The 1998 FA Cup Final was a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
match between
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
on 16 May 1998 at the old
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, London. It was the final match of the
1997–98 FA Cup
The 1997–98 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 117th staging of the FA Cup. The competition was won by Arsenal with a 2–0 victory against Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium.
Calendar
Firs ...
, the 117th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. Six-time winners Arsenal were appearing in their thirteenth final, whereas Newcastle United, having also won the competition six times, appeared in their eleventh final. It was the third time both teams faced each other in a FA Cup final; Newcastle won the previous two encounters in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
and
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
.
Each team had progressed through five rounds to reach the final. Arsenal's victories were close affairs and the team required three replays, two of which ended in
penalty shootouts. Newcastle's progress was more comfortable by comparison and needed only one replay in the fourth round, against
Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...
. Arsenal entered the match as favourites; a fortnight prior the club won the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
and aimed to complete the club's second league and cup
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
.
Watched by a stadium crowd of 79,183 and a British television audience of more than seven million, Arsenal took a first half lead through
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars (; born 29 March 1973) is a Dutch former professional footballer and director of football at Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp FC. He was previously director of football at Ajax. During his football career, he played as a wing ...
. Newcastle's performance improved in the second half, and striker
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
almost equalised when his shot hit the inside of
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country's ...
's post. Moments later the league champions extended their lead when
Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...
was put through to score. Arsenal's victory was heralded by the English press, and the club capped off its memorable season with an open-top bus parade. It was
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
's first FA Cup triumph as a coach; he went on to win six more finals in a 22-year spell at the club to become the competition's most successful manager.
Route to the final
The FA Cup is English football's primary
cup competition
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. Clubs in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
enter the FA Cup in the third round and are drawn randomly out of a hat with the remaining clubs. If a match is drawn, a replay comes into force, ordinarily at the ground of the team who were away for the first game. As with league fixtures, FA Cup matches are subject to change in the event of games being selected for television coverage and this often can be influenced by clashes with other competitions.
Arsenal
Arsenal entered the competition in the third round, and their opening match was against
First Division club
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
at
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
. It ended a goalless draw and the match was replayed at
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...
. Neither side managed to find a winning goal after normal and extra time, meaning the tie headed into a
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
. Arsenal won out 4–3;
Allen Tankard
Allen John Tankard (born 21 March 1969) is an English former footballer who played as a left-back. He played 519 league games in a 16-year career in the Football League.
He began his career with Southampton in 1987, before moving on to Wiga ...
missed the decisive penalty kick for Port Vale. In the fourth round, Arsenal played
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
at the
Riverside Stadium
The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since it opened in 1995. Its current capacity is 34,742, all seated, although there is provisional planning permission in place t ...
. The visitors began strongly as
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars (; born 29 March 1973) is a Dutch former professional footballer and director of football at Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp FC. He was previously director of football at Ajax. During his football career, he played as a wing ...
scored the opener inside 68 seconds, and his teammate
Ray Parlour
Raymond Parlour (born 7 March 1973) is an English former professional footballer and sports radio pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport.
He was a midfielder from 1992 to 2007, and spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hul ...
added a second to give Arsenal a commanding lead going into the interval. Although
Paul Merson
Paul Charles Merson (born 20 March 1968) is an English former professional footballer, manager, commentator and sports television pundit for Sky Sports.
Originally a forward, Merson found success as an attacking midfielder and playmaker later ...
scored in the second half for Middlesbrough and they pushed for an equaliser, Arsenal held out for a 2–1 win.
In the fifth round Arsenal faced Crystal Palace at home, but once again had to settle for a replay as the team were held to a draw. Arsenal fielded a makeshift side at
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
, but goals from
Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...
and
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (; born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. Originally a wide midfielder, Bergkamp was moved to main striker and then to second striker, where he remained throughout his playing ...
ensured progress into the next round. Against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in the quarter-finals, Arsenal went a goal behind as
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
's corner kick was converted into the goal net by
Ian Pearce
Ian Anthony Pearce (born 7 May 1974) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who is the head of recruitment at West Bromwich Albion.
As a player he was defender from 1990 until 2012, notably in the Premier League for B ...
. Although Bergkamp equalised from the penalty spot, West Ham defended well enough to force a replay.
At
Upton Park, Bergkamp was sent off in the first half for elbowing West Ham captain
Steve Lomas
Stephen Martin Lomas (born 18 January 1974) is a Northern Irish football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, Lomas was a midfielder from 1991 to 2010. He had spells in the Premier League for both Manchester City and West Ha ...
in the face. Anelka put Arsenal in front, but
John Hartson
John Hartson (born 5 April 1975) is a Welsh former professional footballer, coach and sports television pundit for S4C, Sky Sports, Premier Sports TV and BT Sport.
As a player he was a striker, notably for Scottish club Celtic where his time ...
equalised for the hosts late on. The tie was eventually settled on penalties, which ended 4–3 in Arsenal's favour. A goal by
Christopher Wreh against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
in the semi-final was enough for Arsenal to win the match and reach the final.
Newcastle United
Newcastle's FA Cup campaign began in the third round against fellow league side
Everton. The only goal of the match came in the second half;
John Beresford's right-wing cross beat the Everton defence and allowed
John Barnes
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to cent ...
to hook the ball back from beyond the far post.
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a to ...
forced the ball over the line, and in the process set a new goalscoring record – scoring 43 goals in the competition.
Newcastle were drawn away to non-league
Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...
in the fourth round.
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
on his return scored inside the first three minutes; he headed the ball into the net after good play from
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie (born 18 February 1975) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Mindwell in the Mid-Ulster Football League.
He began his career at Manchester United after winning the FA Youth ...
.
Giuliano Grazioli
Giuliano Stefano Luigi Grazioli (born 23 March 1975, in Marylebone) is an English former footballer who played as a striker from 1995 until 2009, notably for Barnet.
As a footballer he also played for Wembley, Yeovil Town, Peterborough United ...
equalised for the home side and they held on for a replay at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Park ...
.
In the rematch, Shearer scored both goals against Stevenage Borough. His manager
Kenny Dalglish
Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. During his career, he made 338 appearances for Celtic F.C., Celtic and 515 for Liverpoo ...
was irritated at the lack of courtesy his opponents had shown, and said afterwards: "Off the pitch they have a lot to learn about manners. If they were a Premier League club they would probably have been done for bringing the game into disrepute." A 1–0 win in the fifth round at home to
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
was followed by a quarter-final draw against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
, who had knocked out competition favourites
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. Newcastle advanced to the semi-finals after a 3–1 win and at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
, Shearer scored the winner against
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
.
Pre-match
Arsenal were appearing in the final of the FA Cup for the first time since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
.
They had won the cup on six separate occasions (in
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
,
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
,
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
,
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
,
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and 1993) and lost the showpiece final by the same amount.
Newcastle in contrast were making their first Cup final appearance in 24 years.
The club had won six FA Cups, and came runners-up five times, most recently against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
.
![Wembleyold](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Wembleyold.jpg)
The 1998 final marked the third meeting between Arsenal and Newcastle United in Cup final history.
Newcastle were victorious on both occasions: the first match in 1932 ended 2–1 in their favour, while the second, staged twenty years later, was a much tighter affair and
George Robledo
Jorge "George" Robledo Oliver (14 April 1926 – 1 April 1989) was a Chilean professional footballer. He played as a striker, and is most notable for his time spent with Newcastle United. He was the first non-British-registered foreign player ...
's goal settled the game.
The recent head-to-head record between the clubs was vastly different. In Dalglish's first full season at Newcastle, his team struggled for consistency and spent much of the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
campaign hovering in mid-table. They lost both matches against Arsenal, 1–0 at home in December 1997 and 3–0 away in April 1998. It marked a turnaround in fortune as Newcastle for the past two seasons had competed intensely with Manchester United for the league title. Arsenal on the other hand hit their stride in the final months of the season. The team, managed by
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
, had made up a sizable gap on Manchester United to win the title. In doing so, Wenger became the first non-British manager to win the league championship in England.
Arsenal were favourites to win the FA Cup, and on course to complete a "unlikely"
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
. The fitness of Bergkamp, who was instrumental in Arsenal's successful season, was a major story in the days leading up to the final. The striker had limped out of their game against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
in late April, and after it emerged he pulled his hamstring Bergkamp was ruled out for the remainder of Arsenal's league campaign. Wenger revealed two days before the final that Bergkamp had resumed training and "medically he looked all right", but the player received a further setback when he suffered a reaction to his hamstring.
He ruled himself out of the match and told reporters: "I'm very disappointed. As a little boy in Holland I always watched the FA Cup final. And I used to dream about playing in it myself one day."
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport and ITV Sport.
Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal ...
was listed as Bergkamp's probable replacement to partner Anelka.
Newcastle had their own issues surrounding Shearer. The England international was involved in a tangle with
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
player
Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player.
During his playing career he represented English clubs Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Leicester City. Lennon moved to Celtic in 2000, where he ...
during a league match, which went unnoticed by the referee. Television cameras showed Shearer kicking Lennon in the face, something he denied was premeditated. He was charged with misconduct, but escaped a ban from the FA's disciplinary panel. Shearer's teammate
Rob Lee
Robert Martin Lee (born 1 February 1966) is an English former professional footballer and sports co-commentator.
As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Newcastle United and West Ham United. His time at St ...
felt the striker was in the right shape of mind to face Arsenal, saying: "He's too strong a person to have let that affect him, even if it hadn't been sorted." Dalglish talked before the game of Newcastle's disappointing league campaign and questioned "why we couldn't translate our Cup results into the league".
He dismissed talk of Newcastle having an "easy run" in the competition, saying "It's not our fault if our opponents beat teams who were favourites to go through."
Continuing a tradition which began in the 1970s, the finalists each released a song as part of the buildup to the final. The Arsenal squad recorded a cover of
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...
's "
Hot Stuff" with proceeds going to the Arsenal Charitable Trust, while Newcastle enlisted celebrity supporter
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
to write "Black and White Army (Bringing the Pride Back Home)". Arsenal's song spent seven weeks in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and peaked at number nine. Royalty was present at Wembley on the day of the final;
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duk ...
was on hand to perform various duties alongside his wife
Katharine, Duchess of Kent
Katharine, Duchess of Kent, (born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, 22 February 1933) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V.
The Duchess of Kent converted to Roman Cath ...
. Players from both sides were adorned in
Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss AG, often styled as BOSS, is a luxury fashion house headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Hugo Boss is one of the largest German clothing companies, ...
suits for their customary pre-match walk.
Match
Summary
Wenger selected Wreh to lead Arsenal's attack, and left Wright on the substitutes’ bench. The Liberian striker partnered Anelka in a front two, and they were supported by wide midfielders Overmars and Parlour. Dalglish named
Alessandro Pistone in the starting eleven to play as right back; commentator
John Motson
John Walker Motson (10 July 1945 – 23 February 2023) was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio. From the late 1970s to 2008, Mot ...
suggested the defender's role was to nullify Overmars.
Temuri Ketsbaia
Temuri Ketsbaia ( ka, თემურ ქეცბაია; born 18 March 1968) is a Georgian former professional football player and current manager. He is the current manager of the Cyprus national team.
Club career
After beginning his pro ...
was picked ahead of
Andreas Andersson and
John Barnes
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to cent ...
started the game on the bench. Rush did not make the 16-man squad for Newcastle, as he failed to recover from injury. Both clubs were set up in a traditional
4–4–2
In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...
system: a four-man
defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense industr ...
(comprising two
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
s and
left and right full-backs), four
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
s (two in the
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
, and one on each
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
) and two
centre-forward
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
s.
Newcastle kicked-off the final on a warm Saturday afternoon and quickly set about testing Arsenal by aiming long balls in their half. Arsenal won many of the aerial duels and broke quickly once they had possession.
[Motson, Brooking (1998). Event occurs in the first half, coverage between 10:54pm and 10:56pm.] Parlour chased after a long ball by Dixon from the right, but Howey impeded the midfielder and put the ball out for a corner.
It came to nothing as the whistle was blown once Adams's climbed above his opponent. Newcastle's first attempt on goal was created by Ketsbaia, who won the ball near the centre of the pitch. He shifted it onto his left foot, but his shot from about bobbled past Arsenal goalkeeper
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country's ...
's left-hand post. Arsenal's first real chance was a move which began from the backline. Vieira found Parlour who kicked the ball towards Dixon. The Arsenal right-back saw Parlour making a dart forward into the opposition's penalty area and returned the ball to the midfielder.
Parlour's cross from the right was met by Anelka in the box, but the striker headed the ball over the post.
Arsenal took the lead minutes later through Overmars. A through-ball by
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Laurent Petit (born 22 September 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder at club level for Arsenal, Barcelona, Monaco, and Chelsea. He represented France at international level in two FIFA ...
had found the charging winger and he resisted the challenge of Pistone to prod the ball through the legs of the onrushing goalkeeper
Shay Given
Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. With 134 caps, he is the second-highest capped Republic of Ireland player.
Given started his career at Celtic, however he neve ...
.
It was Overmars' 16th goal of the campaign, his most prolific season as a professional footballer. Newcastle struggled to breach Arsenal's stable defence for the remainder of the first half; Ketsbaia saw his curling shot on target but comfortably caught by Seaman.
[Motson, Brooking (1998). Event occurs in the first half, coverage between 11:02pm and 11:05pm.] Overmars, a constant threat in the match, crossed the ball towards Parlour in the penalty area, but with room to shoot the midfielder skied it over.
Newcastle appealed for a penalty deep into added time after Adams jumped over Shearer while looking to clear the ball, but the referee immediately turned it down.
In the second half, Newcastle began more adventurously and forced Arsenal into moving the ball at a higher tempo. From a free-kick awarded near the left channel, Lee crossed the ball and up rose
Nikos Dabizas
Nikos Dabizas ( el, Νίκος Νταμπίζας, born 3 August 1973) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defender for Newcastle United, Leicester City, Olympiacos and AEL. He was also in Greece's 2004 European Football ...
, whose header hit the bar. Newcastle were presented with another opportunity to equalise after Arsenal defender
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown (; born 24 July 1966) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1984 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for Arsenal, where he made over 400 appearances for the club a ...
slipped on the ball. Shearer pounced, but his left-foot shot hit the foot of the post, and rebounded back out.
Newcastle were punished for poor finishing in the 69th minute as Anelka scored for Arsenal. Parlour lifted the ball through to the teenage striker who controlled it with his chest.
He raced past his marker Dabizas, and steered the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. Newcastle responded by bringing on Andersson, an extra forward, in place of Pearce but the change in personnel made no difference to the outcome.
Parlour, later awarded man of the match, nearly scored a third for Arsenal, but his effort hit the side netting.
As the whistle blew for full-time, Wenger hugged his assistant
Pat Rice
Patrick James Rice, MBE (born 17 March 1949) is a Northern Irish former footballer and coach. As a player, he made over 500 appearances for Arsenal, winning the Double, and later made a hundred more appearances for Watford. He also won 49 ca ...
in the dugout before joining his players on the field for celebrations. Sportingly, the Newcastle fans applauded the Arsenal team as they made their way up the Wembley steps to collect the trophy.
Details
Statistics
Post-match
Arsenal's win had sealed a league and cup double and Wenger, the club's manager, described it as "the greatest moment of my sporting life."
Speaking to the media, he complimented his team for their performance and said of the season: "We kept getting better and so has the mixture between the foreign and English players."
Wenger reserved praise for the goalscorers Overmars ("a world-class player") and Anelka ("Nicolas is very young. But you saw in the second half today what he can do"), and felt the turning point in the match was Shearer's shot hitting the post.
He sympathised with Newcastle, as did his captain, Adams who said afterwards: "The team and their fans did everything they could out there, but it was our day. It capped a fantastic season for us and was a day we'll never forget."
Overmars called winning the FA Cup, "...the biggest thing that you can dream of. I'd say it's the same as winning the European Cup", while Dixon, a long-serving member of the team, added Arsenal's achievement had "...surpasse
anything that we've done in the past."
![Ray Parlour 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Ray_Parlour_2012.jpg)
Dalglish congratulated Arsenal on completing the double, as well as both sets of supporters: "I think it's the first time I've come to Wembley and seen both sets of fans applauding the winning side."
He felt Newcastle's performance improved in the second half – "...our players seemed to have more belief in themselves", though concluded despite the efforts it "just wasn't to be."
Pearce agreed with his manager that Arsenal deserved the win and told reporters: "We failed to deliver and our magnificent fans deserved better. We'll have to come back stronger next season."
Journalists and pundits reviewing the final unanimously agreed that Arsenal were deserved winners.
Ian Ridley
Ian Jeffrey Ridley (15 February 1934 – 13 November 2008) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the VFL.
Playing career
Ridley was a rover who was handy around goals and a 5-time premiership player with Melbourne. He ...
wrote in ''
The Independent on Sunday
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
'' of 17 May 1998: "Where Arsenal played legato, Newcastle were staccato in their passing and though they enjoyed a purple patch after raising the tempo in the second half, twice hitting the goal frame, they were largely limp opposition." ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' football correspondent
David Lacey was in awe of the double winners' performance, writing "There have been more distinguished Wembley triumphs but it is hard to remember a final being won with the sheet pace of Arsenal's victory over Newcastle on Saturday." Paul Wilson of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' believed in comparison to their title charge it was "lukewarm stuff", while ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' match reporter Joe Lovejoy felt the London club had got the better of Newcastle in what was a "pretty ordinary game".
Lovejoy did however credit the Newcastle support – "The Toon Army won the decibel count, which was no surprise."
David Pleat
David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English football player turned manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He had two spells as manager of Luton Town, and four as ma ...
wrote in his analysis column for ''The Sunday Times'' that key to Arsenal's victory was winning the midfield battle. He singled the "prodigious" Parlour out for praise, writing "nobody did more efficient work than the man rejuvenated at Arsenal."
The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
and
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
; the former provided the free-to-air coverage and Sky Sports 2 was the pay-TV alternative. Highlights were also shown on ''
Match of the Day
''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary L ...
'' that evening on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
. ITV held the majority of the viewership, with an overnight audience of 7.8 million viewers (65% viewing share), whereas 900,000 watched on Sky.
The terrestrial figure was the lowest in Cup final history in more than a decade, which ITV attributed to the May heatwave.
A day after the win Arsenal paraded both trophies on an open-top bus, heading towards
Islington Town Hall
Islington Town Hall is a municipal facility in Upper Street, Islington, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters for Islington London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
History
The building was commissioned to replace the ...
for a civic reception. The club's victory set up a
Charity Shield match against Manchester United, the league runners-up, in August 1998. As cup winners, Arsenal would have ordinarily been awarded a spot in the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
, but as the club qualified for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
via their league position the place was passed to finalists Newcastle United.
Aftermath and legacy
Arsenal were unable to retain the FA Cup the following season as the team fell to Manchester United at the semi-final stage. It was not until
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
that they appeared in another Cup final, where
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team. Since r ...
scored twice at Cardiff's
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
to hand
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
the trophy. Arsenal regrouped the following year, starting a run of three FA Cup wins in four years. By
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, Wenger had led Arsenal to a record-breaking 13th FA Cup and victory against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
earnt him the accolade of being the most successful manager in the competition's history.
The 1998 Cup final was the climax to an eventful season for Wenger, who became the first manager born outside of the British Isles to complete the double. As well as revitalising the club, his style of management was heralded as revolutionary. Rob Hughes in his ''Times'' column of 18 May 1998 credited the Arsenal manager for demonstrating "what there is to learn from overseas", and for blending players of different ages and cultural backgrounds into a successful squad.
The 1998 double-winning team is regarded as one of English football's finest; former Manchester United winger
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...
later described them as one of his toughest opponents: "They just had a bit of everything really. Quality with Bergkamp, pace with Anelka and Overmars, the experience of the back four, and then the toughness of Vieira and Petit in midfield."
For Newcastle, success was hard to come by. In August 1998, just two matches into the Premier League season, Dalglish was dismissed, replaced by former Chelsea manager
Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, midfielder or forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all t ...
. Although the team reached another FA Cup final in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, they were again losing finalists.
References
General
*
Specific
Further reading
*
{{Newcastle United F.C. matches
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
Fa Cup Final 1998
Fa Cup Final 1998
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...