The 2001 FA Cup final was one of the main reasons Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or, but an Arsenal player was outstanding in that game and left Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard shocked.
Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 in the 2001 FA Cup final
Liverpool won the iconic high notes in the 2000-01 season as they were the crowned League Cup winners, won the UEFA Cup (renamed UEFA Europa League) and won the Arsenal in the FA Cup at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Owen’s performance was mostly memorialized, and he was crowned the best player in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony later that year.
|
Michael Owen’s Champion |
Liverpool and the United Kingdom |
|---|---|
|
Appearance |
55 |
|
Target |
31 |
|
Assist |
8 |
|
Trophy |
FA Cup, UEFA Cup, League Cup |
But the Gunners dominated the game in large part, thanks to their Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Gilles Grimandi and Freddie Ljungberg. Ljungberg eventually broke the deadlock after about 20 minutes from full-time, and legendary Thierry Henry even missed the chance to get the game 2-0 shortly after, and he would soon regret it.
In less than ten minutes, Irving slammed into a bad gap to balance. Five minutes later, the comeback was done as the forward raced Tony Adams and Lee Dixon and then fired David Seaman from a great performance.
There is no doubt that Owen was appointed as the man for the game, but Jamie Carragher has since revealed that this is Arsenal dominance, and Vieira’s performance shocked young Gerrard that he had been talking about it for years.
Vieira “as good as everything we’ve seen”
Carragher appointed Vieira among the best foreign players in Premier League history in 2014 and revealed that Liverpool’s performance at the Millennium Stadium shocked the Liverpool squad.
“A monster, his partnership with Emmanuel Petit is as good as anything we see. He stood out against Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final.
“He was grand and shouldn’t be on the losing side. Then in the locker room, everyone said, ‘How good is Vieira?’ Steven Gerrard still talked about that game because Vieira made him realize that he had to climb a few more levels to reach the top.
“It speaks to everything about the club, and when they sign young midfielders, they hope they become ‘next Vieira’.”
Vieira has made 405 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals and winning seven major trophies, including three Premier League titles.
Gerrard later confirmed his admiration for the Gunners legend, managers of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, said: “He is a player I admire and respect for, first and foremost.
Patrick Vieira in the picture
“I had a lot of battles with Patrick, some climax, some lows. He is certainly a player and you can really go and compete with him.
“He is the highest footballer and one of the most intense battles I have faced in being a player, and I hope so from the side. I know he is the winner.”
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The Liverpool star apparently learned one or two from his encounter in the finals as he actually had a positive lead against Vieira, winning seven games, scoring three points and losing five.
There is no doubt that the couple is the heartbeat of their club and the two greatest midfielders in Premier League history.
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