Pepe Reina saved three penalties and his own reputation as Liverpool won a thrilling FA Cup final against West Ham on this day in 2006. Reina almost threw the cup away in normal time at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium with mistakes which gifted the Hammers two goals. But he was the hero of the shoot-out, saving from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand to break the gallant Hammers’ hearts. Liverpool’s seventh FA Cup win mirrored the result which saw them crowned champions of Europe in Istanbul 12 months earlier, and – just like against AC Milan – Reina only had his shot at glory thanks to another superhuman effort from Steven Gerrard. Liverpool skipper Gerrard equalised twice – the second a 30-yard thunderbolt in injury-time – and then scored his penalty despite suffering cramp in the closing minutes of the game. The 125th FA Cup final was the best in years, and certainly the most exciting since Manchester United’s 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace in 1990. For a long time, the magic of the cup looked like giving West Ham another FA Cup triumph in the year former managers Ron Greenwood and John Lyall died. They were two goals ahead inside half an hour and were leading as the stadium announcer called for four minutes to be added on at the end of normal time. Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez praised Liverpool heroes Gerrard and Reina, but insisted his FA Cup triumph was a team effort. “You must give the credit to all my players. A lot of them had cramps after 62 games this season, but they kept going to the end,” he said. Maybe we like to do it the difficult way, but it's not good for the heart Rafael Benitez “We know about the quality of Steve. He will get lots of credit, but I prefer to talk about my team and our supporters, who were like an extra player. “Maybe we like to do it the difficult way, but it’s not good for the heart. It would be better if we could start by winning and then stay calm. “It was a fantastic final with two teams fighting really hard. The character of the team can be a key factor for the future because we can be sure we can win these kinds of games.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Players really want to come – Erik ten Hag optimistic for transfer window Dean Smith cancels Leicester day off to sort ‘lingering’ issues at troubled club Julen Lopetegui only wants committed players at Wolves

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Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will clash to crown a new ‘BMF’ champion at UFC 291, in what could be the fight of the year. Five years after Poirier stopped Gaethje in a thrilling bout, the Americans will square off again, with the vacant ‘baddest motherf*****’ belt on the line in Utah. Since their first in-ring meeting, the lightweights have lost two undisputed-title fights each, but both men have crafted impressive resumes nonetheless. And Poirier, 34, and Gaethje, also 34, will look to bolster those resumes here, as they fight for the BMF title, which has only been on the line once before. In 2019, the now-retired Jorge Masvidal beat Nate Diaz to become the inaugural champion. In the co-main event this weekend, former light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz welcomes Alex Pereira to the division, in the latter’s first fight since losing the middleweight belt in April. Elsewhere, there are plenty of great fights on the card. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 291 takes place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday 29 July. The early prelims are set to begin at 11.30pm on Saturday (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 30 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Poirier – 10/13; Gaethje – 11/10 Blachowicz – 10/11; Pereira – 10/11 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje 2 (lightweight – vacant ‘BMF’ title) Jan Blachowicz vs Alex Pereira (light-heavyweight) Stephen Thompson vs Michel Pereira (welterweight) Tony Ferguson vs Bobby Green (lightweight) Michael Chiesa vs Kevin Holland (welterweight) Prelims Trevin Giles vs Gabriel Bonfim (welterweight) Derrick Lewis vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima (heavyweight) Roman Kopylov vs Claudio Ribeiro (middleweight) Jake Matthews vs Miguel Baeza (welterweight) Early prelims CJ Vergara vs Vinicius Salvador (flyweight) Matthew Semelsberger vs Yohan Lainesse (welterweight) Miranda Maverick vs Priscila Cachoeira (women’s flyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tom Aspinall finally banishes ghosts of the past with UFC London triumph UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at company’s sponsors When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Tom Aspinall finally banishes ghosts of the past with UFC London triumph