Arsenal hold nerve to sink unlucky United

by Trevor Huggins

CARDIFF, Sunday (Reuters)

Arsenal became the first team to win the FA Cup final on penalties with an undeserved 5-4 victory over Manchester United after a goalless draw on Saturday.

Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira coolly converted the final spot-kick in front of the United fans after his team mate Jens Lehmann had saved a Paul Scholes penalty.

Yet Arsenal, who finished the match with 10 men after Jose Antonio Reyes was sent off in extra time, were not the moral victors of a game in which their arch-rivals made all the best chances and enjoyed no luck.

Inspired by teenage forward Wayne Rooney and winger Cristiano Ronaldo, United dominated throughout and Arsenal failed to create a single clearcut scoring chance.

"I'm very proud, we had to dig deep today," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.

"I feel United were the stronger team in the second half and we were a bit lucky, it's hard for the team that loses like that because it was a very intense game." Arsenal's victory completed a disappointing season for United, for whom the build-up was overshadowed by the takeover of the club by American businessman Malcolm Glazer last week.

Threats of disruption to the final failed to materialise with police reporting a peaceful demonstration involving around 100 United fans just before kickoff. Many United fans wore black in protest at Glazer's takeover.

United manager Alex Ferguson, whose side finished third in the Premier League behind Chelsea and Arsenal, blamed his players' wayward finishing.

"We are disappointed, we've missed chances all season, our goalscoring has let us down and we've only got ourselves to blame in a way," he said.

"We can reflect on what might have been for as long as you like, but what we want to do is do something about it next season. We've always been galvanised by disappointment and adversity because there's a good character in the team."

United had a Rio Ferdinand effort disallowed in the first half, Rooney hit the post and Ruud van Nistelrooy was denied by the crossbar in the dying minutes. Ferguson's side also had two penalty appeals waved away in extra time, which ended moments after Arsenal's Spanish forward Reyes became the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup final.

Without leading striker Thierry Henry, Arsenal deployed an unusually cautious 4-5-1 formation with experienced Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp a lone striker.

The first chance fell to United with a teasing run down the left by Ronaldo and a chipped cross that was headed over by Scholes.

United could have been 3-0 up midway through the first period. Ferdinand put the ball in the Arsenal net after Lehmann saved a Rooney shot with an outstretched foot, only for the effort to be ruled offside.

Rooney followed up with a snap shot that Lehmann did well to push over and the England international superbly volleyed a corner narrowly over from 20 metres.

There was no let-up after halftime as Rooney and Ronaldo continued to torment the Arsenal defence.

United nearly broke the deadlock at the death when Van Nistelrooy's header was somehow nodded on to the crossbar by substitute Fredrik Ljungberg.

Robin van Persie, another Arsenal substitute, forced keeper Roy Carroll into his one real save with a curling free kick, while United twice had penalty appeals rejected, a shot from Scholes was well saved and Van Nistelrooy headed wastefully over the bar.

Reyes's second bookable offence signalled the end of the final, the first since 1912 to finish goalless, and five impeccable penalties in the shootout sealed Arsenal's 10th FA Cup triumph.

United had done the league double over Arsenal this season, ending the Gunners' record unbeaten run at 49 matches with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in October, after which pizza was allegedly thrown at Ferguson in what became known as the "Battle of the Buffet".

Tempers also flared in the league game at Highbury which United won 4-2, but despite much pre-match hype the final was spared of the ugly scenes that have marred recent clashes between the sides.