‘‘Both Sami Hyypia, who led us out at Cardiff, and I decided that if we beat Arsenal, then Jamie should go up to collect the FA Cup,’’ Fowler told his personal website at icons.com.

‘‘Jamie has had such a terrible season because of injury, but as I have said before, he is Liverpool’s club captain and I think it was only right that he went onto the podium at the front of the team.

‘‘Jamie is not just liked by everyone at Liverpool, he is also well respected, and we all wanted to show him that just because he has been out all season he has not been forgotten.

‘‘It’s always hard for injured players, or players who have not been selected, to join in winning celebrations. Obviously you are happy that your team has won, but it’s very easy to feel out of it.

‘‘However, everything at Liverpool is a team effort. We have a big squad and everyone has played a part in what we have achieved this season.’’

Rumours were rife before the game that Fowler would ask for a transfer if he was not in the starting line-up.

However, despite only coming on as a sub after 77 minutes, Fowler showed no signs of discontent with life at Anfield.

‘‘I may have only been on the field for a few minutes, but I definitely feel I contributed to our win. That’s why I was so happy at the end,’’ added Fowler.

‘‘When we were losing, the manager felt he had to make some changes and that’s when Patrik Berger and I came on.

‘‘We didn’t have much time to turn things around, but everyone pulled together, showing the kind of spirit which has got us so many good results this season.

‘‘Having already been on a losing side in a FA Cup final, I was desperate for that not to happen again.

‘‘You won’t be surprised to hear that the feeling of being on the winning team, even when you haven’t started the match, is much sweeter.

‘‘Some people might think we were a bit lucky because of the number of chances Arsenal had.

‘‘Okay, we didn’t put on our best performance of the season, but the fact that we managed to beat a very good side without playing very well shows how difficult we are to beat.

‘‘This was a real team effort. Arsenal caused us a lot of problems and we had to show a lot of spirit and courage to keep them out.

‘‘This Liverpool side has proved to be very resilient and we keep going right to the end. Everyone works for each other, and that is so important.’’