Tim Lovejoy claimed it was "only Ray Parlour" seconds before the former Arsenal man scored one of the finest FA Cup final goals two decades ago.
The midfielder, nicknamed the 'Romford Pele', scored the opener for the Gunners to set them on the way to victory over Chelsea in Cardiff. It completed one half of a memorable double as the north Londoners went on to secure the league with a victory at Manchester United.
Lovejoy, himself a Chelsea fan, was on commentary duty with Arsenal fan Bradley Walsh. Parlour picked up the ball over 20 yards out, but the former Soccer AM presenter didn't appear to be worried. That was before he released a shot into the top corner which beat Carlo Cudicini.
Freddie Ljungberg scored Arsenal's second with 10 minutes left as they hoisted the FA Cup in Cardiff. Parlour, who made 466 appearances for the Gunners across 13 seasons, would later released an autobiography inspired by Lovejoy's commentary.
It was titled "The Romford Pele. It's only Ray Parlour's autobiography". It received a glowing endorsement from Arsene Wenger, who said on the player: “In my football career I have never come across anyone else quite like Ray. It’s simple – everybody loved him. Honestly I did not always understand his jokes because he spoke in Cockney. Even if I didn’t understand it everybody laughed.”
Parlour has divulged Wenger's failed attempts to keep his midfielder inline before the FA Cup final 20 years ago. He said in 2016: "Obviously I scored in an FA Cup final which was an amazing moment in my career and I'm very lucky, and I remember on the plane home I was buzzing so asked the stewardess for a beer.
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"Arsene Wenger then said 'no drinking, big game at Old Trafford to win the double', and threatened to fine me two weeks wages of he caught me. Following training the next day I stopped at Romford's local social club to see my mum and dad, and everyone had backed me as first goalscorer in the final as I lived around the area. Everyone wanted to get me a drink, but I said I couldn't because we had a game on Wednesday, 10 pints later I was still in there.
"We get to the game at Old Trafford and I had a really good game. Wiltord scores and I get man of the match, but as I walk into the dressing room Wenger said he wanted a word and I thought he was going to fine me two weeks wages. But he didn't, he said 'you were fantastic, different class, do you know what it was? I stopped you having that beer'."
