"John Terry! It's John Terry!"
Terry had raced back towards goal just in time and thrown himself in front of Bergkamp's follow-up, blocking the shot with his body and sending the ball behind.
"What a clearance! John Terry has just saved New Manchester United!"
The Red Rebels supporters throughout the Millennium Stadium erupted in cheers for Terry's desperate intervention.
Inside the VIP box, Ethan visibly exhaled.
For a moment, he had genuinely thought Arsenal were about to score.
Even now, he still looked slightly shaken.
"Your players certainly don't give up easily, Mr. Yu," Prince Charles said with a laugh.
Ethan smiled.
If he had been given a choice, he would rather have avoided needing that sort of desperate defending altogether.
Ideally, New Manchester United would simply dominate Arsenal.
"From what we've seen so far, Arsenal have started very aggressively," one of the FA officials accompanying them said.
"Most of their attacks are being directed towards Henry.
"Curtis is responsible for dealing with him, but he's still very young and inexperienced.
"A veteran centre-back probably wouldn't have been deceived so easily by Henry's movement just now."
Since Prince Charles and his sons had agreed to take part in the FA Cup presentation ceremony, the FA had treated the occasion with considerable importance.
At Charles's request, Ethan and Eva had been invited to join them in the VIP section.
Two senior FA officials had also been assigned to accompany the group.
"Curtis may be young," Prince Harry said, "but I think he'll become one of England's best centre-backs."
He clearly had a soft spot for the defender, perhaps partly because Curtis was not much older than he was.
Ethan agreed.
But he also understood that Curtis could not develop without experience.
That meant success.
And failure.
If the club wanted to enjoy the rewards of his development, it also had to accept the mistakes that came with it.
Ethan only hoped those mistakes would not prove decisive in a match this important.
...
On the touchline, Mourinho repeatedly gestured towards Terry.
He wanted the defensive line tighter.
Less space.
He also instructed De Rossi and Essien to drop deeper, cover more ground, and take on greater defensive responsibility.
The first ten minutes had already made Wenger's intentions obvious.
Arsenal were targeting Curtis.
They wanted Henry isolated against him.
Henry was technically outstanding.
Quick.
Explosive.
Full of feints.
Devastating one-on-one.
Trying to stop him with a single defender was unrealistic.
Curtis would struggle badly if left alone.
That was why Mourinho wanted the defensive structure compressed.
Kolo Touré needed to be ready to cover across.
Essien had to help protect the right side and disrupt the connection between Pires, Ashley Cole, and Henry.
Ljungberg had shown very little on Arsenal's right so far.
He did not look completely sharp.
But Mourinho knew better than to relax.
Players like Ljungberg and Bergkamp did not need ninety minutes of dominance.
Give either of them one opening and they could decide the match.
Bergkamp's reaction to Čech's spill had already proved that.
Without Terry's clearance, Arsenal would be ahead.
Mourinho's entire approach to this final depended heavily on controlling New Manchester United's right defensive channel.
That was why he had sacrificed one of his usual wingers and added another central midfielder.
He wanted to close off Arsenal's strongest side.
So far, however, Henry was still finding opportunities.
That was dangerous.
But if New Manchester United could eventually shut down Arsenal's left flank, the Gunners would immediately become far less threatening.
"Hold them, and we can win."
That had been Mourinho's message when explaining the plan before the match.
He intended to play on the counter.
Everyone expected it.
The real questions were simple.
Could Arsenal break through?
And could New Manchester United punish them when possession changed hands?
...
Curtis slid in decisively and intercepted Pires's pass towards Henry.
The ball rolled across to Kolo Touré.
Curtis immediately sprang back to his feet and recovered his position beside Henry, who had almost escaped him again.
As Henry moved past, he gave Curtis a brief look of approval.
The tackle had been excellent.
Clean.
Committed.
Perfectly timed.
But also dangerous.
Had Curtis missed, Henry would have been through on goal again.
In a final where a single mistake could separate victory from defeat, making that decision required courage.
Good player, Henry thought.
As the match progressed, Curtis gradually settled down.
His decision-making became calmer.
He began following the instructions the coaching staff had drilled into him.
Cut off the pass to Henry whenever possible.
If the ball reached him, hold your position.
Do not let him turn towards goal.
Do not dive in.
Do not react to the first feint.
Make him play away from danger.
At the same time, Essien shifted increasingly towards the right.
Kolo Touré covered from inside.
Gradually, the combination of Henry, Pires, and Ashley Cole began losing its early freedom.
Henry in particular faded after his bright opening.
Essien's relentless running repeatedly disrupted the passing lanes between Pires and Henry.
Curtis also began anticipating several balls before they reached the French striker.
Henry responded by drifting wider.
Clearly, he wanted to see whether Curtis would follow him out of position.
Curtis refused.
He held the defensive shape.
Once Henry moved far enough towards the flank, Essien took over.
Arsenal's central midfield pairing of Parlour and Gilberto Silva offered plenty of defensive strength but less creativity.
Wenger had also instructed both players to remain cautious because of the vulnerabilities in his back line.
That reduced their ability to support Arsenal's attack.
...
"Arsenal are clearly relying heavily on the flanks today," Andy Gray observed as the first half approached the half-hour mark.
"But their strongest side, the left, is starting to run into trouble.
"They've created a few openings, but nothing especially clean since those early chances.
"New Manchester United are preventing Henry from receiving the ball facing goal.
"And Ljungberg on the other side still doesn't look fully fit."
Martin Tyler nodded.
"Meanwhile, after spending most of the opening half-hour under pressure, New Manchester United's defence is becoming increasingly secure.
"The problem is their attack.
"We've heard so much praise for their attacking football this season, but so far they've barely shown it.
"I've checked the numbers.
"They've had one shot in the opening thirty minutes, and that was Villa from distance."
"That's understandable," Tyler continued.
"Everyone knows how strong Arsenal are.
"New Manchester United are a very good side, but they're not yet at a level where they can simply overpower Arsenal.
"Mourinho has clearly prioritised defensive stability.
"If Arsenal's attacking momentum continues to fade, I expect the Red Rebels to become more adventurous."
Almost as if responding to his words, New Manchester United suddenly broke forward.
Essien timed a tackle perfectly and stripped Ashley Cole of possession.
He immediately found Kaká in the middle.
Kaká turned and accelerated.
"Here comes Kaká!"
Gray's voice rose.
"Look at the speed of this break!"
Kaká carried the ball straight through midfield.
Gilberto Silva moved across to stop him.
Kaká slowed for half a second.
Then pushed the ball directly between his compatriot's legs and burst beyond him.
"Oh, that's brilliant!"
Gray laughed.
"Kaká's dribbling is so economical.
"There aren't many elaborate tricks.
"It's mostly changes of pace, body movement, and simple touches.
"But that's exactly why he's so difficult to stop."
Keown stepped forward.
Kaká released the ball first.
A perfectly weighted through pass split Arsenal's defence.
Villa accelerated immediately.
He edged in front of Luzhny.
One touch.
Then he drove the ball towards the near post.
Goal!
Villa turned to celebrate.
Then the whistle sounded.
Offside.
Gray hesitated.
"Offside?"
The replay appeared.
"That's extremely tight.
"You could certainly argue he's level.
"But the assistant has raised his flag, and the referee has accepted it."
Several New Manchester United players immediately surrounded the officials.
Villa gestured towards the defensive line, insisting he had timed his run perfectly.
The referee repeatedly shook his head.
No discussion.
No goal.
"Mourinho is furious on the touchline," Gray said.
"His team have spent half an hour absorbing Arsenal pressure.
"They finally break perfectly, appear to take the lead, and it's ruled out for offside."
Tyler gave a resigned laugh.
"That's football.
"The referee's decision is final."
"Exactly," Gray replied.
"And regardless of whether New Manchester United agree with it, the goal won't count.
"But that counter-attack tells us something important.
"Mourinho wants to attack Arsenal's ageing central defence with pace.
"That's one of the reasons he's left Drogba on the bench and started Villa instead.
"Villa is quicker, more mobile, and very dangerous when he can run into space."
"Absolutely," Tyler said.
"He's technically excellent, he reads scoring situations quickly, and his movement is sharp.
"Keown and Luzhny are going to have a very difficult afternoon if New Manchester United can keep creating those transitions."
Tyler sounded almost pleased at the thought.
"And that's also a warning for Wenger.
"The Red Rebels break incredibly quickly.
"Arsenal need to control those transitions, just as Mourinho has adjusted his side to contain Arsenal's attacking left."
Play resumed.
Seaman rolled the ball short to Lauren on the right.
Arsenal appeared determined to involve that flank more.
But Ljungberg still lacked sharpness.
Soon after crossing halfway, he was met by De Rossi.
The Italian launched himself into a hard but clean challenge and knocked the ball out for a throw.
Ljungberg went down as well.
The referee immediately waved play on.
No foul.
Ljungberg remained on the ground for several seconds before getting back to his feet.
His injury had healed sufficiently for him to play.
But the hesitation in his movements suggested he had not completely forgotten it.
Wenger remained outwardly calm on the opposite touchline.
Mourinho was far more animated.
He constantly issued instructions.
More than anything, he demanded greater efficiency on the counter.
Be quicker.
Be smarter.
Choose the right pass.
As Arsenal's attack became less effective, New Manchester United began finding more opportunities to break.
Villa's disallowed goal was the clearest warning.
There were others.
Hleb even found himself shooting from close range, only for Seaman to produce an excellent save.
By now, the pattern of the final had become clear.
Arsenal controlled possession and attacked steadily.
New Manchester United stayed compact and waited for the chance to counter.
Everything now depended on who could score first.
The tension spread through the Millennium Stadium and into homes across the country.
Everyone understood the importance of the opening goal.
This was a final.
For either team, conceding first would immediately change the entire match.
And against an opponent of this quality, having to chase the game could prove fatal.
(To be continued.)