OWEN AT DOUBLE WINS CUP
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Liverpool 2 Arsenal Owen 83, 88 Ljungberg 72 FA Cup Final, May 12, 2001 Att: 72,500 at the Millenium Stadium
FOR 82 minutes, Arsenal outplayed Liverpool in the first FA Cup Final played outside England.
Freddie Ljungberg put Arsenal ahead at the Millennium Stadium in the 72nd minute and that looked like being enough for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners to lift the trophy.
But, in Michael Owen, Liverpool had one of the country’s top strikers – and he was on form.
Owen had scored six times in his previous three matches and, when recalling the 2001 FA Cup Final, he said he was confident he would get a half chance at some point – and that he was playing well enough to take it.
Liverpool had won the League Cup earlier in the season – ending a six-year wait for a trophy – and with the UEFA Cup Final to come, Gerard Houllier was bringing the good times back to the red half of Merseyside.
They had a lucky escape in the first half when the officials didn’t notice defender Stephane Henchoz using his hand to divert Thierry Henry’s shot wide of the post.
And it took two more goal-line clearances to keep out Arsenal before Robert Pires’ pass picked out Ljungberg’s run and he went round keeper Sander Westerveld to net.
That left Liverpool only 18 minutes to find an equaliser and, after Martin Keown denied Owen a certain goal with some ice-cool defending, time was running out for the Reds.
But there was no stopping Owen after Gary Mcallister’s free-kick dropped to him on the six-yard box with only seven minutes left.
Owen hooked his right-foot shot into the bottom corner past an unsighted David Seaman and with only two minutes left, he snatched the winner.
Owen got in behind Lee Dixon and, as Tony Adams closed in on him, Owen took the ball away from him with his right boot and then stuck it just inside the far post with his left.