1999 FA Charity Shield

1999 FA Charity Shield
The match programme cover.
Date1 August 1999
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchNwankwo Kanu (Arsenal)[1]
RefereeGraham Barber (Hertfordshire)[1]
Attendance70,185
WeatherClear
29 °C (84 °F)[2]
1998
2000

The 1999 Football Association Charity Shield (also known as The One 2 One FA Charity Shield for sponsorship reasons) was the 77th FA Charity Shield, an annual English football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The teams involved were Manchester United, who had won both the Premier League and FA Cup as part of the Treble the previous season, and Arsenal, who finished runners-up in the league. Watched by a crowd of 70,185 at Wembley Stadium, Arsenal won the match 2–1.

This was Arsenal's 15th Charity Shield appearance and Manchester United's 19th. Leading up to the match, both clubs were embroiled in controversy: United withdrew from English football's primary cup competition, the FA Cup, in order to take part in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship; Arsenal were entangled in a transfer saga involving their own player, striker Nicolas Anelka, who vowed to never play for the club again. United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, signed as a replacement for Peter Schmeichel, made the first appearance of his second spell with the club. Sylvinho started his first game for Arsenal, whereas other signing Oleh Luzhnyi was named on the substitutes' bench. United went ahead seven minutes before the end of the first half, when David Beckham's free-kick hit the underside of the crossbar and narrowly crossed the line before Dwight Yorke made sure. Arsenal were awarded a penalty in the second half which Nwankwo Kanu converted and the striker assisted his teammate Ray Parlour to score the winner.

This result marked Manchester United's first defeat of 1999. It was the second consecutive year that Arsenal beat United to win the Charity Shield. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described it as psychological boost to beat his opponents and felt the win showed that his team were ready for the upcoming season. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, on the other hand, believed the defeat highlighted his players needed more game time.

  1. ^ a b Harris, Harry (2 August 1999). "You've got it all right Arsenal". The Mirror. London. p. 47.
  2. ^ "History for London City, United Kingdom". Weather Underground. Retrieved 8 August 2013.

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