Arsenal won the toss and kicked off. Within the first three minutes they fashioned their first opening: Wiltord found space outside the Liverpool box, yet failed to give the ball to Henry, as the through ball was cleared. Gerrard was booked for a tackle on Vieira in the sixth minute, which left the Frenchman seeking medical attention and moments after, he caught Henry late with a similar lunge; Gerrard was given the benefit of the doubt by the referee. Bergkamp volleyed the ball "from close range" which was blocked by defender Abel Xavier and two of his efforts were saved in quick succession by Jerzy Dudek after the 20-minute mark. Liverpool managed their first shot on target before the half-hour: a shot from Emile Heskey which hit goalkeeper David Seaman's chest. After a quiet period towards the end of the first half, Ray Parlour went close to giving Arsenal the lead, through a long-range shot that missed the post by fractions. A move from Arsenal soon after concluded with Wiltord firing the ball straight at Dudek, having been under pressure by Djimi Traoré.
