Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has admitted he’s nonetheless irritated that he did not cease Ryan Giggs’ well-known solo objective for Manchester United within the 1999 FA Cup semi-final.
After choosing up a free cross from Patrick Vieira on the midway line at Villa Park, the Manchester United winger skipped previous the Frenchman earlier than shimmying his means by way of Arsenal duo Keown and Lee Dixon, earlier than smashing the ball into the roof of David Seaman’s objective.
That objective in extra-time ensured Manchester United could be heading to the FA Cup ultimate, finally sending them on their option to the treble that 12 months. For Keown, although, there are mitigating circumstances for why he did not cease Giggs from flying previous him.
Arsenal did not cease Ryan Giggs due to Dwight Yorke’s intelligent run
“It’s not simple, however I can look again on it and analyse the problems that hindered me stopping him,” Keown tells FourFourTwo. “Dwight Yorke made a improbable run. I used to be approaching Giggs and I’d often present him to the road, however Yorke made a intelligent run and I got here off the right line.
“I used to be a really respectable man-marker, however I allowed myself to be distracted by Yorke’s motion. His run allowed Giggs to come back inside me, which I’m nonetheless irritated about. With out it, Giggs wouldn’t have gotten previous me.”
Regardless of Vieira’s misplaced cross giving Giggs the liberty to supply such a superb solo objective, Keown nonetheless believes that the towering midfielder deserves a statue exterior the Emirates Stadium.
Whereas discussing essentially the most gifted gamers he stood alongside at Arsenal – for which there are lots of – Keown highlights Vieira because the “catalyst” for fulfillment that adopted below Arsene Wenger.
“That’s laborious,” Keown admits when requested the query. “It’s like asking me to call my favorite brother.
“There have been the forwards – Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Marc Overmars – and alongside me there was Tony Adams, who was an unbelievable expertise, and Sol Campbell, too.
“However once I’m requested that, my quick response is Patrick Vieira. With out Patrick, these forwards, these large abilities, wouldn’t have gotten on the ball. He was the catalyst, actually. If he gained the battle in midfield, we gained the match. He demanded and he dictated; we performed from there. There ought to be a statue of Patrick exterior the Emirates.”
