08 July 2023 , 07:00
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"It's only Ray Parlour" remain four of the most infamous words in English football commentary 21 years after Tim Lovejoy uttered them during Arsenal's 2002 FA Cup final clash against Chelsea.
The midfielder, affectionately dubbed the 'Romford Pele', scored the opening goal for the Gunners during their 2-0 victory over the Blues in Cardiff. Lovejoy, a well-known Chelsea supporter, was on the commentary duty for the fixture alongside Arsenal fan and actor Bradley Walsh on the now defunct Fanzone feature.
When Parlour picked the ball up from distance, Lovejoy was clearly not concerned about any imminent threat. He was so relaxed in fact, he opted to publicly announce how unfazed he was - until the Arsenal midfielder unleashed a thunderous strike beyond the despairing dive of goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
Lovejoy's comment is still mocked to this day but Parlour has since revealed that he sees the funny side and even got his own back on the Soccer AM presenter shortly after.
Speaking to Mirror Football via JBI Training, the Arsenal icon explained: "I thought it was quite funny. There were better players on the pitch than me, people like Thierry and Dennis, all of those guys.
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"Bradley Walsh sums it up perfectly. He was doing the co-commentary alongside Tim that day and whenever I bump into him, he says, 'Ray, that is still one of the best moments that I’ve ever been involved with.'
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Ray Parlour's goal against Chelsea is one of the most iconic in Arsenal history"It was a bit of fun. I went on Soccer AM straight after. One of my best friends, the golfer Ian Poulter, he had his stag do that summer and Tim Lovejoy was going, so I made sure that I turned up with a big poster of that moment that I signed with the caption ‘Dear Tim, It’s only Ray Parlour’."
The Gunners fan favourite went on to discuss what that goal, as well as everything that came with it, meant to him.
"That was what football is all about. I used to love the banter; I thought it was funny. It was great for me to produce a big moment like that in an FA Cup final. I was lucky enough to find the target.
"It was in front of the Arsenal fans too, which was a massive bonus because my Mum and Dad where there and they were in tears – Dad knew how big that moment was for me."
Parlour's goal was followed by a Freddie Ljungberg strike to seal Arsenal's status as FA Cup champions. It completed one half of an iconic double as the Gunners went on to secure the league with a memorable victory at the home of fierce rivals Manchester United.