The Double is on

Parlour, Ljungberg fire Arsenal to FA Cup glory

Ray Parlour fired home a curling right foot shot in the 70th minute to give Arsenal the lead. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) -- For Arsenal it's like last season in reverse.

Being largely outplayed by a hard-working Chelsea, the Gunners produced two stunning goals in nine minutes on Saturday to win the FA Cup at the Millennium Stadium. Ray Parlour struck in the 70th minute and Fredrik Ljungberg in the 79th.

The 2-0 win came 12 months after Arsene Wenger's team had outclassed Liverpool only to get hit by two Michael Owen goals in the last eight minutes for a 2-1 Cup final loss.

That marked the end of a disappointing and winless season for the Gunners because Manchester United had already won the league title with weeks to spare.

This time, Wenger's team goes to Old Trafford on Wednesday and needs just one point to gain the satisfaction of taking its league title.

"I think we will start to think about it but we will enjoy the day first," Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira said after the victory over Chelsea. "Then we will prepare on Monday for the game on Wednesday."

It was a rare strike for Parlour, who has scored only two goals this season, while Ljungberg became the first player since Tottenham's Bobby Smith 40 years ago, to score in two finals in a row.

"I haven't score many goals this season -- I am a bit disappointed with that. But to score in a cup final it's fantastic for me. We scored two great goals and won the cup."

Ljungberg, whose cup final goal last season was wiped out by two strikes by Liverpool's Michael Owen, said the result was a triumph for Arsenal's teamwork.

"We fight for each other in this team and we just love to play football," the Swede said. "We lost last year so we were very determined to win today. You don't want to be remembered for losing two finals in a row."

Patrick Vieira, who failed to reach his own high standards until late in the game, said: "It was important for the club, the players and especially myself after last year. I think we showed our character and desire. We worked really hard today. It's fantastic."

Manager Wenger said his team had more than made up for last season's disappointment.

"We were very frustrated last year and we showed a lot to get back this year," the Frenchman said. We wanted to play a game that showed the character of the team.

"They were two superb goals. Parlour and Ljungberg were absolutely fantastic today and we scored at a point of the game when Chelsea were playing very well.

"We have the belief that we'll do the double. We have a big game on Wednesday and we'll try and do it."

While the Gunners celebrated it was heartbreak for Chelsea who had performed well and had the star performer.

With French defender Marcel Desailly having a standout game, Claudio Ranieri's Chelsea had more possession and looked like taking the lead before the Gunners took control with two strikes before 74,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium.

"We came out very sharp and the game looked like it would go out way but they scored at a vital time so what can you do," said Chelsea top scorer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who had been a doubtful starter all week with a calf muscle injury.

Freddie Ljungberg became the first man to score in two consecutive FA Cup finals. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

"It was always going to be a very tight game and whoever scored first would win the game."

Chelsea, which now hasn't beaten Arsenal in 56 cup games or the last 13 in the league, was led out by former Italian international Roberto Di Matteo. Scorer of the fastest goal in FA Cup final history after 43 seconds in 1997, he is now retired because the severe effects of a badly broken leg.

After a tedious start, Graeme Le Saux unleashed a shot from 25 yards which Arsenal 'keeper David Seaman fumbled and, a minute later, Gunners defender Ashley Cole gave the ball away and Seaman had to dive to his left to hold a drive from Frank Lampard.

Arsenal should have gone ahead in the 22nd minute when Vieira found Dennis Bergkamp with a long diagonal pass from the left. The Dutchman, unmarked but stretching to meet the ball, headed wide with just 'keeper Carlo Cudicini to beat.

Vieira became the second player to be booked when he hauled down Icelandic international Eidur Gudjohnsen in the 26th minute.

Gudjohnsen went close to giving the Blues the lead in the 35th minute when he met a left wing cross from Le Saux only for Seaman to save.

A minute later Arsenal went close when Wiltord crossed from the left and Lauren beat Le Saux to the ball only to head too high from close range.

Henry had a great chance to put Arsenal ahead in the opening minute of the second half when he chested down a cross from the right. But the 30-goal Frenchman needed too much time and his shot was saved by Cudicini.

Then Desailly broke from deep to set up another Chelsea opening. It ended in a curling and dipping 25-yard shot from Gudjohnsen which Seaman, arching his back, palmed over the crossbar.

Arsenal came under another spell of pressure but Vieira started a move from close to his own corner flag which ended in a wasted shot wide from Wiltord from Henry's neat layoff.

Chelsea sent on Gianfranco Zola for the tiring Hasselbaink in the 68th minute but it was the Gunners who made the breakthrough within a minute.

Tony Adams, in probably his last FA Cup final before impending retirement, pushed the ball through to Sylvain Wiltord who skipped passed a defender before feeding Parlour.

The England international midfielder looked set to pass the ball on to one of his strikers but changed his mind and fired a curling shot into the top corner of the net.

It was almost 2-0 in the 78th minute when Cole broke from deep to open up the Chelsea defense. The ball rolled to Henry whose curling shot appeared to be going in until Cudicini dived to his left to fist the ball away.

A minute later, however, it was all over.

Brazilian substitute Edu found Ljungberg with a sideways pass and the Swede outpaced three defenders before curling a right footed shot past the despairing Cudinici for the second Gunners goal.

Lineups:

Arsenal -- David Seaman; Lauren, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole; Sylvain Wiltord (substitute: Martin Keown 90th), Ray Parlour, Patrick Vieira, Fredrik Ljungberg; Dennis Bergkamp (Edu 71st), Thierry Henry (Nwankwo Kanu 81st).

Chelsea -- Carlo Cudicini; Mario Melchiot (Boudewijn Zenden 77th), Marcel Desailly, William Gallas, Celestine Babayaro (John Terry 46th); Jesper Gronkjaer, Graeme Le Saux, Emmanuel Petit, Frank Lampard; Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Gianfranco Zola 68th).

Referee -- Mike Riley.

 

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