London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are set to clash in the FA Cup final for the third time.
Ahead of Saturday’s match at Wembley, the PA news agency takes a look back at the previous encounters between the clubs.
2002: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
Arsenal captain Tony Adams and midfielder Patrick Vieira lifted the cup together after second-half goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg earned victory in the second final to be held in Cardiff. Then Soccer AM presenter and Blues fan Tim Lovejoy – taking part in a celebrity commentary alongside Gunners-supporting comedian Bradley Walsh – was made to eat his words after uttering ‘it’s all right, it’s only Ray Parlour’ moments before the midfielder curled home a delightful 70th-minute opener. Ljungberg put the result beyond doubt with a fine solo effort 10 minutes later as Arsene Wenger’s men secured a league and cup double at the Millennium Stadium. Swede Ljungberg, who was on target in a 2-1 loss to Liverpool the previous year, became the first man to score in successive finals since Tottenham’s Bobby Smith achieved the feat in 1962.
2017: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
On a record-breaking afternoon, Per Mertesacker captained Arsenal to an unprecedented 13th FA Cup success on his first start of an injury-ravaged season. Aaron Ramsey struck a 79th-minute winner to give manager Wenger his final piece of major silverware as the Gunners claimed the trophy for the third time in four seasons. In the process, Frenchman Wenger became the most successful manager in the tournament’s history with seven wins, the first of which came 19 years earlier. Alexis Sanchez fired Arsenal into a fourth-minute lead at Wembley, a strike which was initially ruled out for offside against Ramsey. Despite going down to 10 men when Victor Moses was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for diving, Antonio Conte’s Premier League champions levelled through Diego Costa with just 14 minutes to play. Parity did not last long though as midfielder Ramsey headed home an Olivier Giroud cross to ensure a memorable day for the north London club.
