 The match programme cover | |||||||
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| Date | 12 August 2001 | ||||||
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| Venue | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Sander Westerveld (Liverpool)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Andy D'Urso (Essex) | ||||||
| Attendance | 70,227 | ||||||
The 2001 FA Charity Shield (also known as The One 2 One FA Charity Shield for sponsorship reasons) was the 79th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup. The match was contested between Liverpool, winners of the 2000–01 FA Cup and Manchester United, who won the 2000–01 Premier League on 12 August 2001. It was the first Shield match to be held at the Millennium Stadium following the closure of Wembley Stadium for reconstruction. It was also the final time that the match was played under the FA Charity Shield name, as it was renamed to the FA Community Shield the following year.[2]
This was Liverpool's 19th appearance and Manchester United's 21st and the 5th time they had met in the competition. The anticipated meeting of Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and new Manchester United signing Juan Sebastián Verón did not occur. Another omission from the Liverpool team was striker Robbie Fowler, who was left out of the matchday squad. New signings for both teams made an appearance, with defender John Arne Riise making his first appearance in English football for Liverpool, while striker Ruud van Nistelrooy made his debut for Manchester United.
Watched by a crowd of 70,027 spectators, Liverpool took the lead in the second minute when Gary McAllister scored from a penalty awarded for a foul by Roy Keane on Danny Murphy. Liverpool extended their lead in the 16th minute when striker Michael Owen scored. Manchester United scored in the second half through Van Nistelrooy but were unable to find the equalising goal in the remaining minutes. Thus, Liverpool won the match 2–1 to win the Shield for the 14th time. Despite the victory, Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier was realistic about his team's prospects in the upcoming 2001–02 FA Premier League. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was critical of referee Andy D'Urso's performance after he turned down two penalty appeals from his side during the match. Liverpool's victory marked their 14th success, while United became the first club to lost four consecutive Charity/Community Shield.
- ^ "Reds beat United to win Charity Shield". Liverpool F.C. 12 August 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ Ross, James (1 September 2020). "England – List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 May 2021.