Just for interest, the first ever FA Cup Final was played in 1872 on March 16th, playing at The Oval.. (Yes, the cricket ground). The Wanderers beat Royal Engineers. Might be worth having a look at the origins of these two clubs...the R.E. (Army?) obvious? The Wanderers less so! but interesting.
The 2002 FA Cup final was a match between Arsenal and Chelsea, on 4 May 2002 at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of the 2001-2 FA Cup season, the 121st season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the FA Cup. Arsenal were appearing in their fifteenth Final to Chelsea's seventh.
As both teams were in the highest tier of English football, that is, the Premier League, they entered the competition in the third round. Matches up to the semi-final were contested on a one-off basis, with a replay taking place if the match ended in a draw. Arsenal's progress was relatively comfortable; they knocked out the holders Liverpool in the fourth round, but needed a replay to beat Newcastle Utd. After overcoming replays in the first two rounds and a difficult tie against Preston NE, Chelsea recorded an impressive win against Tottenham Hotspur. Both teams won their semi-final match by a single goal.
Graeme Le Saux and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank were passed fit for Chelsea, but John Terry was omitted from the starting lineup, having woken up ill on the morning of the final. For Arsenal, goalkeeper David Seaman came in place of Richard Wright, who deputised for him in the earlier rounds of the competition. Chelsea were led onto the field by Roberto Di Matteo, who had been forced to retire from football earlier in the season due to a serious injury. After an uneventful first half, Chelsea settled much the quicker of the two and created several chances to score. Arsenal withstood the pressure and took the lead in the 70th minute, when Ray Parlour scored from 25 yards. Freddie Ljungberg scored from a similar distance ten minutes later to double Arsenal's lead. The final score was 2-0 and Arsenal won their eighth FA Cup.The final took place with one week remaining in the Premier League calendar. Arsenal beat Manchester Utd a few days later, to regain the League title and complete their second and final League and Cup Double under manager Arsene Wenger.
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