Due to the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium, the FA arranged for several important matches to be held at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. The League Cup final between New Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers was scheduled for 3 PM on February 24.
Rain fell across Wales throughout the day, forcing the Millennium Stadium to close its roof. As a result, the League Cup final became the first indoor final in British football history.
In the days leading up to the match, the British media began heavily promoting the final. Blackburn Rovers, being based north of Manchester, were assigned the North changing room, while New Manchester United were given the South changing room.
This arrangement was widely sensationalised before the match, with many believing that New Manchester United, a League Two side, might fall victim to the "South changing room curse," especially since Blackburn were also going through a poor run of form.
It was worth noting that in the seven English matches previously held at the Millennium Stadium, every team that had used the North changing room had emerged victorious.
Liverpool had benefited the most. They defeated Steve Bruce's Birmingham City on penalties in the previous season's League Cup final, then beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final before overcoming Manchester United in the Charity Shield at the start of the season.
Besides Liverpool, Bolton, Walsall, Blackpool, and Port Vale had also benefited from the supposed curse. The first three clubs won their promotion play-off matches, while Port Vale secured victory in a cup competition.
Now, with another cup final approaching, New Manchester United were undoubtedly the more underestimated side. No matter how well they had performed against Tottenham, they were still a League Two club and were widely considered unable to compete with Premier League opposition.
The match attracted a crowd of 80,000. More than ten thousand New Manchester United supporters travelled from Manchester to follow the team, not including the other Red Rebels fans who came after hearing about the occasion.
Large numbers of Blackburn supporters also attended. The two groups occupied separate sections, creating an extraordinary atmosphere beneath the closed roof of the Millennium Stadium.
Ethan entered one of the stadium's executive boxes alongside Eva and Walsh.
Unlike at the City of Manchester Stadium, the organising committee had specifically arranged a box for Ethan, hoping that he would not sit among the supporters.
Ethan understood their concerns. Crowd trouble remained a persistent problem in English football.
Although he believed there were no hooligans among the Red Rebels supporters, he could not guarantee the same for the tens of thousands of other fans entering the stadium that day.
With Eva also present, Ethan naturally chose to watch from the box.
Even though the match had not yet begun, the atmosphere was deafening. The intensity inside the stadium could be clearly felt even from the box, with the roar of the crowd echoing beneath the roof.
Blackburn were missing several important players for the match.
Their Turkish midfield playmaker Tugay, captain Flitcroft, and defensive stalwart Short were all suspended. Their newly signed Turkish defensive midfielder, Ünsal, was also unavailable because of work-permit issues.
This forced Blackburn to rely heavily on their reserves, with even 38-year-old veteran Mark Hughes included in the starting lineup.
In a pre-match interview, the former Manchester United star admitted that facing the Red Rebels in such an important match held special meaning for him.
"I'm beginning to feel that I can no longer keep up at this level, and I intend to retire at the end of the season. I've already spoken to Souness, and he understands how I feel.
"That's why he wants me to play in this match. He knows how eager I am to face the Red Rebels. They are a club with a unique charm.
"Regardless of the result, I hope they have a bright future."
No Manchester United supporter would forget Mark Hughes, one of the finest players produced by the club's academy.
In this match, he would join Andy Cole, another former Manchester United player, in facing the Red Rebels.
Cole's strike partner was Matt Jansen, the player who had made the greatest contribution to Blackburn's promotion the previous season.
Blackburn's two wingers were Gillespie and Duff. The latter would later become one of Mourinho's favourite players during his time at Chelsea.
In central midfield, Hughes partnered the young Dunn, although this was not the future Manchester City defensive midfielder with a similar name, but Blackburn's own attacking midfielder.
Even with so many absences, Blackburn's attacking strength remained frightening for New Manchester United.
They had scored more Premier League goals than Tottenham, which demonstrated their considerable attacking ability.
They had also recently signed Andy Cole, who had once formed part of Manchester United's feared "Black Wind" strike partnership.
Before the match, Mourinho repeatedly told the media that Cole was his greatest concern.
He rejected Hoddle's earlier claim that Cole might fail to convert even one chance out of five excellent opportunities.
Mourinho described Cole as a world-class striker with a consistent scoring record and insisted that he would place New Manchester United's defence under enormous pressure.
Cole responded happily in a media interview, saying that he was eager to score for his new club and deliver a crucial victory that would be remembered throughout Blackburn's history.
New Manchester United approached the match with an emphasis on defence, but Mourinho made several changes to his starting lineup.
Drogba remained the lone striker, with Malouda and Hleb on the wings.
However, New Manchester United fielded only two central midfielders, Juninho and Senna.
The back four remained unchanged, with Čech in goal.
The only truly surprising decision was Mourinho's choice to start Palacio.
Mourinho had always used Palacio as a surprise weapon, usually introducing him when the team encountered difficulties and relying on his speed and technical ability to break the deadlock.
Starting him in such an important match, however, was a first.
"By starting Palacio, are they switching to a 4-4-2 formation?" John Motson asked his co-commentator in surprise.
As the commentator most familiar with New Manchester United, Martin Tyler had been invited to join the BBC's live broadcast.
Even he was uncertain about Mourinho's intentions and could only speculate.
"Palacio is extremely quick and possesses excellent close control. I believe he has been selected to connect the midfield with the attack, reducing Drogba's need to drop deep and allowing him to focus on challenging Blackburn's defence."
"That is certainly unexpected. Whether it works or not, I suppose we will only know once we see it on the pitch."
Martin Tyler smiled and shook his head.
"No, John. New Manchester United never enter a match without confidence in their preparation.
"If Mourinho is willing to start Palacio, then he must have prepared thoroughly.
"I believe Blackburn will try to cut the connection between New Manchester United's midfield and attack. Palacio has been selected precisely to prevent that."
"Then we shall wait and see," John Motson replied with a laugh.
The referee was Graham Poll, who would later officiate at the World Cup.
He called the two captains forward for the coin toss, and Blackburn won the right to kick off.
As soon as the match began, Cole looked eager to score.
He was extremely active, repeatedly moving through New Manchester United's half and running tirelessly.
In the third minute, he made a late run from deep, but Poll correctly ruled him offside.
Mourinho repeatedly gestured from the touchline, urging his players to remain focused.
He specifically instructed both central midfielders, particularly Senna, to hold their positions.
As the Premier League side, Blackburn controlled possession from the opening stages.
However, unlike Tottenham, they did not play impatiently. Under Hughes's guidance, they moved the ball with great composure.
Hughes was an extremely experienced player. He understood that the more important the occasion, the more essential it was to remain calm.
Cole and Jansen were very active in the attacking third, but New Manchester United's two centre-backs offered them few opportunities.
Cole remained highest up the pitch, while Jansen frequently dropped deep to receive the ball.
On the wings, Duff and Gillespie also struggled to gain any advantage against Touré and Abidal.
As a result, the match became increasingly deadlocked.
In the 12th minute, Cole suddenly surged forward and beat the offside trap.
Hughes's pass reached his feet, while Jansen also raced into the penalty area.
Čech kept his attention fixed on Cole.
With Jansen moving into space in front of an open goal, Cole became too eager to score and rushed his shot.
Čech made the save and pushed the ball behind for a corner.
"Curtis, watch your position, damn it!" Mourinho shouted angrily from the touchline.
After criticising Curtis, Mourinho also directed his frustration at Senna, who had repeatedly drifted away from his assigned position and allowed Hughes too much room to operate.
"Jim, we need to practise this 4-2-3-1 formation properly in the future," Mourinho told Cassell.
The danger of changing formation at short notice was that the players lacked familiarity with their roles.
New Manchester United normally used three central midfielders, with at least two of them responsible for defensive duties.
Now, with only Senna acting as the recognised holding midfielder, the players were struggling to adjust.
Juninho also contributed defensively, but his protection of the back four was naturally not as effective as that provided by Alou Diarra or Essien.
Mourinho's demand was that the players survive the opening 20 minutes.
As long as they did that, Blackburn's attacking intensity would begin to fade.
He had also reminded them that Hughes was already 38 years old and that stamina was his greatest weakness. He would not be able to maintain the same intensity for long.
Blackburn's central defence was another significant weakness.
"As long as we survive the opening 20 minutes, we begin our counterattack."
That was the tactical plan Mourinho had given the players in the changing room.
He firmly believed that, as long as they followed it, New Manchester United would have an excellent chance of winning.
Blackburn were not overwhelmingly strong. Souness's team relied more on relentless effort and determination than superior quality.
With several important players unavailable, New Manchester United were fully capable of defeating them.
The key was avoiding mistakes.
Cole moved back to collect the ball near the left corner of the penalty area, drawing Curtis out of position.
He then dribbled towards the centre, while Jansen immediately attacked the space Curtis had vacated.
Watching from the touchline, Mourinho was suddenly alarmed.
Even Ethan, sitting inside the box, felt his heart leap into his throat.
(To be continued.)