2003 FA Cup Final: Arsenal 1-0 Southampton
The first indoor final

The footage

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2003

The match report

The 122nd FA Cup final was played on Saturday 17 May 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in front of 73,726 spectators. It was the third consecutive final held in Cardiff while Wembley was being rebuilt, and heavy rain in south Wales meant the retractable roof was closed: this was the first FA Cup final ever played indoors, with floodlights supplementing the gloom.[1][6][16]

Arsenal, the holders, were appearing in their sixteenth final; Southampton in their fourth, and their first since winning the cup in 1976. Arsenal were without Patrick Vieira, injured in the semi-final, so the captaincy passed to goalkeeper David Seaman, in what was widely expected - and proved - to be his last match for the club. Sol Campbell was suspended and Pascal Cygan injured, so Oleh Luzhny partnered a half-fit Martin Keown at the back. Southampton, missing club captain Jason Dodd, were led out by Chris Marsden, and Gordon Strachan sprang the selection surprise of the day: Chris Baird at right back for only the second competitive start of his career, with Fabrice Fernandes left on the bench.[6][7][9]

The bookmakers' confidence in Arsenal rested on more than reputation. The same two clubs had met at Highbury nine days earlier, in a league match Arsenal won 6-1 with hat-tricks from Jermaine Pennant and Pires. Both managers rested players that day, and Strachan insisted the humiliation had cleared his mind about how to play the final. His team would not, he promised, stand off Arsenal and admire them.[8][4]

Southampton did not quite keep that promise early on. Henry could have scored inside the first 30 seconds, escaping Lundekvam's shirt tug and drawing a block from Antti Niemi, and when Niemi failed to hold another Henry effort Baird had to clear Bergkamp's follow-up off the line. Saints settled, Beattie had a goal correctly disallowed for offside, and the tackles began to fly - Keown and Beattie were both booked before the half-hour. Seven minutes before the interval Arsenal's passing cut through: Parlour to Henry, Henry to Bergkamp, Bergkamp to Ljungberg, whose shot was blocked into the path of Pires. The Frenchman took one touch and drove low past Niemi at the near post on 38 minutes.[1][6][7]

Arsenal should have settled it after the break. On 52 minutes Niemi parried Bergkamp's shot and Ljungberg, alone at the far post, found only the side-netting; four minutes later Niemi's fingertips kept out a curling Henry effort. That was the Finn's last contribution. He collapsed after taking a goal kick and was stretchered off on 66 minutes, replaced by Paul Jones. Henry, frustrated, was booked for diving in the Southampton box.[1][6][7]

The closing minutes belonged to Southampton's pursuit of an equaliser. Substitute Jo Tessem nearly scored with his first touch. Then, with eight minutes left, Ormerod broke to the byline and crashed a shot towards the top corner, only for Seaman to fling out a hand and turn it away - the one great save of the final, and the last of his Arsenal career. Deep into stoppage time Beattie's header from a corner was on its way in until Ashley Cole cleared it off the line, and Pires hacked the second corner away to end the match.[1][6][7]

The win made Arsenal the first club to retain the FA Cup since Tottenham Hotspur in 1982, and it was their ninth cup in total. Keown, who had played with an injection in his leg, called it the best win of them all and dedicated his performance to the suspended Campbell. Wenger admitted his players had been scared of finishing the season without a trophy; Strachan said he could not have asked for more from his team. There was a consolation for the losers: with Arsenal already bound for the Champions League, Southampton inherited the UEFA Cup place, and their season ended in Europe rather than empty-handed.[2][7][13][14]

The final was shown live by both the BBC and Sky Sports. BBC One's coverage peaked at 9.6 million viewers and averaged 8.3 million, the largest audience for an FA Cup final in four years - a healthy number for a match almost nobody described as a classic.[16]

How the match unfolded

1. 1'Thierry Henry nearly scores inside the first 30 seconds, shrugging off Claus Lundekvam's shirt tug and forcing a block from Antti Niemi. Referee Graham Barber plays the advantage rather than giving the penalty.[1][6][7]
2. 7'Niemi fails to hold another Henry effort and Chris Baird clears Dennis Bergkamp's follow-up off the line.[1][7]
3. 18'Baird, attacking from right back, forces the first save of the match out of David Seaman with a dipping long-range drive. The Observer's account times this a minute later.[1][7][6]
4. 21'James Beattie finishes crisply from Brett Ormerod's pass, but the flag is already up for offside.[7][6]
5. 29'Martin Keown is shown the first yellow card of the final for a late challenge. The accounts disagree on the victim: the Guardian's live log says Michael Svensson, the Observer says Ormerod.[6][7]
6. 30'Beattie is booked for clipping Oleh Luzhny's ankles.[6][7]
7. 38'Goal. Ray Parlour feeds Henry, who slips Bergkamp in down the right. Bergkamp finds Freddie Ljungberg, whose shot is blocked, and the rebound runs to Robert Pires, who takes one touch and fires low past Niemi at the near post.[1][6][7][13]
8. 45'Half-time. Arsenal lead by the only goal, and might have had more.[1][6]
9. 52'Bergkamp turns in the box and shoots; Niemi parries into Ljungberg's path and the Swede hits the side-netting with the goal gaping.[1][6][7]
10. 56'Niemi gets a fingertip to Henry's curling shot to keep Southampton in the final.[1][6]
11. 66'Niemi pulls up after taking a goal kick and is stretchered off. Paul Jones replaces him in goal. The contemporary accounts disagree on both the minute and the injury: calf strain per the BBC and the Guardian live log, a recurrence of a knee injury per the Observer.[1][6][7]
12. 67'Henry is booked for diving in the Southampton penalty area.[6]
13. 75'Jo Tessem replaces Anders Svensson and almost scores with his first touch, a left-footed shot that is blocked. The Guardian's live log credits Gilberto Silva with the block; the BBC credits Lauren with the interception.[1][6][13]
14. 77'Sylvain Wiltord replaces the tiring Bergkamp.[1][13]
15. 82'Seaman makes the save of the match. Ormerod breaks to the byline and fires a powerful shot towards the top corner, and the 39-year-old captain flings out a hand to turn it away.[1][6][7]
16. 86'Fabrice Fernandes finally comes on for Baird, far later than the Observer's reporter thought wise.[1][13][7]
17. 94'Southampton's last chance. From a corner deep in stoppage time, Beattie's header is on target until Ashley Cole clears it off the line. Pires hacks the second corner away and the final whistle follows.[1][6][7]

Match facts

Date

Saturday 17 May 2003

Venue

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Attendance

73,726The figure given by the contemporary BBC Sport match report and by the RSSSF statistical archive. No governing-body or club document we could reach prints an attendance for this final.[1][13]

Referee

Graham Barber (Hertfordshire)[1][15]

Scorers

Robert Pires 38'[1][6][13]

Half-time

1-0

Competition

2002-03 FA Cup

Where they played

Both sides as they lined up. Choose any player to read what they did in this final.

Select a shirt for that player's note.

Route to the final

Line-ups

Trivia and detail

• Abide with Me, the traditional cup final hymn, was sung before kick-off by Tony Henry, an opera singer from south London.[16][6]
• Sir Bobby Robson was the FA's chief guest for the final and performed the duties usually reserved for royalty, including presenting the trophy to Seaman.[16][6]
• Arsenal won the toss and kept their red shirts, so Southampton played in yellow and blue - the same colours the club had worn when they won the cup in 1976.[6]
• Jermaine Pennant's hat-trick in the league meeting nine days before the final came in the space of 11 minutes on his first Premier League start. He was not in Arsenal's matchday squad for the final itself.[8][1]
• Both semi-finals were played on the same day, 13 April 2003: Arsenal beat Sheffield United at Old Trafford while Southampton beat Watford at Villa Park.[13][5]
• Each club received an allocation of approximately 25,000 tickets, of which 17,500 went to Southampton season ticket holders. The South Wales Echo reported tickets changing hands on the black market for many times their face value.[16]
• Seaman was 39 on the day of the final and joined Manchester City that summer, ending a 13-year Arsenal career.[7][12]
• The fourth official was Mike Dean, later one of the Premier League's most recognisable referees. The assistants were Nigel Miller of County Durham and Keith Stroud of Hampshire.[16]

How well do you know the 2003 final?

Five questions. Every answer is sourced from the material on this page.

1. Who scored the only goal of the 2003 FA Cup final?

   Robert PiresFreddie LjungbergThierry HenryDennis Bergkamp
   Answer

   Robert Pires. Ljungberg's shot was blocked and Pires drove the rebound low past Niemi at the near post on 38 minutes.[1][6]

2. What made the 2003 final a first in the competition's history?

   It was the first final played indoors, under a closed roofIt was the first final played in CardiffIt was the first final played on a SundayIt was the first final decided by a single goal
   Answer

   It was the first final played indoors, under a closed roof. Heavy rain meant the Millennium Stadium's retractable roof was closed. Two earlier finals (2001 and 2002) had already been played in Cardiff while Wembley was rebuilt.[6][16]

3. Who captained Arsenal in the final, and why?

   David Seaman, because Patrick Vieira was injuredPatrick Vieira, as club captainMartin Keown, as the senior defenderThierry Henry, as man of the match elect
   Answer

   David Seaman, because Patrick Vieira was injured. Vieira hurt his knee in the semi-final, so the armband went to goalkeeper Seaman in what proved to be his last match for the club.[6][9]

4. Who cleared James Beattie's stoppage-time header off the Arsenal line?

   Ashley ColeDavid SeamanLaurenOleh Luzhny
   Answer

   Ashley Cole. From Southampton's last corner, Beattie's header beat Seaman but Cole was on the line to clear it; Pires then hacked away the second corner.[1][7][6]

5. Why did Antti Niemi not finish the match for Southampton?

   He was stretchered off injured after taking a goal kickHe was sent off for handling outside the areaHe was substituted at half-time for tactical reasonsHe asked to come off after an error for the goal
   Answer

   He was stretchered off injured after taking a goal kick. Niemi collapsed after a goal kick midway through the second half and Paul Jones replaced him. The contemporary accounts disagree on whether the injury was a calf strain or a recurrence of a knee problem.[1][6][7]

What is not settled

Honesty matters more than tidiness. These details are contested or unrecorded, and we have not guessed at them:

• Niemi's exit is placed at 64 minutes by the BBC's match report, at 65 by the Guardian's live log, and at 66 by both publications' line-up notations, by the RSSSF archive and by Wikipedia. The injury is given as a calf strain by the BBC and the Guardian live log, and as a recurrence of a knee injury by the Observer. We publish 66 and a calf strain, and we do not claim the conflict is resolved.
• Keown's first-half booking is logged at 29 minutes by the Guardian live log and at 30 by the standard reference work, and the accounts name different victims: Michael Svensson in the live log, Ormerod in the Observer.
• Tessem's first-touch chance was blocked by Gilberto Silva according to the Guardian live log, and intercepted by Lauren according to the BBC.
• The stoppage-time clearance is placed in the fourth added minute by the standard reference work, in the fifth by the BBC, and at 94 minutes by the Guardian live log, which recorded four minutes added.
• The three substitution minutes differ slightly across accounts (Tessem 73 or 75, Wiltord 75 or 77, Fernandes 85 or 86). We publish the figures on which the BBC's line-up notation, the RSSSF archive and Wikipedia agree.
• The early goalline clearance by Baird is not given a minute by the BBC; the Observer places the chance in the seventh minute. The timeline uses seven on that basis.
• Attendance is a mid-confidence field: 73,726 is given by the contemporary BBC Sport report and by the RSSSF archive, but no governing-body or club document we could reach prints a figure.
• Pennant's hat-trick in the league meeting nine days before the final is given as three goals in 11 minutes on his first Premier League start by the Guardian, and as a hat-trick inside ten minutes on his debut by the BBC. We publish 11 minutes.
• No footage from a rightsholder has been verified for this final yet, so the television shows no signal rather than an unchecked embed.

How we know

Every claim on this page is tied to a numbered source below. These are the contemporary records behind it, each one fetched and matched word for word before publication rather than taken on trust:

• Live minute-by-minute report, 17 May 2003 · The Guardian
• Paul Wilson's match report, 18 May 2003 · The Observer
• Jon Brodkin's report of Arsenal 6-1 Southampton, 8 May 2003 · The Guardian
• Jon Brodkin on Seaman taking the armband in Vieira's absence, 16 May 2003 · The Guardian
• Report on the fourth-round venue switch, 9 January 2003 · The Guardian
• UEFA report of the switched fourth-round tie at Highbury, 25 January 2003 · UEFA.com
• UEFA news: Manchester City sign David Seaman from Arsenal, June 2003 · UEFA.com

Where a primary record and a modern account disagree, we show both rather than choosing the tidier number.

Sources

1. Arsenal 1-0 Southampton · BBC Sport
2. Keown hails 'best ever' win · BBC Sport
3. Arsenal were worthy winners · BBC Sport
4. Arsenal 6-1 Southampton · BBC Sport
5. Arsenal sink brave Blades · BBC Sport
6. Arsenal v Southampton: minute-by-minute · The Guardian
7. Pires aim is true for muted Gunners · The Observer
8. Arsenal star in Cup dress rehearsal · The Guardian
9. Able Seaman is captain for final · The Guardian
10. Farnborough to switch cup tie · The Guardian
11. Farnborough fall to five-star Arsenal · UEFA.com
12. Seaman to savour City life · UEFA.com
13. England FA Challenge Cup 2002-03 · RSSSF
14. England FA Challenge Cup Finals · RSSSF
15. Arsenal 1-0 Southampton · ESPN
16. 2003 FA Cup final · Wikipedia

Elsewhere in the encyclopedia

Other finals involving these clubs

• 1971 Arsenal: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
• 1979 Arsenal: Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
• 2005 Arsenal: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
• 2014 Arsenal: Arsenal 3-2 Hull City
• 2015 Arsenal: Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa
• 2017 Arsenal: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Other finals at Millennium Stadium

• 2004 Manchester United 3-0 Millwall
• 2005 Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
• 2006 Liverpool 3-3 West Ham United

Elsewhere on WhatChan