FA CUP FINAL : Manchester United - Millwall 2003/04 : FULL MATCH :

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https://www.facebook.com/classicfootballtv 22 May 2004 Manchester United 3-0 Millwall Goals : Ronaldo 44',Van Nistelrooy 65' (pen.), 81' Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 71,350 Referee: Jeff Winter (North Yorkshire) The 2004 FA Cup Final was the 123rd FA Cup Final and the fourth to be played at the Millennium Stadium, the Welsh national stadium in Cardiff, due to the ongoing reconstruction of the usual venue, London's Wembley Stadium. The match took place on 22 May 2004 and it was contested by Manchester United, who had finished third in the Premier League that season, and Millwall, who had finished 10th in the First Division. Manchester United secured a record 11th FA Cup victory with a headed goal from Cristiano Ronaldo and a brace from Ruud van Nistelrooy, which included a penalty kick. In contrast, it was Millwall's first appearance in a final of either the FA Cup or the Football League Cup. At the trophy presentation after the match, the Manchester United players wore shirts bearing the name and number of midfielder Jimmy Davis, who died in a road accident in August 2003. The match was refereed by Jeff Winter. Tony Green and Roger East were the assistant referees and Matt Messias was the fourth official. Manchester United were appearing in their 16th FA Cup final and had won it on 10 of their previous 15 appearances. Two of these victories had yielded a League and FA Cup double (in 1994 and 1996) and in 1999 they had won the FA Cup as part of an unprecedented treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup wins. For Millwall, 2004 was their first appearance in an FA Cup final, although they had reached the semi-finals on three prior occasions: 1900, 1903 and 1937. Their appearance in the 1937 semi-final was notable as Millwall were the first team in the old Third Division to reach that stage. They also became only the second team from outside the top flight of English football to reach the final since 1982, and the first team from outside the Premier League since its foundation in 1992. Millwall's game plan was to get men behind the ball, defending deep and attempt to hit Manchester United on the break, but they were unable to attempt this often as United dominated most of the proceedings. United's early chances fell to Paul Scholes, who had some long-range efforts at goal – one went just wide while another was tipped away by Millwall goalkeeper Andy Marshall. Scholes was presented with another opportunity on the six-yard line when a rabona cross from Cristiano Ronaldo found him unmarked; the midfielder seemed as surprised by the cross as everyone else and completely missed the ball with his hooked shot. Millwall's only chance of the first half came when Paul Ifill broke down the right-hand side of the pitch and arrowed in towards the penalty area, only to have his shot blocked. They looked to have survived the first half with the scoresheet intact until a decisive moment on 44 minutes. Roy Keane played in Gary Neville as he moved into the penalty area, and the right-back chipped a cross back across the box. Millwall player-manager Dennis Wise waited for the ball to arrive, but in doing so, he allowed Ronaldo to steal in and plant a firm header past Marshall, to give United a 1–0 lead going into the break. The second half began similarly to the first, with Manchester United passing the ball around freely. They went 2–0 up when Ryan Giggs went on a run into the Millwall box. He was challenged by David Livermore and referee Jeff Winter adjudged the challenge to be a foul; he pointed straight to the penalty spot although subsequent television replays suggested that Livermore won the ball in the challenge. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the penalty kick with a shot into the top-corner to the goalkeeper's right. United now held a comfortable advantage and Millwall struggled to find a way back into the match. United's defence kept Neil Harris and Tim Cahill at bay, and the Red Devils eventually scored a third when Giggs went on a run down the left and crossed for Van Nistelrooy to tap in from three yards out, and, as television replays showed, in an offside position. Millwall had a chance near the end when substitute Mark McCammon almost found a way through United's defence, while Scholes had a late effort for the Reds, before Curtis Weston (aged 17 years and 119 days) replaced Wise to become the youngest player to appear in an FA Cup final, beating the record set by James F. M. Prinsep of Clapham Rovers, when he appeared in the 1879 FA Cup Final at the age of 17 years and 245 days. The match finished 3–0 to Manchester United, their 11th success in the FA Cup.