It has been 20 years since Ryan Giggs’ wonder-goal won the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay between Manchester United and Arsenal

Few of the 30,223 fans who were at Villa Park on April 14, 1999, will ever forget what they witnessed when Arsenal and Manchester United went head to head in an FA Cup semi-final replay that has rightly gone down in history as one of the finest games this country has ever seen.

On the night itself, the match was about deciding who would meet Newcastle United in the final at Wembley the following month – but ultimately it was about far more than that.

Defeat for United would have ended their dreams of a treble, while victory for Arsenal would surely have given them the momentum boost needed to see them go on and claim the league and cup double for the second successive season.

The two sides had met four days earlier – again at Villa Park – and the game had underwhelmed. A 0-0 draw after extra time meant they had to come back to the Midlands and do it all over again to decide who would go to Wembley.

But the replay – the last ever in an FA Cup semi-final – was everything that the first game wasn’t. It had it all, which is why 20 years on, it remains as memorable as ever.

“If you can bottle that up and sell it, then that’s the English FA Cup at its best.”

Those are the words of David Elleray, the man who refereed the famous encounter, which United edged 2-1 thanks to Ryan Giggs’ wonder goal in extra-time.

That goal – and the celebration that followed – may be how the game is now widely remembered, but that was just one dramatic moment during 120 absorbing minutes that had everyone inside the stadium – and the millions watching at home – on the edge of their seats throughout.

“It was an incredible game,” former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit told Goal, while looking back on events at Villa Park. “One of the best FA Cup moments in English football.

“We could be proud to be part of it, even it’s always frustrating to lose games like that.

“But it was a beautiful team that beat us, with beautiful players, with beautiful fans and history. There is no shame losing a game like that, especially when you knew you had done everything you could to have won.”

David Beckham gave United the advantage on the night, curling an inch perfect shot past the despairing dive of David Seaman in the first half.

It was a fabulous strike and it gave United a deserved lead, one they took into the break and one they probably should have added to after the interval, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasting a couple of excellent opportunities.

But as the second half wore on, Arsenal began to get on top and they drew level 20 minutes from full time when Dennis Bergkamp’s shot from distance deflected off Jaap Stam and past Peter Schmeichel.

“I remember the ball deflected off me and went in, Pete couldn’t get there,” Stam told Goal. “It’s always a pity when that happens, but it’s always the risk when you are trying to close down these players.

“After that they got on top. When you played in those type of games and were 1-0 up, you felt you were in control but when the other team equalise, there is always that feeling of doubt.

“When they scored they pushed on and went for the second and after that it was about defending, trying to get through the 90 minutes.”

And United did get through 90 minutes, just!

But they had some almighty scares, not least when Nicolas Anelka rounded Schmeichel and rolled the ball into the empty net after the Danish keeper had spilled Marc Overmars’ shot.

The usually calm Anelka ended up in the Arsenal fans celebrating for almost a minute, as did most of his teammates – only for the linesman’s flag to rule out the goal for offside.

“There was an irony because in the first game we disallowed a goal for United that was probably incorrect and that upset them,” recalled Elleray. “The Arsenal one though was clearly offside.

“It was just one of those evenings when the emotions in the stands took over the reality and that’s why it was difficult to calm down a lot of them as they celebrated.

“I think everyone sensed that there was only going to be one goal in it so any goal was going to be treated like gold dust and that’s what happened there.”

More drama was to follow. First Roy Keane was sent off after receiving a second yellow card and then, in the final minute of normal time, Arsenal were awarded a penalty when Phil Neville brought down Ray Parlour.

Time seemed to stand still as Bergkamp stood hands on hips, waiting to take the resulting spot kick.

“I was thinking he would score,” said Petit. “It was a great opportunity for us to win that game.”

But Bergkamp – who rarely took penalties – didn’t score, his effort was pushed away by Schmeichel diving to his left and the game went to extra time.

“I’d seen Dennis with the national team and he wasn’t that comfortable taking penalties,” said Stam.

“It’s always difficult for a player if you don’t take a lot of penalties and then you have to take one, especially in a moment like that – even for a player like Dennis.

“I was looking at him as he was running up to take it and I was just hoping that Pete was going to save it – and that’s what happened.

“That save kept us in the game, after that they were feeling like they should have won and it gave us a feeling like we were invincible. It gave us a lot of confidence.”

United had been given a lifeline – and it was one they went on to take in the most spectacular of ways with nine minutes of extra time remaining.

It’s a goal that has been replayed over and over again. Patrick Vieira’s misplaced pass, Giggs’ run from the halfway line, the missed challenges by Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and Martin Keown and the thumping finish past Seaman.

“When he got the ball, I remember thinking, ‘where is he going with it, what’s he doing?’” recalled Stam.

“We wanted to push up a bit, but then we saw him going and making these moves that we sometimes saw when he just glided past players.

“The Arsenal players were backing off and then he just went past them, got into the box and Seaman couldn’t save it.

“It was a tremendous feeling and a feeling of disbelief as well. To get past five or six players and finish like that, it was incredible.”

Petit, who was chasing back as Giggs raced through, added: “I remember Patrick losing the ball and then things went so quick, so fast.

“Our back four in those days were the first ones to make a bad tackle to stop a player, but they couldn’t catch him.

“He was too quick, his pace was unbelievable and on top of that he controlled the ball all the time and didn’t give the defender a chance to stop him.

“It was a moment of genius – a miracle from Giggs.”

Arguably the man with the best view of what is now widely recalled as one of the greatest FA Cup goals was Elleray, who had also been the referee on the day Beckham had announced himself to English football with his halfway line strike against Wimbledon three years earlier.

“I’d been privileged once or twice to be with special goals,” he said. “But on this night it was pretty clear that this was something very special.

“I was struggling a bit to keep up with him because in the first game I had collided with Nicky Butt and fallen over and slightly jarred my back.

“By extra time in the replay it was just beginning to seize up a bit, so I was struggling a bit to keep up with everything. I don’t know how much one remembers from the time and how much one is effected by what one sees now, but certainly when it was scored there was an air that it was something pretty special.

“And it was before the days when you had to give a yellow card for taking your shirt off to celebrate, so that saved me being the wet blanket in the party.”

With just nine minutes remaining, United’s 10-men saw the game out relatively comfortably, with a late header from Adams the closest Arsenal came to an equaliser.

The full-time whistle was met by joyous scenes – with the players having to make a hasty retreat for the tunnel as celebrating United fans spilled onto the pitch.

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Arsenal’s players were crestfallen, their dreams of a second successive double dashed, while United’s returned to their Villa Park dressing room with hopes of a historic treble – which they would go on to achieve – very much alive.

“The feeling was of big frustration,” said Petit. “But we had big respect to Manchester United.

“I remember well Tony and Lee Dixon went into the United dressing room just to shake the hands of the players and say congratulations.

“We were sad, but it was meant to be. The fact we didn’t score the penalty and then after that this beautiful moment of football came from Giggs. Destiny sometimes chooses its side and on that night it chose United.”