1994 FA Charity Shield debut just weeks after joining them from Blackburn. Denis Irwin and Roy Keane were absent after being given an extended break after playing for the Republic of Ireland in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. 1994 FA Charity Shield The 1994 FA Charity Shield was the 72nd FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 14 August 1994 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Manchester United, who had won the league and cup Double in 1993–94, and Blackburn Rovers, who had finished as
2002 FA Cup Final Arsenal were appearing in the final of the FA Cup for the fifteenth time, and for the second consecutive year. They had won the cup seven times previously (in 1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993 and 1998) and were beaten in the final seven times, the most recent in last season's showpiece event. By comparison, Chelsea were making their seventh appearance in a FA Cup final. The club won the cup three times (1970, 1997 and 2000) and lost the same number of finals (1915, 1967 and 1994). Arsenal and Chelsea had previously met fourteen times in the FA Cup,