Outside, torrential rain poured down over Cardiff, forcing the Millennium Stadium to close its roof.
The decision effectively transformed the entire venue into an indoor arena, making the noise generated by the supporters even more intense.
There had already been enormous hype surrounding this match.
Part of that came from New Manchester United's previous encounters with Arsenal.
Part of it came from the earlier decision by Prince Charles and his sons to attend the final.
For an occasion as important as the FA Cup final, all of it added even more excitement.
The Millennium Stadium was completely packed.
Arsenal supporters, Red Rebels fans, and neutral spectators occupied clearly divided sections of the ground, each group cheering for its own side.
Before this final, New Manchester United had faced Arsenal twice in the FA Cup.
The first time, the Red Rebels narrowly lost away from home.
In the second meeting, Arsenal were beaten at New Manchester United's ground.
Now, for their third encounter, they would meet on neutral territory at the Millennium Stadium.
Compared with the Premier League and Champions League, the League Cup and FA Cup naturally carried less importance for a club like Arsenal.
This season, however, Arsenal had entered the campaign determined to defend their league title, only to find themselves with nothing left to fight for except the FA Cup.
Wenger was determined to win.
Before the match, he had even issued what amounted to a must-win order to his players.
For Arsenal, losing this final to New Manchester United would be another major blow to their pride.
Mourinho, by contrast, had spent the build-up repeatedly praising Arsenal.
He described them as the most attractive footballing side in the Premier League, praised their attacking quality, and predicted that they would place enormous pressure on New Manchester United's defence.
"What? Predict the winner?"
Mourinho laughed at the pre-match press conference.
"No, no, no.
"That's impossible.
"I'm not a prophet.
"I can't tell you who's going to win beforehand.
"But if you look at the bookmakers, Arsenal apparently have about a seventy percent chance, while our chances of causing an upset are only thirty percent."
A reporter asked whether New Manchester United were stronger than people realised.
"Very strong?"
Mourinho shook his head.
"That's nonsense.
"We don't have Henry.
"We don't have Vieira.
"We don't have Pires or Ljungberg.
"We're just a First Division team.
"This is the first FA Cup final in our history.
"We simply want to give the supporters an exciting match.
"Nothing more."
Mourinho continued deflecting questions with a smile.
Wenger was completely different.
He answered the media calmly and directly.
For Arsenal, this was a match they could not afford to lose.
There was only one acceptable result.
Victory.
...
"We came to Cardiff to take the FA Cup back with us!"
Wenger's declaration from an earlier interview seemed to echo through New Manchester United's dressing room.
The room was silent.
The eleven starters stared at Mourinho.
Mourinho slowly looked across the players in front of him, preparing to deliver his final words before they walked onto the pitch.
"Look at him.
"Look at how confidently Wenger said that."
He paused.
The players' expressions hardened.
Mourinho continued.
"Listen carefully.
"I don't care if he looks down on me.
"But he's looking down on you.
"He's looking down on us.
"And that is absolutely unacceptable.
"We don't tolerate anyone treating us with contempt.
"When someone does, we have only one answer."
Mourinho raised his right fist.
"Kill them!" the players shouted together.
"Good.
"You remember that.
"Very good."
Mourinho could feel it.
The players were ready.
...
"Last season, we won the Double."
Inside Arsenal's dressing room, Wenger stood before his players.
"This season, we have only the FA Cup left.
"We are a proud team.
"Our pride does not allow us to accept failure.
"But unfortunately, the matches we lost this season ultimately cost us a league title that had once been within our grasp."
The Arsenal players listened in silence.
"But that's over now.
"It's in the past.
"Today, we have an opportunity to restore our pride.
"We need a trophy.
"We need the FA Cup."
Only after he saw the players responding emotionally did Wenger continue.
"New Manchester United are a very strong team.
"They've reached both the FA Cup final and the UEFA Cup final this season.
"That is not easy.
"They are difficult opponents.
"We respect them.
"But today, we must beat them.
"Only then can we prove that Arsenal are still Arsenal."
Wenger's voice hardened.
"This is a battle.
"A direct fight for our pride.
"And we fight to defend it."
One by one, the Arsenal players rose to their feet.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the 2002-03 FA Cup Final!"
The clock was approaching three in the afternoon.
"The players are coming out now!"
Andy Gray quickly introduced the two starting lineups as both teams emerged from the tunnel.
"Arsenal line up in their familiar 4-4-2.
"England international David Seaman starts in goal.
"The back four consists of Ashley Cole, Martin Keown, Oleh Luzhny, and Lauren.
"Gilberto Silva and Ray Parlour play in central midfield.
"Robert Pires starts on the left, Freddie Ljungberg on the right.
"And up front, Thierry Henry partners Dennis Bergkamp."
Martin Tyler added, "There is some feeling that this could be the final Arsenal appearance for several veterans.
"Seaman may leave after the season.
"Keown could as well.
"And Luzhny's future is also uncertain."
"Exactly," Gray said.
"So for many Arsenal supporters, there's a slight sense of farewell surrounding this final."
He turned towards New Manchester United's team sheet.
"Now for the Red Rebels.
"In goal is Petr Čech, the outstanding young Czech goalkeeper who has been superb in the First Division this season.
"Arsenal and Manchester United are among several major clubs believed to be interested in him.
"But both Ethan Yu and José Mourinho have made it clear that Čech is staying."
"The back four, from left to right, is Evra, Terry, Curtis, and Kolo Touré.
"That's their preferred defensive line."
Gray paused.
"Now this is interesting.
"In midfield, Mourinho has selected De Rossi, Juninho, and Essien.
"Three central midfielders.
"Kaká plays ahead of them.
"And the front two are David Villa and Hleb.
"That's not what most people expected."
"It certainly isn't," Tyler agreed.
"Drogba isn't injured.
"We can see him sitting on the bench.
"And several of New Manchester United's wide players are fully fit as well.
"Yet Mourinho has sacrificed one of the usual wingers to bring De Rossi into midfield.
"That's a significant tactical adjustment."
Gray nodded.
"Daniele De Rossi is still very young, but he's already shown that he can contribute at both ends of the pitch.
"He's strong defensively, aggressive, disciplined, and extremely competitive.
"By starting him alongside Essien and Juninho, Mourinho is clearly trying to give the defence additional protection."
Tyler agreed.
"Arsenal's attacking players are exceptional individually.
"Pires.
"Ljungberg.
"Henry.
"Bergkamp.
"If New Manchester United allow too many isolated one-on-one situations, their defenders could have serious problems.
"In a final like this, Mourinho clearly wants a strong defensive foundation first."
"Both teams are ready now.
"Arsenal won the toss and will kick off."
The camera focused on the centre circle.
The referee raised his whistle.
Then blew.
"The FA Cup final is underway!"
Henry touched the ball backwards.
Gilberto Silva received it and immediately moved possession towards the left.
Pires collected the pass.
One touch.
Then a perfectly weighted ball through the channel.
Henry accelerated.
Suddenly, he was in behind.
"Henry's through!"
Gray's voice rose sharply.
"He bursts into the penalty area.
"He shoots!"
Čech reacted instantly.
He rushed from his line and blocked Henry's one-on-one effort.
"What a save from Petr Čech!"
Gray sounded genuinely shaken.
"That was incredibly dangerous!"
Tyler watched the replay closely.
"You can see what happened.
"Curtis wasn't fully switched on when Henry received the ball.
"By the time he reacted, Henry was already moving beyond him.
"Curtis even tried to pull him back, but the referee played advantage.
"Fortunately for New Manchester United, Čech rescued them.
"Conceding in the opening moments of a final would have been disastrous."
Tyler had followed the Red Rebels closely for years.
Even he felt relieved.
"Curtis is enormously talented.
"But in a match like this, concentration is everything.
"Especially when you're facing Thierry Henry.
"Henry noticed the hesitation immediately and attacked it.
"That's why he almost scored."
...
On the touchline, Mourinho watched Čech stop Henry's shot.
His expression did not change.
Inside, however, he released a breath.
Then he walked towards the edge of the technical area and glared at Curtis.
Curtis immediately understood.
He shook his head apologetically and forced himself to refocus.
"Hey, Curtis!"
Čech called from behind him as he prepared to restart play.
"Don't get nervous."
Curtis nodded.
Arsenal were already coming forward again.
His eyes locked onto Henry as the Frenchman drifted into his defensive zone.
Curtis clenched his jaw.
Don't panic.
He's only one player.
If he's human, he can be stopped.
Everything the coaching staff had told him about defending Henry flashed through his mind.
Stay calm.
Don't dive in.
Don't react to the first feint.
Don't let him turn towards goal.
Keep him facing away.
Curtis took a deep breath.
Then stepped forward and set himself.
Henry received possession.
A quick feint.
Curtis stayed with him.
Henry shaped as though he would cut inside.
Curtis held his ground.
Then Henry suddenly shifted again.
Curtis reacted too early.
His weight moved towards one side.
Henry immediately went the other way.
Half a yard appeared.
That was all he needed.
Henry struck with his left foot from outside the penalty area.
The shot flew towards goal with tremendous pace.
Čech had remained completely focused.
From the moment Henry squared up against Curtis, the goalkeeper had been watching every movement.
He also kept one eye on Bergkamp, who had dragged Terry deeper into the penalty area.
The instant Henry struck the ball, Čech read the trajectory.
He pushed off.
Dived.
From his initial judgement, it looked like a shot he should be able to gather comfortably.
Then the ball reached his gloves.
The spin was far stronger than he expected.
He could not hold it.
Čech spilled the shot.
For one terrifying instant, every Red Rebels supporter inside the Millennium Stadium seemed to stop breathing.
Bergkamp reacted first.
Like a predator, the Dutchman immediately sprinted towards the loose ball.
Čech was still on the ground.
He had no chance of recovering in time.
Bergkamp reached it.
The rebound was there for him.
And the goal was open.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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