 Thematch programme cover | |||||||
| |||||||
| Manchester United won 4–3 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 10 August 2003 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Millennium Stadium,Cardiff | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Paul Scholes (Manchester United)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Steve Bennett (Kent) | ||||||
| Attendance | 59,923 | ||||||
| Weather | Haze 24 °C (75 °F)[2] | ||||||
←2002 2004 → | |||||||
The2003 FA Community Shield (also known asThe FA Community Shield in partnership withMcDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 81st staging of theFA Community Shield, an annual football match contested by the reigning champions of thePremier League and the holders of theFA Cup. It was held at Cardiff'sMillennium Stadium on 10 August 2003. The match pittedManchester United, champions of the2002–03 Premier League against Shield holdersArsenal, who beatSouthampton 1–0 in the2003 FA Cup final. Manchester United won the Shield 4–3 onpenalties, as neither side could be separated after a 1–1 draw in 90 minutes.
This was Manchester United's 22nd Community Shield appearance and Arsenal's 17th. Manchester United managerSir Alex Ferguson assessed before the match that his midfield was stronger than before, despite selling first-team playersDavid Beckham andJuan Sebastián Verón.Arsène Wenger was optimistic of Arsenal's prospects in the upcoming season despite having only made minor changes to his squad, andChelsea's emergence as a competitor followingRoman Abramovich's takeover. Having been linked with a transfer away in the summer, Arsenal captainPatrick Vieira revealed before the game his intention to stay at the club.
GoalkeepersTim Howard andJens Lehmann made their competitive debuts for their respective clubs in the match.Ole Gunnar Solskjær started in midfield for Manchester United andPaul Scholes played behind the main striker,Ruud van Nistelrooy. For Arsenal,Kolo Touré partneredSol Campbell in central defence asMartin Keown was absent.Mikaël Silvestre gave Manchester United the lead in the 15th minute from a corner, butThierry Henry equalised for Arsenal five minutes later from a free-kick. In the second half, substituteFrancis Jeffers was sent off for kicking out atPhil Neville. Neither team was able to score in the remaining time, so the match was decided by apenalty shoot-out. Howard saved the decisive spot-kick taken byRobert Pires, winning United their first Shield since1997. On the other hand, this was Arsenal's first defeat since1993.
Both managers were pleased with their teams' performances, in particular Ferguson, who felt his players coped well in the heat. The 2003 Community Shield brought its lowest crowd since1995; Wenger reasoned there was "less and less appetite" for the event.
Founded in 1908 as a successor to theSheriff of London Charity Shield,[3] theFA Community Shield began as a contest between the respective champions of theFootball League andSouthern League, although in 1913, it was played between an Amateurs XI and a Professionals XI.[4] In 1921, it was played by the league champions of the top division andFA Cup winners for the first time.[5][a]Wembley Stadium acted as the host of the Shield from 1974.[7] Cardiff'sMillennium Stadium was hosting the Shield for the third time; it took over as the venue for the event whileWembley Stadium underwent a six-year renovation between 2001 and 2006.[7]
Manchester United qualified for the 2003 FA Community Shield by winning the Premier League – their eighth championship in 11 years.[8] Despite making their worst start to a league campaign since the1989–90 season, the team finished five points clear of second-placedArsenal, the pre-season favourites.[8] Arsenal's campaign was compensated by an appearance in the2003 FA Cup final; the team beatSouthampton 1–0 to retain the trophy and qualify for the Community Shield.[9][10]
Manchester United were appearing in the Community Shield for the 22nd time, having won 10 outright (1908,1911,1952,1956,1957,1983,1993,1994,1996,1997), sharing four (1965,1967,1977,1990) and losing seven (1948,1963,1985,1998,1999,2000,2001). In contrast, Arsenal appeared in 16 previous Shields, likewise winning 10 outright (1930,1931,1933,1934,1938, 1948,1953, 1998, 1999,2002), while sharing one (1991) and losing five (1935,1936,1979,1989, 1993). This was the fifth meeting between the two clubs in the Community Shield; Arsenal won three of those meetings to Manchester United's one. Manchester United's victory came in 1993 in the first drawn Charity Shield match since 1974 to be decided by penalty shoot-out.[11]
Manchester United managerSir Alex Ferguson said before the Community Shield that new signingsEric Djemba-Djemba andKléberson had made his midfield stronger, in spite of selling first-team playersDavid Beckham andJuan Sebastián Verón: "The two of them give us youth in that department and I think it's important to have young legs in there, particularly with the number of games we play."[12]
Arsenal captainPatrick Vieira revealed his intention to stay at the club, despite interest fromChelsea, who had been acquired by Russian billionaireRoman Abramovich in the summer.[13] ManagerArsène Wenger used his press conference to look ahead to the new season and felt his team's chances were as good, if not better than Chelsea's: "I can understand that we look a little bit poor and out of shape but what is important is what happens on the pitch and you will see that we look good. To write us off just because we haven't spent £100 million is a bit easy."[13]
Neither United nor Arsenal made noticeable changes to their squad, but Ferguson believed both teams would remain the ones to beat in the Premier League: "There's only really ourselves and Arsenal who know what it takes to win the Premiership. It's not an easy thing to achieve. You need experience."[12]
GoalkeeperTim Howard started his first competitive match for Manchester United, replacingFabien Barthez, whileQuinton Fortune was selected at left-back ahead ofJohn O'Shea.[14][15] They lined up in a4–4–1–1 formation, with forwardOle Gunnar Solskjær positioned on the right wing andPaul Scholes playing just off the main striker,Ruud van Nistelrooy.[16] For Arsenal,Jens Lehmann made his first competitive appearance.[16] The team lined up in a4–4–2 formation.[16]Kolo Touré was paired with defenderSol Campbell at centre-back in the absence ofMartin Keown.[17]
The stadium observed a minute's silence in memory ofRay Harford and Manchester United reserve playerJimmy Davis, who both died on 9 August 2003.[15] Arsenal kicked off the match and within the first two minutesPhil Neville andAshley Cole were booked for mistimed tackles.[18] The match settled into "a more sedate rhythm" soon after, and in the 13th minute, Scholes' long pass found Solskjær, who was subsequently tackled; the ball ran out for a corner.[15] It was delivered byRyan Giggs and the ball was flicked on byRoy Keane at the near post – an unmarkedMikaël Silvestre headed it into the net, which gave United the lead.[18] It was short-lived, however; in the 18th minute,Nicky Butt conceded a free-kick for a foul on Vieira.[18] From "about 33 yards out", Henry shot the ball past United's wall and beat Howard in goal.[15] Arsenal's equaliser did not hand them the impetus, for United continued to control proceedings.[18] Silvestre's cross in the 28th minute fashioned a chance for Giggs, though Arsenal's defence prevented him from getting a shot.[18] Giggs came close to scoring five minutes later; a cross by Butt found the Welshman whose effort hit the post. United finished the half with two half-chances.[18]
Ray Parlour and Henry came off in the second half forRobert Pires andSylvain Wiltord. United created an early chance, but Van Nistelrooy was unable to make the most of Giggs' delivery. The player went down in thepenalty area under the challenge of Campbell, prompting United players to appeal for a penalty; however, refereeSteve Bennett decided to let play continue.[15] Arsenalcountered twice thereafter, but their attacks broke down on both counts. Vieira, Scholes andQuinton Fortune were booked for tackles during a 10-minute spell.[18] Both clubs made substitutions in the midway point of the second half: for Arsenal, Bergkamp, Gilberto and Ljungberg were replaced byFrancis Jeffers,Edu andGiovanni van Bronckhorst, whereas for United, Butt and Fortune came off forEric Djemba-Djemba andJohn O'Shea.[15] In the 72nd minute, Jeffers was shown a red card for kicking out at Neville.[15] Ferguson brought on strikerDiego Forlán for Neville six minutes later.[15] Djemba-Djemba avoided a yellow card for his challenge on Campbell in the 80th minute; Bennett deemed it unintentional.[18]
The game descended into a scrappy affair in the last few minutes, with few clear cut chances for either side. With no further goals, it was decided by penalties. Scholes, Edu and Ferdinand converted their kicks, before Howard saved Van Bronkhorst's effort. Van Nistelrooy missed his and Wiltord scored to level the tally at 2–2 in the shoot-out. Solskjær,Lauren and Forlán scored, but Pires missed – his effort saved by Howard – which won United the Shield, 4–3 on penalties.[18]
| Arsenal | 1–1 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
Henry 20' | Report | Silvestre 15' |
| Penalties | ||
Edu Van Bronckhorst  Wiltord Lauren Pires | 3–4 | ScholesFerdinandVan NistelrooySolskjærForlán |
       Arsenal |      Manchester United |
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Match officials
| Match rules
|
| Statistic | Arsenal | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 1 | 1 |
| Possession | 50% | 50% |
| Shots on target | 2 | 2 |
| Shots off target | 3 | 6 |
| Blocked shots | 4 | 3 |
| Corner kicks | 4 | 2 |
| Fouls | 12 | 14 |
| Offsides | 3 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 |
| Source:[1] | ||
Henry Winter ofThe Daily Telegraph opined that, injuries to players aside, "The Community Shield itself experienced most damage".[19] Arsenal returned 8,000 of their ticket allocation, while transport problems meant spectators were unable to reach Cardiff in time. A crowd of 59,923 was the Shield's lowest ineight years.[20]
Ferguson was delighted in how his team coped with the pitchside temperatures: "You had to be down there to appreciate it. I was told it was 41 degrees on the pitch – I know I was roasting just watching them."[21] When asked about Howard's positioning for Arsenal's equaliser, he replied: "Tim wanted three in the wall and he will learn from that. This isn't America."[21] Silvestre denied suggestions that the win gave United a psychological edge over Arsenal: "This is still a pre-season game. We won the Premiership title with a strong run at the end of last season."[22] Howard was unsure whether he would displace Barthez in the first team for a prolonged run – "that's not my decision", though continued "We have four great goalkeepers and we're looking to have a good battle all season long."[22]
Wenger was content with his team's performance: "We are at only 80% fitness and still we got a draw with Manchester United," and thought his defence stood firm against United's attack.[23] He felt Jeffers' dismissal was "deserved" for overreacting, but added, "He's apologised. He realised he made a mistake. He's intelligent, he's young and he'll learn."[22] The performance of Lehmann encouraged the Arsenal manager; he noted that the goalkeeper was "amazed to see the referee wave play on after one aerial challenge."[23] Wenger made reference to Arsenal's low crowd turnout and suggested it meant there was "less and less appetite" for the Shield.[24]
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