The 139th FA Cup final takes place on Saturday afternoon between Chelsea and Arsenal at Wembley.And if it’s even half as dramatic as the 125th FA Cup final, which took place in May 2006, football fans will be in for a real treat.The 2006 FA Cup final is unquestionably one of the best of the modern era. It had absolutely everything.Liverpool and West Ham played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.But the final will be remembered for one man’s performance in particular: Steven Gerrard.Gerrard produced a Man of the Match display against the Hammers, scoring two unbelievable goals, the second of which will always be remembered as one of the greatest strikes in FA Cup history.
West Ham took the lead in the 21st minute courtesy of a Jamie Carragher own goal before Dean Ashton made it 2-0 shortly afterwards.Djibril Cisse pulled a goal back for the Reds in the 32nd minute, while Gerrard’s first of the afternoon made it 2-2 in the second half.A fortuitous Paul Konchesky goal put West Ham 3-2 up in the 64th minute before Gerrard saved Liverpool at the death with a remarkable strike from 35 yards.The final then eventually went to penalties, which Liverpool won 3-1. Needless to say, Gerrard also got himself on the scoresheet during the shoot-out.
As a reminder of just how good Gerrard was that afternoon, watch this two-minute video of his individual highlights…
An extraordinary performance from arguably the greatest player in Liverpool’s history.
Gerrard was interviewed by Geoff Shreeves on the pitch after the match and was duly handed a bottle of champagne for his Man of the Match performance.
“It was just as difficult as Istanbul,” the Liverpool captain said. “Credit to West Ham, fantastic team, really dangerous on the counter-attack.
“We just stuck in there and knew if it went to penalties we’d have a fantastic chance with [Pepe] Reina in goal.
“We’ve got a fantastic team spirit. The Champions League experience has made us all stronger and no matter how many goals we go down, we’ll keep fighting until the end.
“They were nice goals. I’ve had a good day today but we want to enjoy it now with the fans.”