It wasn’t exactly as intense as a top-flight grudge match, but this FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Millwall had everything: two goal-line clearances, Sir Alex Ferguson wearing a boutonniere, Dennis Wise being a prat, and even Darren Ward’s (Millwall centre back) unspeakably horrid mullet¹.

In the end though, there really wasn’t much of a surprise at the scoreline. United’s Cristiano Ronaldo was the man of the match—even though the award was strangely awarded to Ruud van Nistlerooy despite Ronaldo and Giggs dictating the terms of the match along both flanks. Right on the close of the first half, the Portuguese winger exposed some slack corner-kick defending by Millwall’s player-manger Wise² and headed United ahead.

Millwall never had a chance. The scrappy First Division side played well but they never appeared likely to equalize even before Ryan Giggs earned the penalty that put Millwall to the sword. Ruud van Nistlerooy finished that spot kick and bagged another goal from open play that was probably offside, but frankly the match was effectively over at half time.

Happy Endings

Well, Manchester United’s 2003/2004 season is now officially over and, despite what many people claim, I don’t feel it to be horribly disappointing. Winning the FA Cup as the season’s sole piece of silverware is still quite gratifying considering United’s forced abdication of any attempt to retain the FA Cup in 2000. It also means that United have won England’s most cherished cup a record 11 times.

On the ever present question of the club’s commitment to emerging talent, it certainly does look as if Ronaldo, Darren Fletcher and even the injury-jinxed Wes Brown will be greater threats to be reckoned with next season.

Yet, while those three young players took the this cup final as a stage on which to display their promising careers with Manchester United, this match also likley featured Nicky Butt’s last appearance in a Red Devils jersey. It’s a dissapointment to see the loyal midfielder on his way out of the club, but with even Phil Neville ahead of him for a berth in midfield, it really doesn’t seem likely that Butt will opt to stay in Manchester if the lack of first-team oppourtunities will hinder his chances at being called up for the national team.

Finally, I would have to say that the classiest move to be seen in this season of English football was also the last: for the FA Cup presentation ceremony, Roy Keane and the rest of the Manchester United players donned jerseys adorned with the number 36 in honour of Jimmy Davis, a promising youth team striker who died tragically in a car accident last August.

¹ Chances are when a non-football fan hears the word mullet, a picture of Billy Ray Cyrus pops into his mind. I, on the other hand, can’t help but recall The Divine Ponytail: Roberto Baggio.

² I dislike player-manager arrangements at the the best of times, but out of all the players to appoint as the team’s decision maker, Millwall had to choose Dennis Wise? This is the guy whose idea of tactics came down to how he could best deliver a karate kick to Paul Scholes in the middle of the field. He’s not at Chelsea anymore, but he’s still an idiot.