Steven Gerrard scored two goals and a crucial shootout kick to lead Liverpool to victory over West Ham and a seventh FA Cup title -- showing why he will be one of England's key players at the World Cup.
The Liverpool captain had already set up a goal for Djibril Cisse and scored once when he made the game 3-3 and sent it into extra time. After a scoreless extra period, Liverpool then won the shootout 3-1.
Liverpool, which also made a comeback and won a shootout in last season's Champions League final, was trailing 2-0 and then 3-2 in the 125th final until Gerrard's 30m half volley in injury time dashed the Hammers' hopes of a first FA Cup triumph for 26 years.
Goalkeeper Pepe Reina tipped an effort by Nigel Reo-Coker onto the post with a minute of extra time left before saving three kicks in the shootout.
Gerrard lifted the famous trophy, adding it to last season's European title, when his headed goal started Liverpool's fightback from 3-0 down at halftime to draw 3-3 against AC Milan.
"It's very special, the supporters are fantastic and West Ham were brilliant today, but we had the never-say-die attitude," Gerrard said. "We felt our best chance was penalties because we had no energy left."
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez acknowledged that his team gave him some scares.
"We like to do the difficult things, but it's not best for the heart," Benitez said. "It's better to start winning and keep calm."
The manager commended his players for winning its 62nd game of a grueling season, with Gerrard playing all but five of them.
"It was a fantastic final with two teams who played really well," he said. "You must give credit to my players who had a lot of cramps after 62 games. All the players kept going until the end. Reina is famous in Spain for saving penalties. We had confidence in him."
But it was hard on the Hammers, who were only four minutes of injury time away from a famous triumph.
A year ago, West Ham manager Alan Pardew guided his team to promotion through the playoffs having finished sixth in the League Championship at a time Liverpool was preparing for its Champions League triumph against Milan.
"We were up against a team packed with internationals with players who have won medals and have huge reputations," he said. "We put all that aside and almost pulled it off. I told the players that perhaps they have been part of one of the great finals ever and they can take great dignity and pride from their performance.
"You can't come much closer than this and next time we know we have just got to cross that line and get a trophy. I'm not going to say we deserved to win because that would be unfair on Liverpool. Both teams perhaps deserved to win."
The Hammers had been in control midway through the first half with two goals in seven minutes. Defender Jamie Carragher turned a cross from Lionel Scaloni into his own net and Dean Ashton added the second after Reina failed to hold a shot by Matthew Etherington.
Liverpool hit back through Djibril Cisse and Gerrard, but Konchesky put the Hammers 3-2 ahead with a miss-hit cross in the 64th minute. Gerrard then fired his late drive through a crowded area to make it 3-3 before 71,140 fans at the Millennium Stadium.
After 30 scoreless minutes of extra time, the final went to penalties for the second straight year. Arsenal beat Manchester United a year ago after a 0-0 draw in the final's first ever shootout.
RSS