1993 FA Charity Shield
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Manchester United won 5–4 on penalties | |||||||
Date | 7 August 1993 | ||||||
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Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
Man of the Match | Paul Ince (Manchester United)[1] | ||||||
Referee | Gerald Ashby (Worcestershire) | ||||||
Attendance | 66,519 | ||||||
Weather | Sunny[2] | ||||||
The 1993 Football Association Charity Shield was the 71st
This was Arsenal's 12th's Charity Shield appearance and Manchester United's 17th. The 1993 staging of the event was the first to feature players wearing permanent squad numbers; this became common practise in time for the 1993–94 season. Roy Keane made his debut for Manchester United in the match; he partnered Paul Ince in midfield. United began the match the brighter of the two teams and scored after eight minutes of play, through Mark Hughes. Striker Eric Cantona spurned two chances to extend United's lead, by which point Arsenal's midfield started to assert themselves. Five minutes before the interval, Ian Wright capitalised on a mistake by Ryan Giggs to score the equaliser. Arsenal started the second half strongly, which prompted Ferguson to tweak his formation and bring on Bryan Robson in place of Giggs. Eddie McGoldrick came on for his Arsenal debut in the 74th minute, and two minutes later, United were denied a penalty after Ince was brought down by John Jensen.
As there were no further goals, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Wright and
Background
The
Arsenal qualified for the 1993 FA Charity Shield by defeating
This was Manchester United's first appearance in the Charity Shield in three years; prior to this event they won 10 Shields outright (1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1983), shared four (1965, 1967, 1977, 1990) and lost three (1948, 1963, 1985). By contrast, Arsenal won seven previous Shields (1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953), shared one with Tottenham Hotspur in 1991 and lost four (1935, 1936, 1979, 1989).[9] Both clubs had only once met before in the Shield, when Arsenal won by four goals to three in 1948.[9]
Pre-match
Both managers approached the match with a view to win, in spite of the Shield's friendly feel.
The match was scheduled for a 12:30pm kick off since Sky Sports televised the match in both Scotland and England; they were unable to pick an afternoon slot because of the television blackout, which aimed to protect Scottish attendances.[14] UEFA warned The Football Association in the lead-up to the Charity Shield that a 3pm kick-off would result in a minimum fine of £5 million.[15] Deryk Brown of The Sunday Times wrote of the decision: "So, at least, the season is beginning as it will go on, at the mercy of television."[14] Tickets for the game were advertised at a cost of between £10 and £30.[16]
Match
Team selection
Arsenal lined up in a 4–4–2 formation; Eddie McGoldrick was included in the matchday squad, while Kevin Campbell partnered Ian Wright up front.[17] Ferguson deployed a 4–2–4 formation, with Paul Ince partnering debutant Keane in the midfield two.[17] Andrei Kanchelskis was picked in favour of Lee Sharpe on the right wing.[18]
Summary
Manchester United began the first half the better of the two teams and led from the eighth minute.
A tackle by Ince on Lee Dixon left the Arsenal defender with a damaged ankle; he came off at half time and was replaced by Martin Keown.[19] Arsenal's performance improved after Wright's goal; Paul Merson, a quiet figure in the first half, influenced their play in the second.[19] Ferguson responded to Arsenal's newfound impetus by substituting Giggs for Bryan Robson.[17] This tweaked United's formation to 4–3–3; in spite of Ince's well-rounded performance, his partner Keane started to tire as the game went on and United's game therefore suffered.[1][17] Keane was shifted onto the right to accommodate Robson, who brought control to United's play.[1] In the meantime, Nigel Winterburn prevented Cantona from scoring, following good play by Kanchelskis.[1] Arsenal's service to Wright and Campbell was infrequent throughout the second half, but both players tested Schmeichel in goal.[1] McGoldrick came on for his Arsenal debut in the 74th minute, a versatile player, able to "sweep, score from midfield or play wide".[14] Two minutes later, Seaman denied Keane from scoring with a one-handed save.[20] United continued to attack and a move was broken down after Jensen's tackle brought Ince down in the Arsenal's penalty area.[1] Gerald Ashby refused to award a penalty – "the referee's decision otherwise was not supported by television replays".[1]
No further goals meant the game was decided on a penalty shoot-out. The first four penalties were scored – Ince and Bruce for United and Winterburn and Jensen for Arsenal, before Seaman saved Irwin's effort. Wright missed his penalty, prompting jeers from the United supporters.[14] The shoot-out proceeded to sudden death; Robson scored and Seaman "saw his gentle penalty saved by his opposite number" to give United a 5–4 win and thereby the Shield.[14]
Details
Arsenal | 1–1 | Manchester United |
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Wright 40' | [21] | Hughes 8' |
Penalties | ||
Winterburn Jensen Campbell Merson Wright Seaman |
4–5 | Ince Bruce Irwin Keane Cantona Robson |
Arsenal[22]
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Manchester United[22]
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Match rules
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Post-match
The Charity Shield was presented to Bruce by former Arsenal manager
Ferguson remarked the Shield should not have been settled on penalties; to him it was a "celebration of success", though ultimately he was delighted his team won.[18] He was pleased with the team's start – "I thought in the first 25 minutes we were really good and could have tied the match up then"[25] – and considered lining the team up in a 4–3–3 formation to begin with, though wanted to see "how Keane played with Ince, what the balance was like".[17] Ince believed he should have been awarded a penalty after Jensen fouled him: "I was past their last man and there was no way I would have dived from there."[25]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barclay, Patrick (8 August 1993). "Able Seaman all at sea with penalty". The Observer. London. p. 40.
- ^ "The Times Today". The Times. 7 August 1993. p. 16.
- ^ a b "The FA Community Shield history". The Football Association. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ Lacey, David (21 August 1993). "Playing by squad numbers sows seeds of confusion". The Guardian. London. p. 15.
- ^ Thorpe, Martin (21 August 1993). "Thomas on the high road back". The Guardian. London. p. 15.
- ^ a b Thomas, Russell (7 August 1993). "Scots with little room for charity". The Guardian. London. p. 19.
- ^ "Gunners clinch FA and League Cup double". Arsenal F.C. 16 December 2008. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Ball, Peter (3 May 1993). "United claim the glittering prize at last". The Times. p. 19.
- ^ a b Ross, James (15 August 2013). "List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ a b Miller, David (7 August 1993). "Arsenal should aim to please". The Times. p. 30.
- ^ "Tunnel of hate". Daily Mirror. London. 7 August 1993. pp. 26–7.
- ^ Curry, Steve (7 August 1993). "Glasgow glitter boys on parade". Daily Express. London. pp. 78–9.
- ^ Thomas, Russell (7 August 1993). "Keane widens the horizons". The Guardian. London. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Brown, Deryk (8 August 1993). "Wright kicks off with a screamer and a howler". The Sunday Times. London. p. S2.
- ^ Harris, Bob (30 May 1993). "TV in Charity Shield shocker". Sunday Mirror. London. p. 64.
- ^ "Display ad 26". The Guardian. London. 6 August 1993. p. A15.
- ^ a b c d e Ball, Peter (9 August 1993). "Resilient Arsenal dip United's wings". The Times. p. 20.
- ^ a b Lovejoy, Joe (9 August 1993). "United learning to live with their riches: Ferguson says he would have happily shared the spoils at Wembley". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ a b Fox, Norman (8 August 1993). "United have the last laugh in lottery". The Independent on Sunday. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
- ^ Lacey, David (9 August 1993). "Shoot-out spoils Shield's sweet charity". The Guardian. London. p. 12.
- ^ Harris, Bob (8 August 1993). "It's Gunner be all Wright". Daily Mirror. London. p. 54.
- ^ a b Arsenal v Manchester Utd FA Charity Shield 1993 (Television production). Sky Sports. 7 August 1993. Event occurs at 0:00–1:23. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Keys, Richard (presenter), Tyler, Martin (commentator) (7 August 1993). The Charity Shield: Arsenal v Manchester United (Television production). Sky Sports. Event occurs at 14:00:00–14:30:00.
- ^ "Billy Wright". The Times. 5 September 1994. p. 17.
- ^ a b c d Irwin, Mark (8 August 1993). "We're a mess". Sunday Mirror. London. p. 56.
- ^ Clarke, Nigel (9 August 1993). "Top gun can grab 50 goals". Daily Mirror. London. p. 33.