Liverpool 0 (0) Man Utd 1 (0)

Liverpool: James, Jones (Thomas 86), McAteer, Wright, Babb, Collymore (Rush 74), Barnes, Scales, Redknapp, McManaman, Fowler.
Subs Not Used: Warner.
Booked: Babb, Redknapp.
Man Utd: Schmeichel, Irwin, Pallister, Cantona, Giggs, May, Keane, Butt, Cole (Scholes 63), P. Neville, Beckham (G. Neville 89).
Subs Not Used: Sharpe.
Booked: P. Neville.
Goals: Cantona 85.
Att: 79,007
Ref: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).

By Martin Lipton, PA Sport

Alex Ferguson showed there was no place for Wembley sentiment when the Manchester United skipper Steve Bruce was not even included in the 14 as the Old Trafford club went double hunting at Wembley. Eric Cantona was named skipper in Bruce's abscence. The granite-jawed Geordie has been a main supporting pillar of the United structure in recent seasons which have seen them become once again the leading team in the country. But the hamstring injury which has affected Bruce over the last few weeks cost him any chance of playing as Ferguson opted to pair David May with England's Gary Pallister.

The United chief's other selection decision went in favour of £7m striker Andy Cole who got the nod ahead of youngster Paul Scholes. Scholes though was on the bench along with Lee Sharpe and Gary Neville, good enough for England in this summer's Euro 96 campaign but not deemed good enough on the day for United, although his younger brother Phil did play.

There was heartbreak on the Liverpool side as well with Neil Ruddock not even making the Anfield side's bench. Roy Evans had named his team yesterday and completed the picture when the team sheet was handed in. Reserve goalkeeper Tony Warner was handed a 22nd birthday present to remember when he was named as sub alongside Ian Rush and Michael Thomas, the two scorers when Liverpool beat Sunderland to lift the cup in 1992.

The champions were the first to settle into their stride, keeping possession and switching play from flank to flank as they probed for Liverpool weaknesses. Certainly David James' flappy attempt to hold a long punt by Peter Schmeichel under pressure from Cole betrayed a sense of nervous unease and that might have been even worse if United had found the finishing touches to the moves they were constructing.

In the fourth minute Cantona nodded on May's header. Cole got beyond Mark Wright but snatched at his effort, which flew well wide from 20 yards. Then a delicious ball in from the right from David Beckham again found Cole in possession with the striker unable to get past John Scales on the edge of the box. The danger was only partially cleared and when Ryan Giggs picked up possession on the left, he skipped inside and past Wright before squaring for Beckham, whose well-struck 20-yarder was turned aside by the diving James.

Liverpool had not threatened at this stage but Steve McManaman then prompted their early moves, spreading wide for Jason McAteer and getting possession from his deflected cross although Denis Irwin cleared the danger. It was a moment which seemed to give Liverpool the belief that they could break United down and even though Stan Collymore was wildly off target with one 25-yarder, he was much more threatening when he twisted and turned past Pallister but was unable to reach the ball before Schmeichel.

A superb United move involving Nicky Butt and Cantona broke down with Cole, doing nothing to endear him to his Old Trafford critics, before Collymore tried to catch Schmeichel out in the 14th minute. McManaman's ball out to the right found the £8.5million man confronted by the younger Neville and his fiercely struck right-footer nearly went in at Schmeichel's near post, the Dane pushing the ball out for a corner.

There was still plenty of tension, however, Robbie Fowler pushing Roy Keane in the face after one spat and then Cole and Wright in a tangle of limbs on halfway. Both incidents were witnessed by referee Dermot Gallagher although he chose to take no action. Liverpool were less happy with another official when the linesman's flag stayed down as Cole ran on to Pallister's long ball. The striker was away and clear of the Liverpool defence but his lack of conviction allowed them to recover their ground and when he did eventually shoot, Wright deflected the ball for a corner.

It was showing signs of being the classic the nation had hoped for, total commitment, fluent movement and the extra edge of cup final nerves affecting both defences.

In the 19th minute a piece of sublime majesty by King Eric, the most delightful of heel flicks, sent Giggs away down the right although the winger's claim for hands against Scales when his cross was blocked fell on deaf ears. McManaman was pulling the thread for Liverpool, popping up here, there and everywhere, and it was a clever move from him to find Jamie Redknapp bursting into the box only for Redknapp to stand on the ball.

As the half wore on both sides were retaining possession to better effect. One Liverpool move, starting with Rob Jones on the left and then going through Collymore out wide to McAteer on the right and finishing with a Fowler shot wide, indicated the type of game which was being played out. A piece of precision passing from United might have led to the opener in the 36th minute, Butt finding Beckham whose excellent cross was headed over his own bar.

James was relieved when his failure to gather the resulting Giggs corner was not costly and as the interval approached it was Liverpool who began to put together a spell of decent pressure. McAteer and Collymore combined again with the latter's ball in towards Fowler excellently dealt with by May before Redknapp was booked for tripping Keane. And on the stroke of half-time Redknapp was holding his head again when he missed the most clear-cut opening of the game. McManaman was the instigator, jinking down the left and past Giggs before pulling back. Wright laid off but Redknapp, 16 yards out, could not keep his shot down and it flew over the top.

The line-ups remained unchanged at the interval as neither manager chose to employ his additional resources, and the first semi-scare of the second period came at the United end. May's attempted clearance went straight at McManaman to rebound into the path of Fowler, but before he could set his sights on goal the flag brought relief to the United defender.

A minute later United almost went in front with Cantona going so close to putting his mark on the occasion. Beckham's cross from the right found Cantona outjumping McAteer at the far post. The ball initially went into the air but as it dropped Cantona, stretching out as far as he could, crashed a right-footed volley towards goal. James saved superbly diving to his right and as Cole closed in for the kill, McAteer was able to put the ball behind for a corner.

The Irish international was less impressive after an excellent Liverpool move, starting with Babb and involving McManaman and Collymore, finished with the ball at McAteer's feet. But a sliced shot caused Schmeichel no problems. Redknapp failed to keep the ball down again with a 20-yarder before Babb became the second man booked for a cynical lunge which stopped Beckham's progression down the right. Those two Redknapp efforts were not ones he would be keen to look back on, but he did much better a minute later, intercepting Butt's pass towards Giggs and letting fly with an arrow-straight 35-yarder that smacked into Schmeichel's chest. The England midfielder was clearly up for it, a brilliant tackle on Butt on the edge of the United box sparking real danger with Pallister just doing enough to prevent McManaman getting in a shot eight yards out.

Cole's afternoon had gone sour and in the 64th minute Ferguson acted to put him out of his misery, the ovation for the on-coming Scholes telling its own story. The change did not make any immediate difference as Liverpool continued to hold sway although without ever really showing any signs of making the breakthrough. One back heel by Fowler to put McAteer in the clear was promising but while McAteer's cross towards Collymore was well-struck, Schmeichel's long arms came to the rescue as he took the ball.

Neville became the first United player booked for a foul on McAteer before Evans decided the time was right to introduce the most famous cup final predator of all, 15 minutes from time. Ian Rush came on to a hero's welcome, Collymore's day over but it was United, who were next to threaten with Keane meeting Denis Irwin's cross but unable to find Scholes.

Legs were tiring and thoughts turning to an extra 30 minutes particularly when a darting burst by Giggs came to nothing. But this season has been all about Cantona and while Liverpool had perhaps shaded it on points, there could be no better man to deliver a knockout blow five minutes from time. A hasty, hurried clearance from Babb gave United a corner which Beckham prepared to take on the right.

James had come and claimed all day but now, when it mattered, he was to fail, outjumping May but only punching the ball. It hit Rush and dropped to Cantona on the edge of the box. Half a touch secured control, a crashing volley threaded through the four Liverpool players on the line to finish in the back of the net. The Frenchman wheeled away in triumph, praised by his team-mates as Ferguson, clenched-fisted, raced from his bench to jump in delight.

Liverpool sent on Thomas for Jones but their cause now seemed doomed with United hoping to expose them on the break. And after playing 80 seconds of added time, referee Gallagher blew the whistle that gave United a joyful place in English football history. Every single player gathered on the pitch in a huddle of ecstasy, the Liverpool players slumped in contrast dejected on the turf. United had the double 'double'. Nobody can argue that they did not deserve it over the season, nobody could deny that Cantona, with his 19th goal of the season, was fittingly the hero.

Mercurial Frenchman Eric Cantona helped secure the double for Manchester United at Wembley today and admitted: "It is a great moment." Cantona scored the winner against Liverpool after 85 minutes to complete a great week for manager Alex Ferguson and all connected with the Old Trafford club.

The Premiership championship was secured on Sunday at Middlesbrough -- and now United have become the first club to win the double twice. Ferguson steered them to the title and then victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final in 1994. Cantona was an integral part of that side and has never lost an FA Cup tie with United. Crowned Footballer of the Year on Thursday after completing an eight-month ban only in October, he said: "That is life. I am happy now.

United boss Ferguson said: "This is unbelievable, fabulous. I am so proud of my squad. "I thought Eric had a quiet game but showed magnificent composure and accuracy for that goal. "I thought it might finish 0-0 and it needed something like that to break the deadlock. "But Roy Keane was the man of the match in my book. He was magnificent. Our keeper Peter Schmeichel didn't have that much to do."

Liverpool manager Roy Evans paid tribute to United, but warned that his team would be chasing them again next season. He said: "It took us a long time to get into the game and so it was disappointing to lose to a late goal. "These games sometimes don't live up to their potential, but we will be on United's tail against next season. We have plenty of quality. "It is a fantastic achievement by United to lift the season's two major trophies."

Keane, told he had been named man of the match, was not particularly bothered. He said: "It doesn't really matter. To win the double twice in three years is the main thing. "Eric is quite good in the big games. It is fantastic what he has achieved and imagine what might have happened had he not been banned last year. "We knew Liverpool have plenty of quality, but they never really hurt us and we always felt one goal might be enough."

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