Ljungberg Pays Tribute to Seaman

Freddie Ljungberg will go down in the history books as the man who fired Arsenal into a third successive FA Cup final, but the Swede and his teammates owe a debt of gratitude to David Seaman.

The veteran goalkeeper marked the 1,000th appearance of his career with arguably the save of his life to deny Sheffield United an equaliser at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Seaman looked beaten by Paul Peschisolido's close-range header five minutes from time, but as the ball flew past him he dived backwards to claw the ball away with one hand.

With the danger averted, Seaman was surrounded by Arsenal players willing to show their appreciation for the man who spared them the possibility of extra time.

Ljungberg was one of the first to congratulate the 39-year-old, and he continued his tribute to Seaman after the match.

"I was asked if I was nervous in the second half. I just said that with him at the back there is no need to be nervous. It was a tremendous save," he said.

Ljungberg has found his scoring touch in recent weeks, firing Arsenal ahead at Aston Villa last weekend before popping up in the penalty area on Sunday to convert a loose ball after Sylvain Wiltord had hit the post.

This time last season, the Swede embarked on a run of seven goals in seven games to propel Arsenal towards their second Double under Arsene Wenger.

With his injury worries behind him, Ljungberg is hoping to make a similar impact as the Gunners look to make history by becoming the first club to defend both trophies.

"It was great to win the semi-final. Everyone has been talking about the double-Double and we knew this game would be difficult. Now we can focus on the championship and the big game on Wednesday," he said.

"After going out of the Champions League if we had lost the semi-final then the season would have been a great disappointment."