- REUTERS
Liverpool players (from left to right) Sami Hyppia, Dietmar Hamann, Steve Finnan, Steven Gerrard, Mohamed Sissoko, Jamie Carragher, Fernando Morientes and John Arne Riise celebrate goalkeeper Jose Reina's penalty save against West Ham United's Anton Ferdinand to win the English FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff yesterday.
CARDIFF (Reuters):
LIVERPOOL WON the FA Cup for the seventh time yesterday, beating West Ham United 3-1 on penalties after the teams drew an epic final 3-3 after extra time.
Liverpool 'keeper Jose Reina saved three of the four West Ham penalties he faced, becoming their hero after handing West Ham two goals with errors earlier in the match.
One of the greatest of all the 125 FA Cup finals was taken into extra time by a stunning last-minute 30-metre shot by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who equalised for his side for the second time in the match.
West Ham had gone ahead when Jamie Carragher turned a low cross into his own goal after 20 minutes and went 2-0 up eight minutes later when Dean Ashton pounced after Reina spilled a Matthew Etherington shot.
Carragher was the first player since Nottingham Forest's Des Walker in 1991 to put through his own goal in the Cup final and did so after failing to deal with the venomous low cross from West Ham defender Lionel Scaloni.
Djibril Cisse pulled one back with a neat volley after 32 minutes and Gerrard, whose pinpoint pass led to that goal, equalised with a thunderous shot in the 54th as both teams poured everything into attack.
Just when it appeared that West Ham had lost their impetus as well as their lead, they suddenly regained it from an unexpected source.
Fullback Konchesky attempted a long lofted cross from the left, but the ball caught out Reina and curved into the top corner in the 64th minute.
West Ham's fans were singing to acclaim their first FA Cup triumph since 1980 until Gerrard's brilliant intervention.
There were few chances in extra time as injured and exhausted players dropped all over the pitch, but Reina needed to produce an acrobatic save to tip a Nigel Reo-Coker flicked header against the post in the 119th minute.
It was the second successive FA Cup final to be decided on penalties - and Liverpool's second major final to be decided on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
FAVOURITES
Last May they came from 3-0 down to force a 3-3 draw with AC Milan in the Champions League final before winning on spot kicks and with a record of eight wins from nine previous shoot-outs they were favourites.
Dietmar Hamann gave Liverpool the early advantage with the first penalty before Bobby Zamora saw his kick brilliantly saved at full length by Reina.
Sami Hyypia then saw Shaka Hislop save his weak effort before Teddy Sheringham made it 1-1 from the spot. Sheringham became the third oldest man to play in the final when he came on as an 85th minute substitute. He is also now technically the oldest player to have scored in a Cup final, but shoot-out goals are not included in the record books.
Likewise Gerrard scored his third goal of the afternoon to put Liverpool 2-1 ahead before Reina saved from Konchesky.
John Arne Riise blasted Liverpool 3-1 up leaving Anton Ferdinand needing to score to keep it alive. He did not manage it and the drama was finally over with Liverpool's fans and players going wild with delight at the end of a momentous occasion.
