|
|
|
| May 18, 2003 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1424 |
Gunners salvage pride with 1-0 win over Saints
CARDIFF, May 17: Arsenal won a tense battle with Southampton at the Millenniun Stadium on Saturay to claim the FA Cup and salvage a season of heartache after seeing the Premiership slip away.
A first half goal by Robert Pires was enough to seal a 1-0 victory and saw Arsenal win the FA Cup for the ninth time and go just one behind Manchester United in the all-time records and become the first side since north London rivals Spurs (1980/81) to retain the Cup.
The cup final was played inside for the first time in its 133 year history when the FA decided to have the roof pulled across at the stadium to keep out rainstorms.
And it turned the Millennium Stadium into a theatre of drama with the Saints seeing goalkeeper Antti Niemi stretchered off, Arsenal counterpart David Seaman - in possibly his last game - pull off a brilliant save to prevent one last gasp equaliser and the Gunners forced to desperately defend their lead until the final whistle.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had insisted that winning the FA Cup would be no consolation for losing the Premiership title to eternal rivals United. But he was the first out of the bench with his arms aloft when referee Graham Barber blew the final whistle.
Saints manager Gordon Strachan sent his players into the game with an order to block out the Gunners and the tactic worked for most of the first half.
And Arsenal star Thierry Henry soon had Baird and the other Saints defenders under pressure.
Within 20 seconds of referee Graham Barber starting the game Henry had burst through with Claus Lundekvam tugging at his shirt and Southampton goalkeeper Antti Niemi made a nervous first save.
After seven minutes Niemi could not hold another Henry effort and Baird made his mark by clearing Dennis Bergkamp’s follow up effort off the goal line.
Southampton only eased the pressure in the ninth when Michael Svensson forced David Seaman into his first save. That allowed Saints to get into the game.
The Swedish international had Arsenal in trouble again five minutes later with a volley that went narrowly wide. Shortly after Saints player of the season, striker James Beattie, produced a curling shot that troubled Seaman.
Referee Barber saw his first trouble when veteran Gunners defender Martin Keown staged a clumsy challenge on Brett Ormerod and had to be booked.
Beattie had his own yellow card for his snipe at the ankles of his Arsenal marker Oleg Luzhny.
Arsenal broke the deadlock with 37 minutes gone with classic pressure on the Southampton goal.
Henry and Bergkamp had efforts blocked, Freddie Ljungberg’s shot was poorly cleared and Pires came in from the left to shoot the ball into the net. With Saints stunned, a few seconds later Pires was clear again but tripped as he was shooting and the ball span wide.
Saints did not give up and took the game to Arsenal in the second half in the hunt for an equaliser.
But their next stroke of bad luck came when Finnish international Niemi collapsed to the ground after taking an offside free kick and had to be stretchered off.
Welsh international Paul Jones came on in his place and was soon plunged into the heart of the action when Henry came clattering toward him with Michael Svensson at his side.
Henry plunged to the ground from Svensson’s challenge and with a choice between welcoming Jones to the game with a penalty kick or punishing Henry - referee Barber booked the Arsenal striker for diving.
Saints brought on Jo Tessem and the Arsenal manager replaced Bergkamp with Sylvain Wiltord for the finale.
Brett Ormerod’s left foot shot seem to be goalbound but Seaman on the goalline pulled off a brilliant reflex save.
In the final seconds of injury time Beattie produced a header that also seemed destined for the goal. But Ashley Cole blocked the ball with his left knee and Arsenal hung on for a desperately wanted victory.
GERMAN FIRST DIVISION RESULTS
VfL Wolfsburg 2 Hertha Berlin 0
Energie Cottbus 2 Nuremberg 1
Bayer Leverkusen 3 TSV 1860 Munich 0
VfL Bochum 1 Hamburg SV 1
Hansa Rostock 3 Arminia Bielefeld 0
Hanover 96 2 B’ Moenchengladbach 2
Werder Bremen 2 Schalke 04 1
Bayern Munich 2 VfB Stuttgart 1
Kaiserslautern 0 Borussia Dortmund 0
ITALIAN FIRST DIVISION RESULTS
Atalanta 2 Como 1
Chievo Verona 0 AS Roma 0
Lazio 3 Brescia 1
AC Milan 3 Bologna 1
Modena 0 Inter Milan 2
Parma 3 Piacenza 2
Perugia 0 Udinese 2
Reggina 2 Juventus 1
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Dunfermline Athletic 2 Kilmarnock 2
Livingston 1 Hibernian 2
Motherwell 2 Aberdeen 3
Partick Thistle 0 Dundee United 1
Celtic 6 Dundee 2
—AFP/Reuters
|
|
|
|
