McAteer exit caps Cats' agony

McAteer saw red four minutes from time yesterday for a second bookable offence and, as he left the field to the jeers of the gloating Millwall faithful, Wise proffered a handshake to the midfield rival who branded him a cheat after their furious duel at the New Den in January.

The pair had already made their peace before yesterday's game when McAteer fulfilled a promise to give Wise the shirt off his back.

Millwall's player-manager took him up on the offer and asked McAteer to sign it and hand it over to his young son Henry, who memorably climbed the steps at Wembley when Wise lifted the Cup as Chelsea captain four years ago in the last final under the Twin Towers.

McAteer, who had been booked after appearing to trample all over Millwall skipper Kevin Muscat in the 35th minute, was shown a second yellow by referee Paul Durkin for pulling back striker Neil Harris.

Sunderland were desperately seeking an equaliser to Aussie midfielder Tim Cahill's 25th-minute goal.

Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy, up against the only other club he has managed, looked on in horror as skipper George McCartney's loose ball to Phil Babb was intercepted and Paul Ifill's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Mart Poom.

But Cahill, who grabbed the Lions' opener in their 2-1 quarter-final replay victory at Tranmere, notched his third goal of their Cup run with a follow-up that glanced in off the head of McCartney.

In the end, it was enough to secure Millwall's first-ever final date with Manchester United at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on May 22, and a European debut for the club in next season's UEFA Cup.

It is a remarkable achievement for Wise, who took charge only last autumn following the departure of former Newcastle striker Mark McGhee.

Wise was in the wars yesterday, having stitches inserted in a knee injury after being the victim of a crude challenge by Paul Thirlwell, which brought the Sunderland midfielder a booking.

Ten minutes earlier, Wise had been cautioned himself for a foul on McCartney in a cut-and-thrust contest.

When McAteer made the long walk, McCarthy ordered him to head straight for the tunnel as the Millwall fans behind the Sunderland dug-out baited him.

Sunderland reject Danny Dichio, whose six-year-old son Gianluca was Millwall's mascot, had earlier missed the chance to settle the issue when his free header from Cahill's right-wing cross was brilliantly pushed out by Poom.

This was only the second time the sides had met in the competition, the previous occasion being in the semi-finals of 1937 when Sunderland went on to win lift the trophy.

But those on Wearside who thought that was a favourable omen were much mistaken.

Stephen Wright had been passed fit for Sunderland after shaking off the ankle ligament injury that forced him to miss the 2-1 home win over Derby.

Striker Kevin Kyle was also fit, having regained his strength following the severe attack of gastro-enteritis which ruled him out of the First Division game eight days earlier.

Winger John Oster had also recovered from a hamstring problem to line up in a Sunderland side that contained no surprises.

The Black Cats were soon incurring more knocks as Millwall flexed their muscles with a succession of meaty challenges. Under a minute had gone when David Livermore left Tommy Smith - hero of Sunderland's Cup run with four goals - in a heap.

But Julio Arca's free-kick lacked power and height, and Wise was able to head clear.

Wright then went down under the challenge of Ifill as the Lions pressed the play at every opportunity.

But it was a risky approach and it almost proved costly when Cahill upended McAteer in the seventh minute, claiming he had taken a dive.

Oster whipped in a curling, right-footed free-kick from around 20 yards which crashed against the underside of the crossbar and bounced narrowly the wrong side of the goalline for the Black Cats.

The ubiquitous Oster fired over two minutes later, but Millwall were enjoying the lions' share of possession and looked the more likely to score.

Harris had the ball in the net in the 13th minute but the offside flag had already been raised against him.

Ifill was the first to enter Mr Durkin's notebook two minutes later after committing a heavy challenge on Arca.

But play soon switched to the other end, where Harris's dangerous low ball across goal had to be cleared by the vigilant Oster, who was covering acres of ground.

To illustrate the point, Oster's enterprise then worked an opening for McAteer, but the finish failed to match the quality of the build-up with the midfielder's 20-yard drive always going over.

On the balance of play, the lead Cahill handed Millwall was just about deserved, but Sunderland's response was to resort to the sort of strongarm tactics that had initially given the Londoners the edge.

Ifill was forced off through injury on the half-hour and replaced by Peter Sweeney, before a mass brawl nearly ensued after McAteer clashed with the notoriously abrasive Muscat.

The Millwall defender appeared to raise an elbow as he surged past McAteer before being felled by Wright.

McAteer's momentum carried him into the path of the prostrate Muscat and tempers flared.

But, after a brief skirmish involving players from both sides, order was restored and Mr. Durkin booked McAteer while Muscat received attention.

From the resultant free-kick, Wise was wide of the near post with a curling effort.

Just for good measure, McCartney made sure Muscat was given a further dose of his own medicine in the 39th minute when he was on the receiving end of a high tackle that rightly earned the Sunderland skipper a yellow card.

The battered Muscat could take no more and gave way to old warhorse Andy Roberts in the 42nd minute.

With two of their most influential players forced out of the firing line, Millwall had to regroup. Sensing their unease, Sunderland seized the initiative, with Smith helping the ball on for Arca, who could only find the sidenetting.

Six minutes of first-half injury time meant there was a further opportunity for the Black Cats when Oster fed Arca, whose high ball keeper Andy Marshall punched clear from Smith.

Sunderland began the second period at break-neck pace, but two openings quickly went begging.

Thirlwell blazed wide from an inviting position inside in the penalty area a minute before Marshall pulled off a miraculous save from Kyle in a moment which was to prove pivotal.

Oster crossed from the right and Marshall sprang to his left to turn aside Kyle's towering header.

When Kyle went down in the box in a duel with the combative Roberts, another gilt-edged chance fell Arca's way, but the Argentinian playmaker lashed high into the Sunderland hordes behind the goal.

McCarthy, who had brought on Marcus Stewart for the tired Kyle, was in the technical area barking orders and exhorting his players to keep up the onslaught.

Matt Piper was introduced at the expense of centre-back Babb to inject more width and pace down the left, with Arca dropping into the full-back berth and McCartney switching to the middle.

But further chances eluded Sunderland. Cahill headed away from Oster and Marshall performed a fine save to deny Arca from 25 yards, before McCartney was agonisingly close with a shot that flashed low past a post.

Soon afterwards, McAteer was off and Sunderland's hopes had all but evaporated.

When one last chance presented itself, Marshall cl awed Piper's shot just past the upright. Poom, who scored a last-gasp equaliser against former club Derby at Pride Park this season after coming up for a corner, decided to gamble again as Oster floated over a left-wing flag-kick, but this time it was to no avail.

Result: Sunderland 0 Millwall 1.

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