Vieira’s Penalty Kick Gives Arsenal FA Cup

Manchester United missed its chances, and Arsenal went home with the trophy.

Patrick Vieira scored the deciding penalty kick on a rainy Saturday to send Arsenal to its 10th FA Cup title, the first in the 124th final of soccer’s oldest cup competition to be settled by a shootout.

The Gunners won the shootout, 5-4, after 120 scoreless minutes dominated by Manchester United, the defending champion seeking a record 12th FA Cup.

“We were fortunate,” Coach Arsene Wenger said. “I thought Man United created four great chances and they played well. We won it with our mental strength and resilience rather than the usual style.”

Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy each headed shots over Arsenal’s crossbar, and Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo fired shot after shot at goal. In the first 90 minutes, United had eight shots on target and Arsenal had none.

Wenger has won four FA Cups in seven years with the Gunners, including three of the last five. Arsenal lost to Liverpool in the 2001 final.

“The one we played best in we lost,” Wenger said. “But it’s important to go back with the trophy even though we could have played better.”

Manchester United has won the FA Cup 11 times, but never repeated.

United recently fell under control of Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The takeover has angered fans protective of the storied club’s tradition, and they had threatened to disrupt the biggest game in the English soccer season. Although they held banners, the protest never materialized.