Henchoz: I admit I was the Cup Final villain

Last updated : 26 January 2002 By Dave Maddock, The Mirror

The Swiss defender is still regarded by Arsenal fans as the villain of an incredible final at the Millennium Stadium, for two apparent handballs in the penalty area that went unpunished by referee Steve Dunn.

Today's Mirror
Back page of Today's Mirror
Add to that another handball at Highbury two weeks ago, again unpunished, and the London team are beginning to believe that Henchoz has special dispensation to ignore the handball law.

The player himself, though, sees it differently, even if he does so with a wry smile on his face. Reflecting this week on last season's final as Liverpool prepare once more to do Cup battle with Arsenal, the centre-half entered a plea of not guilty on two counts...and diminished responsibility on the third!

For the first time, the Swiss international has admitted that he should have been punished for his first offence in the final, when Thierry Henry's shot struck him on the elbow, on the line.

"Michael Owen's goal apart, the other thing people remember about the Cup final was my handball. Yes it was handball. It happened, and I can't pretend it didn't," he said.

"It was just me between Henry and the goal and I was just concentrating on trying to get a block in and make the angle as difficult as possible.

"He let fly, and the ball hit my elbow. In that split second, I can honestly say I didn't expect the referee to blow for a penalty.

"It all happened so quickly, I felt he couldn't have had a clear view of where it hit me. I thought to myself - we got away with that, it's a corner.

"In fact, he gave a goal-kick, so he couldn't have seen it at all. I must say I was lucky, sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. But that was definitely my lucky day.

"But I must say, if I was the last line of defence on Sunday, I would do it again. The thing is about that one, I didn't move my elbow towards the ball, it just hit me there - I was guarding my line.

"I would do anything to stop the ball crossing the line, but the other one in the Cup final I didn't touch the ball and, at Highbury, I couldn't be blamed for that, because I couldn't get out of the way."

It may be small comfort now for Arsenal fans to hear Henchoz's confession, but few people would begrudge him one moment of luck, after such impressive defending for Liverpool over the past two seasons.

While Sami Hyypia has gained most of the plaudits for the Merseyside club's resolute defensive performances, Henchoz has quietly gone about his business, adding steel with a consistent excellence.

On Tuesday, Ruud van Nistelrooy was the latest to find out just how difficult it can be playing against this understated man from the mountains.

Now it is the turn of Henry again, and Henchoz is aiming to negate the Arsenal man's presence, just as he did on a balmy Cardiff afternoon, which proved to be the highlight of his career so far.

"I have great memories of the Cup final last season, it was the biggest moment of my career - the greatest day I've known in football," he said.

"When I was a kid, I dreamed of playing in the final, and I used to say to people back home that if I lifted the Cup at Wembley, I would stop playing there and then.

"There would be nothing more to play for, it would be the pinnacle. But we won it at Cardiff - that's why I'm still playing.

"I still have my dream of holding up the Cup at Wembley, and they simply have to rebuild it as the national stadium - that's how special it is to football people in so many countries."

Henchoz` and Hyypia are regarded as the toughest defensive partnership in Europe, and Henchoz believes that is because they have built up a relationship that is almost super-natural.

"Sami and me are both quiet people, we hardly speak to each other, but we have this understanding that is almost a telepathy between us," he explained.

"It's almost that we can sense what the other is going to do in any situation. It is just a great partnership that has developed naturally and quickly.

"It's funny, but last season I wasn't in the side for a while, but it's a case of taking my chance when it came along, and I'm very satisfied to prove I'm worth my place."

While Arsenal fans might not agree, there are many Scousers who would say Amen to that.

Tomorrow Kick-off 1pm - Live on BBC1 from 12.50pm