Manchester United started with the eleven that they had relied on for most of the season, with Tim Howard playing in goal; a back four comprising Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Mikaël Silvestre and John O'Shea; Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs giving the width as wide men in a 4–4–1–1 formation, with Roy Keane and Darren Fletcher sitting in central midfield; and Ruud van Nistelrooy up front, supported by Paul Scholes.
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The Millwall team had been badly weakened by injuries and suspensions to key players, including Kevin Muscat and Danny Dichio, so had to utilise an unfamiliar 4–5–1 formation which included player-manager Dennis Wise playing in midfield for the last time before retiring.
2004 | World Cup | FIFA World Cup | 2004 in music | 2010 FIFA World Cup | 2004 Summer Olympics | FA Cup | 1978 FIFA World Cup | 2006 FIFA World Cup | Davis Cup | Stanley Cup | United States presidential election, 2004 | Final Fantasy | Rugby World Cup | final | Cricket World Cup | 1986 FIFA World Cup | 1982 FIFA World Cup | Canadian federal election, 2004 | Sprint Cup Series | 2007 Cricket World Cup | 2011 Rugby World Cup | 2002 FIFA World Cup | League Cup | Scottish Cup | Grey Cup | Football League Cup | 2004 in film | 1998 FIFA World Cup | Challenge Cup |
In only his second appearance for Millwall's first team, he replaced player-manager Dennis Wise in the 89th minute of the 2004 FA Cup Final against Manchester United to become the youngest FA Cup finalist at the age of 17 years 119 days, beating the 125-year old record of James F. M. Prinsep.