FA Cup Final 1996

Colin Malam reports from Wembley Stadium (Courtesy of Electronic Telegraph)

HISTORY was made at Wembley by the Frenchman who seems to do nothing else. Eric Cantona, newly crowned as Footballer Of The Year scored the goal that won this severely disappointing FA Cup final for Manchester United and made them the first club to complete the coveted Double twice.

Cantona also contributed handsomely to United's winning of the Premiership title, of course. His return last October, after serving an eight-month suspension for attacking an abusive Crystal Palace fan, was seen as the catalyst that enabled the Old Trafford club to overhaul Newcastle after being 12 points behind.

The very fact that yesterday's goal was Cantona's 19th of the season indicates as clearly as possible his determination to make up for an absence that probably cost United the Double last season. Little wonder that he ran like a man demented to share his joy with the United bench and their supporters after scoring the winner five minutes from the end.

United deserved their victory because they were always the better side in a game that failed completely to live up to its billing as a confrontation between two of the youngest and most talented sides in the land. Liverpool, crowded out in midfield and unusually sloppy in their passing, were hardly recognisable as the side who had twice troubled United severely this season.

The first thing to set a packed, throbbing and predominantly red-hued Wembley abuzz was the news that Andy Cole had won the vote over Paul Scholes to partner Cantona in United's attack. No doubt the crucial goal Cole scored as a substitute in the Premiership decider against Middlesbrough just about clinched the decision in the £7 million striker's favour.

Even a place on the substitutes' bench eluded Bruce, who had been struggling to overcome hamstring problems

There was disappointment, too, in the realisation that Steve Bruce, the influential United captain, would not be taking part in any capacity. Even a place on the substitutes' bench eluded Bruce, who had been struggling to overcome hamstring problems, and his place in central defence was taken by David May, an impressive deputy for him in recent matches.

United also took the field without the precaution of having a substitute goalkeeper in reserve. All three of their substitutes, Lee Sharpe, Gary Neville and Scholes, were outfield players, so their attacking intentions seemed plain from the outset.

They certainly began confidently enough. Liverpool could hardly get out of their own half as United bore down on them repeatedly with a brand of incisive possession football the Merseysiders would have been proud to claim as their own. It would not have been an unfair reflection of the opening five minutes had United scored twice.

The first chance fell to Cole, who was offered a run at goal when Cantona flicked on May's powerful header forward from inside his own half. Just a spot of composure must have given the United striker a good chance of beating David James, but he snatched at the opening and miskicked horribly.

Cole was also guilty, by running into trouble, of wasting a wonderful pass David Beckham curved into his path from out on the right wing. So Ryan Giggs must have been relieved it was Beckham who offered himself for the square pass the Welsh international rolled across the penalty area after five minutes.

The young Englishman struck the ball with everything he had, but James hurled himself to his right to make a sensational save that underlined the vast improvement in his form this season. It was a rare moment of cheer for Liverpool in a first half that saw them mostly second best in every aspect of the game.

The match was played in the best of spirits until the 14th minute.

They did not really threaten United until the 12th minute, when Stan Collymore succeeded in forcing a way past Gary Pallister. Phil Neville came to the rescue on that occasion, but he was unable to stop the powerful Liverpool striker rounding him shortly afterwards and testing Peter Schmeichel with a shot the Danish goalkeeper beat round his near post.

The match was played in the best of spirits until the 14th minute. At that point two of the many young players on the pitch, Robbie Fowler and Roy Keane, were warned by the referee, Dermot Gallagher, for becoming involved in an unpleasant scuffle in which Keane thrust his head in the face of Fowler, who pushed him away angrily.

Cole's unhappy afternoon continued when the Liverpool defence's unwise decision to wait for an offside flag that never came left the striker yards clear of the nearest challenger. Perhaps Cole was as surprised as Liverpool that he had been allowed to run on to Pallister's long ball. At all events, he allowed himself to be dispossessed.

Just when it looked as though the first half would end without a booking, Gallagher decided to caution Liverpool's Jamie Redknapp. It looked a harsh decision because the Liverpool player was guilty of nothing more than a slightly mistimed tackle on Keane, whose mild reaction indicated as much.

Liverpool's best scoring chance in the first 45 minutes came just before the interval. Finding some space at last, Steve McManaman picked out Mark Wright with a low pass into the middle and Redknapp blazed his shot over the bar when the central defender, who had moved up for a corner, laid the ball back to him.

The crowd came alive only when Phil Babb was booked for a cynical foul on Beckham

The beginning of the second half could not have been more different from the end of the first. James was again Liverpool's saviour as he got down low to keep out a Cantona volley with an excellent reflex save at the foot of a post. The big Liverpool goalkeeper also recovered quickly enough to prevent Cole from putting away the rebound.

It was to be the only excitement for some time as the game became bogged down in tactical stalemate. The crowd came alive only when Phil Babb was booked for a cynical foul on Beckham and when Redknapp shot fiercely, but straight at Schmeichel, from 25 yards. The substitution of Scholes for the unhappy Cole after 63 minutes also raised a cheer from the United end.

Liverpool made a significant substitution of their own 11 minutes later. Collymore was withdrawn to make way for the entrance of Ian Rush, FA Cup goalscorer supreme, in his last appearance for the Anfield club before leaving on a free transfer. So poor had Fowler been, though, it would have been no surprise had he been the one to make way for the master.

But it was Cantona, and not Rush, who was to decide this contest. He did so with a crisp, right-footed half-volley after James, infallible in the air until then, had come off his line to punch away weakly a Beckham corner and was grounded when the ball flew through a crowd of players into the net.

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