It will go down as one of the greatest finals in FA Cup
history but, right now, the feeling is one of heartbreak after West
Ham United came within seconds of winning the FA Cup…only to
have it ripped from their grasp in a manner almost too crushing to
believe.
In the 125th FA Cup final, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff,
Alan Pardew's brave, fearless team were leading 3-2 and in
control against the reigning European champions Liverpool just as
the fourth official held up his board to signal four minutes of
added-on time at the end of 90 minutes.
By the time he lowered it, Liverpool's inspirational captain
Steven Gerrard had produced what will probably go down as the goal
of the season, a simply stunning rocket of a shot from almost 40
yards, forcing FA officials to untie the claret and blue ribbons
from the trophy, ahead of 30 minutes of extra-time and, ultimately,
the dreaded penalty shoot-out.
And having been their villain of the day thanks to two glaring
errors that put the Hammers in the driving seat, Liverpool
goalkeeper Jose Reina became a hero on the red half of Merseyside
as his three reflex saves in the spot-kick showdown denied Bobby
Zamora, Paul Konchesky and, decisively, Anton Ferdinand, who
didn't deserve his final kick of a truly fantastic campaign to
be a crucial miss in an FA Cup final.
Nor did Konchesky, the lifelong Hammers fan who was denied the
glory of joining Ronnie Boyce, Alan Taylor and Trevor Brooking as
the only men in our 111-year history to have scored match-winning
goals in the world's most famous domestic cup final. His 63rd
minute cross that eluded Reina and dropped into the net in front of
almost 25,000 delirious of his fellow supporters would have sent
him down in folklore as one of the greatest claret and blue heroes
of all-time.
However, while depression and disappointment may be the overriding
emotions surrounding us all at present, there is also a large
amount of pride, honour and dignity to be felt after a display that
will live long in the memory for anyone lucky enough to witness it.
It was a day that had something special written all over it from
the very start. Following a week of meticulous preparation and
build-up, Pardew was able to field a virtually full-strength
starting 11, with Dean Ashton and Matthew Etherington both
recovered from their worrying injuries, and Lionel Scaloni starting
at right-back as Ferdinand and Gabbidon revived their partnership
in the centre of defence.
After the pre-match hype and activities were out of the way,
Hammers settled down and made the better start, keeping possession
and showing no signs of nerves or anxiety. And that start was
rewarded after 20 minutes, when - with their first real attack of
the game - Hammers took the lead. Ashton's clever pass released
Scaloni on the right, and the Argentinian's low cross into the
six-yard box was inadvertently deflected into his own net by the
back-tracking Carragher, to send the already buoyant Hammers fans
absolutely wild
And just seven minutes later, they must have thought they were in
heaven, as the second goal arrived in similarly surreal fashion.
Ashton's flick-on found Etherington, who twisted and turned on
the edge of the penalty area before firing in a harmless-looking
shot that Reina inexplicably spilled, allowing the on-rushing
Ashton to prod home his third goal in five FA Cup appearances this
season.
Three minutes later, Liverpool thought they had pulled one back
when Gerrard's quick free-kick was met by Crouch's powerful
header at the far post, but the linesman's raised flag ensured
that the celebrations continued among the Hammers faithful.
However, they were cut short for real following the Reds' next
attack, as Alonso picked up the ball in the middle of the field and
again found the far post with a measured chip that Cisse expertly
volleyed past Hislop from eight yards out after ghosting in beyond
Scaloni.
Despite that bolt from the blue, Hammers continued to push forward,
and Ashton almost restored the two-goal advantage with an angled
low drive that flew just inches past the post.
Still holding on to their lead when the half-time whistle blew,
Pardew's men walked off the pitch with the cheers of their
supporters ringing loud and clear, and the second half began in
similar fashion, as Hammers created a glorious opportunity to
heighten the pressure on the favourites just seconds after the
restart.
Etherington's surging run down the left ended with a low cross
that was met by Harewood, who saw his effort blocked by Reina, with
the loose ball falling to Benayoun, who shimmied past Hyypia for an
opening but again saw the goalkeeper beat away his left-foot shot.
And just nine minutes later, Hammers were made to pay, as Liverpool
drew level thanks to their talismanic skipper. After a harsh
free-kick decision some 30 yards out, Alonso chipped the ball in
for Crouch to nod down to Gerrard, who made no mistake with a
sweetly-struck volley from 12 yards out.
Rather than crumble against their revitalised opponents, though,
Hammers simply rolled up their sleeves and fought again as if their
lives depended on it, while still managing to produce a stylish
brand of attacking football on the energy-sapping Millennium
Stadium turf.
A neat move through midfield saw Etherington find the overlapping
Konchesky, who looked up and whipped in a trademark delivery that
seemed destined for Harewood at the far post, but instead ended up
nestling beautifully in the net, to make it advantage Hammers again
and send the claret and blue army up on another rollercoaster high.
And from then on, you'd have thought it was Pardew's men
carrying the experience of a Champions League final and
third-placed Premiership finish with them into the closing stages.
Zamora and Dailly came on for the excellent Ashton and Fletcher,
while Sheringham replaced the tireless Etherington and, despite
Liverpool possessing millions of pounds worth of international
talent in attack, they never truly looked like causing any major
problems.
That was until the final minute of normal time when, having
sportingly kicked the ball out of play near his own corner flag to
allow the injured Cisse treatment, Scaloni was thrown the ball back
by Hamann and, instead of booting the ball to safety, only
succeeded in sending it to the middle of his own half, straight to
Gerrard, who touched the ball back for Riise to cross from the
left.
Gabbidon rose highest to head the ball clear out of the penalty
area but, again, the ball fell to Gerrard and this time - like a
crack-shot sniper - he took one touch before unleashing an exocet
missile that must have given poor Shaka Hislop whiplash as it
flashed past him into the bottom corner of the net.
With the Reds in the ascendancy and holding the mental edge as
extra-time loomed, it seemed that there would be no turning back
for Hammers, who simply couldn't believe that they were having
to lift themselves for another half an hour of frantic football
after being just moments away from the greatest victory of their
careers.
But lift themselves they did, and in heroic style for the next 30
minutes. With both sides clearly sapped of any strength or energy,
there wasn't much in the way of goalmouth action, simply a
brave determination from both sides and plenty of cramp in the
aching legs of those who had ran themselves into the ground for the
cause.
For Marlon Harewood, the final 10 minutes were spent as a virtual
passenger, after he picked up a nasty injury to his left ankle
following a tough tackle from Sissoko, but the striker still had
time to be involved in probably the most dramatic incident of the
entire afternoon.
With just seconds left on the clock, a free-kick was whipped in
from the left by Konchesky and, as a crowd of heads rose to meet
it, the ball was diverted towards the top corner of the net for
what seemed to be the most amazing of winners, only for Reina to
miraculously stretch out a hand to tip it on to the post.
The drama wasn't over though, as the ball bounced back into the
six-yard box and dropped to the left-foot of Marlon. The hobbling
number 10 gave it his all, but could only manage a weak attempt
that sliced wide for a goal-kick.
And so to the gut-wrenching sight of the penalty shoot-out.
Hamann's expertly-taken opener was followed by Zamora's
miss, before Hyypia also failed to hit the net and Sheringham
coolly converted from 12 yards to even matters. Gerrard then
surprised no-one by firing into the top corner, before Konchesky
had his saved, and when Riise slammed home Liverpool's fourth,
Anton Ferdinand bravely stepped up knowing the fate of the trophy
rested in his hands.
His tears as the red half of the stadium went wild summed up the
feelings of everyone with claret and blue in their blood at 5.45pm
today, but Anton certainly has no need to feel anything other than
fantastically proud of his performance in what has already been
described as the most memorable final in modern-day times.
And neither do any of his team-mates, who proved once again that,
not only are they wearing the shirt with pride at present, they are
also ensuring that the future looks very bright for Upton Park.