Date : 14th April 1999
Venue : Villa Park
Game : Man United vs Arsenal
Occasion : FA CUP semi final replay
i watched a replay of this game last night and i sat there absolutley astounded at the quality of soccer. this game had it all. intensity, aggression, skill, patience, a send-off, a penalty, a penalty save, extra time, and THAT goal.
after receiving a Premier League 3rd round clash with Middlesbrough, the draw never really favoured Man U. although, it could be said that Man U were lucky to have all home games in the preliminary rounds. an easy 3-1 win against Boro set up the mouth watering clash between Man U and Liverpool in the 4th round. Liverpool struck through wonderkid Michael Owen and it took a Dwight Yorke goal to level it late on. even later, however, supersub Solskjaer killed off Liverpool in the last minute with a left foot, near post drive. and so the FA CUP drama began for Man United
a clash with the 1st Div FUlham was next and only the one goal seperated the teams. Fulham were an up-and-coming team who only took another season before they reached the Premier League.
Chelsea awaited United in the Qtr's and a replay was needed before Man U progressed. it was known before the match that the winner of the replay would face Arsenal in the Semi Finals, a dream match-up for both sides.
and so the 2 heavyweights of the Premier League went at it for 90 minutes. nothing seperated them so a replay would once again decide the winner. and so the game began...
the thing i was most impressed with in this game was the quality of the two goalkeepers: Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman. the best 2 goalkeepers in the Premier Leagues history and arguably 2 of the best in the world at their peaks. of course, Schmeichel's penalty save will always be remembered.
it was the last minute of the game with a 10 man United desperate to hang on, when a clumsy Phil Neville challenge on Ray Parlour brought the England midfielder down in the area. Penalty. Dennis Bergkamp stepped up to put his side into the FA cup final. but Schmeichel had other ideas. diving 3/4 length he blocked Bergkamps weak shot. they were still in it.
still the 10 man United stay composed as they could considering they only had 10 men out on the field with the inspirational skipper, Roy Keane, sent off earlier.
and then THAT goal. Ryan Giggs picked up the ball just inside the Arsenal half. what followed was magical. he just ran and dribbled at full pace, evading 4 Arsenal defenders before reaching the penalty box. he then sent a shot into the roof of the net at the near post. shirts went flying. supporters went beserk. other supporters crumbled into heaps along with the Arsenal players. Man United had made it to the Final against Newcastle the hard way.
Man United went on to win the Treble. all thanks, i think, to this magnificent game and especially the two key moments. the save and the goal. they turned an impossible dream into reality.
i remember watching this match live on the 15th April, my birthday, and just not believing what i had seen.
watching it last night, i still felt as nervous as the actual day and still got goosebumps when Giggs scored the goal.
Venue : Villa Park
Game : Man United vs Arsenal
Occasion : FA CUP semi final replay
i watched a replay of this game last night and i sat there absolutley astounded at the quality of soccer. this game had it all. intensity, aggression, skill, patience, a send-off, a penalty, a penalty save, extra time, and THAT goal.
after receiving a Premier League 3rd round clash with Middlesbrough, the draw never really favoured Man U. although, it could be said that Man U were lucky to have all home games in the preliminary rounds. an easy 3-1 win against Boro set up the mouth watering clash between Man U and Liverpool in the 4th round. Liverpool struck through wonderkid Michael Owen and it took a Dwight Yorke goal to level it late on. even later, however, supersub Solskjaer killed off Liverpool in the last minute with a left foot, near post drive. and so the FA CUP drama began for Man United
a clash with the 1st Div FUlham was next and only the one goal seperated the teams. Fulham were an up-and-coming team who only took another season before they reached the Premier League.
Chelsea awaited United in the Qtr's and a replay was needed before Man U progressed. it was known before the match that the winner of the replay would face Arsenal in the Semi Finals, a dream match-up for both sides.
and so the 2 heavyweights of the Premier League went at it for 90 minutes. nothing seperated them so a replay would once again decide the winner. and so the game began...
the thing i was most impressed with in this game was the quality of the two goalkeepers: Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman. the best 2 goalkeepers in the Premier Leagues history and arguably 2 of the best in the world at their peaks. of course, Schmeichel's penalty save will always be remembered.
it was the last minute of the game with a 10 man United desperate to hang on, when a clumsy Phil Neville challenge on Ray Parlour brought the England midfielder down in the area. Penalty. Dennis Bergkamp stepped up to put his side into the FA cup final. but Schmeichel had other ideas. diving 3/4 length he blocked Bergkamps weak shot. they were still in it.
still the 10 man United stay composed as they could considering they only had 10 men out on the field with the inspirational skipper, Roy Keane, sent off earlier.
and then THAT goal. Ryan Giggs picked up the ball just inside the Arsenal half. what followed was magical. he just ran and dribbled at full pace, evading 4 Arsenal defenders before reaching the penalty box. he then sent a shot into the roof of the net at the near post. shirts went flying. supporters went beserk. other supporters crumbled into heaps along with the Arsenal players. Man United had made it to the Final against Newcastle the hard way.
Man United went on to win the Treble. all thanks, i think, to this magnificent game and especially the two key moments. the save and the goal. they turned an impossible dream into reality.
i remember watching this match live on the 15th April, my birthday, and just not believing what i had seen.
watching it last night, i still felt as nervous as the actual day and still got goosebumps when Giggs scored the goal.
