a fluent system, with less emphasis on physicality. The immediate seasons after Arsenal relocated to the Emirates Stadium in 2006 saw Wenger sell several experienced players, and integrate more young talent, as a means of fostering an identity with the club. Financing for the stadium however meant Arsenal prioritised its expenditure instead of the squad and trophies. Though Wenger managed to solidify the club's position in the Premier League's top four and secure the necessary funds to pay back its debtors, the 2005 Cup win represented Arsenal's last silverware for nine years. In 2014, he led Arsenal to a record equalling 11th FA Cup, and became the record equalling most successful manager in the competition's history a year later, as his side beat Aston Villa. Like Arsenal, Manchester United endured a period of transition after the final. The Glazer's takeover of the club resulted in disaffected fans setting up F. C. United of Manchester, which, as of 2016, has become the largest supporter owned football club in the United Kingdom. The 2005–06 season began poorly for Manchester United, as they were eliminated in the group stages of the Champions League and Ferguson was booed at after United's home loss to Blackburn Rovers. Journalist Henry Winter in December 2005 opined that Ferguson needed to resign, writing in his column: "Under Ferguson, United became football's answer to the Magic Circle. But the magic now drains away and so, next summer, must Ferguson." He stayed, however, and having already called time on Keane's career at United, he began reinvigorating his squad, by signing defenders Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra. United returned to the Millennium Stadium eight months after the FA Cup loss, and beat Wigan Athletic to win the 2006 Football League Cup Final. Ferguson guided his team to their first League title in four years the following season, after stern competition from Chelsea, and won a further 13 competitive honours until his retirement in 2013. Kevin McCarra regards the final as a turning point in the rivalry between the two clubs: " Arsenal and United, who could barely be prised apart in 2005, have since gone their separate ways. The signs of divergence were already apparent that afternoon." The match is considered an example of Wenger setting his team up pragmatically and going against his ideals. Having later asserted he would never use the 4–5–1 system again, Wenger adopted the formation for Champions League matches and his approach resulted in Arsenal reaching the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.