Iconic Moments in Football No.50
This week’s iconic moment comes from the 2003 FA Cup Semi Final between Arsenal and Sheffield United and was has been described by many as one of the greatest saves of all-time.
Arsenal had won the League and FA Cup Double the previous season, just as they had four years previously. They were performing well in the league, sitting at the top of the Premier League table.
Their opponents Sheffield United were plying their trade in the First Division, in what is now known at the Championship. They were third in the table, in the position just outside the automatic promotion places.
All four of Sheffield United’s games in their run to the Semi Final had been at home. No one gave United a chance and Arsenal were expected to reach a third successive FA Cup Final.
Arsenal had a trickier run to get to the Semi Final. Despite home wins over Third Division Oxford United and non-league Farnborough Town, they then had to beat both Manchester United and Chelsea. United were beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford and Chelsea in a replay.
With Arsenal leading 1-0 thanks to a first half goal from Freddie Ljungberg, David Seaman produced a world class save that is still talked about to this day.
United had a corner on the right with six minutes of the game left.
Michael Tongue whipped in an outswinging corner with his right foot that landed between the penalty spot and the edge of the area. It was headed towards goal by a United player and then Carl Asaba swung a volley across the Arsenal goalmouth.
The ball was a bit behind United’s striker Paul Peschisolido who was stood six yards from goal. He managed to crane his neck back and get enough on the ball to head it goalward. David Seaman was stood at the near post anticipating Asaba’s volley and had to throw himself at full stretch to reach Peschisolido’s goalbound header.
Seaman stretched out his right arm to try and get the ball, which had now passed him. He stretched every muscle of his 6’5 frame as his outstretched hand managed to reach the ball as it reached the goal line. He managed to claw the ball back when it was level with the goalposts and away from Peschisolido who would have had an open goal to score an equaliser.
Arsenal’s Lauren managed to outmuscle Peschisolido to stop him from forcing the ball into the net and Phil Jagielka ran in and blazed the ball high into the Stretford End.
David Seaman was 39 years old at the time and the Semi Final was his 1,000th professional match of his long and illustrious career. The save was undoubtedly one of the best that he had made in that time.
Some pundits claimed that the save was as good, if not better than Gordon Banks’ save from Pele in the 1970 World Cup. Peter Schmeichel described it as “The best save I’ve ever seen”. High praise indeed from a world-class goalkeeper known as The Great Dane!
In the other Semi Final, Southampton beat Watford 2-1 at Villa Park. Arsenal would go on and beat them 1-0 in the Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, thanks to a goal from Robert Pires.
About Author
