(Manchester united News)
"As Eric stepped up to take the first penalty, Dennis Wise bet him £50 that he'd miss... Eric scored of course and fair play to Dennis, he handed over the £50 after the game."
- Gary Pallister recalls the 1994 FA Cup final
08/03/2015 09:13, Report by Mark Froggatt
Over two decades have passed since Manchester United won the League and FA Cup Double in 1994, but memories of a team that overflowed in style, passion and verve are still strong for club legend Gary Pallister.
The defensive colossus was ever-present throughout the 1993/94 season and registered 61 starts in all competitions, a tally that was beaten only by Steve Bruce and Denis Irwin. Such consistency helped United win the Premier League title by eight points and the FA Cup with a 4-0 final win over Chelsea, making Pallister's team the first in United's long history to win both trophies.
With another chance to reach Wembley on the horizon for his former club in 2015, we asked Pallister to share his memories on the 1994 triumph and the team he achieved it with...
Some 20 years on, what are your memories of the 1994 FA Cup final?
Chelsea did the league double on us that year and, if my memory serves me correctly, Gavin Peacock scored the winner in both games. I do recall him hitting the bar in the first half of the final as well. But it was quite an even game in the first half, it was 0-0 and then Eddie Newton gave away a penalty when he absolutely smashed Denis Irwin in the area. It was a stonewall penalty! Eric [Cantona] stepped up to take it and [Chelsea midfielder] Dennis Wise bet him £50 that he would miss. Eric scored of course and, fair play to Dennis, he duly handed over the £50 at the end of the game. The second one was a dubious penalty, but all the same Eric put it away with the same aplomb. Then Chelsea had to chase the game and we ended up scoring another two goals and running out comfortable 4-0 winners which was great. We were already league champions and the Double was the icing on the cake.
From your position in defence, did you enjoy watching us score three goals in just nine second-half minutes?
It was great to see. What you don’t like at Wembley is a tight game. It was a very heavy pitch in terms of the grass, which really sapped a lot of the strength out of your legs and there was also a lot of emotional energy expended in that game. When those goals went in, I just thought 'thank God for that’ because I knew we'd won. I was also thinking about the relief of not having to hang on in the last few minutes,
