9 months ago
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In a time when individual honours and Champions League titles mark careers, one England great credits his FA Cup win as the best of them all.
The scene was set. Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in May 2001 – the first FA Cup final to be held outside of England due to the reconstruction of Wembley Stadium.
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Two of English football’s giants went head-to-head on a stifling afternoon and for all of Liverpool’s achievements in the months leading up to the showpiece, it was Arsenal who were favourites to lift the trophy they won three-years previous.
Gerard Houllier’s side knew how to get over the line having seen off Birmingham City to land the League Cup, three months earlier.
But their late heroics in Cardiff was the catalyst for a unique sweep of trophies as they added the UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Charity Shield to an incredible 2001 resume.
It all began with a 20-year-old whizzkid, five-minutes on the clock and a chance at goal.
With time running out and Arsene Wenger’s side inching closer to another trophy, step forward Michael Owen to break Gunners hearts with a stunning late double.
“The best day of my life,” Owen told talkSPORT, who joined Jim White and Simon Jordan on Tuesday with his son James to talk about Stargardt disease.
“It was just an incredible season winning all those trophies. We won five in that calendar year. It was incredible but that game against Arsenal in the FA Cup final is something I'll never forget.”
It looked bleak at times for the Reds as an Arsenal side packed with stars such as Tony Adams, Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira relentlessly banged down the Liverpool door.
But Houllier’s men remained resolute, more so after Freddie Ljungberg fired the Gunners in front 18-minutes from time and Owen admitted he couldn’t see a way back for his side.
“For about 85 minutes of the game I thought we were going to get beaten,” he added. “They were an incredible team. It was sort of the ‘invincibles’ era.
“We had a good team ourselves and we were in good shape at the time, winning plenty of trophies that season.”
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Michael Owen joins Simon Jordan on his Up Front podcast and talks all things Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle United
“I was in good form going into that game. I’ve never been involved in a game where I’ve not had a chance. So even though there was 85 minutes on the clock, I knew I’d get a chance – fortunately, I got two.
The first of them came when a loose ball dropped just seven yards out. Owen twisted his body to fire low past David Seaman before being mobbed by teammates Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard in the melee.
The Reds were in the ascendancy and as an air of belief rang around one half of the Millennium Stadium, the other half sensed panic.
And they were right to as Patrik Berger played a pinpoint ball into space for Owen to latch on to.
The striker easily out-paced the ageing legs of Adams and Lee Dixon before firing an unstoppable effort into the far corner.
Owen celebrated by pulling off an audacious acrobatic front flip as Liverpool fans were sent into raptures with just two minutes left on the clock.
His efforts that day played a huge role in him landing the Ballon d’Or later that year and whilst Owen retains a pride in scooping the award, his double in the FA Cup ranks above everything else.
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“Getting recognition during your career is obviously lovely to have and the Ballon d’Or sits there proudly in my house… possibly my biggest ever achievement, I guess,” Owen said.
“But as a one-off day, an achievement on the pitch, then it might surprise some people, it was the FA Cup. I was desperate to win the FA Cup when I was a kid and that’s what you call dreams come true.”
The striker left Anfield in 2004 to sign for La Liga giants Real Madrid for £8million but struggled to settle in the Spanish capital.
Owen played alongside England teammate David Beckham and stars such as Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo but pined for a move back to the Premier League, doing so a year later with a £16.8m move to Newcastle.
