The ceremony included the FA Cup trophy being escorted by a Royal Navy guard accompanied by music from the Royal Navy Guard and the Royal Marines Band Portsmouth.
"It's true that having had the joy of winning this trophy, being in another final, the fans want to be in the Champions League.
Almunia – who made a fine late save, pushing Ryan Babel's strike on to the crossbar to secure all three points – accepts Arsenal have not delivered on the promise of previous campaigns, the last trophy being the FA Cup in 2005.
"With the trophy being at the end of its 10 years with Johnstone's Paint and the need to do something to make it a more attractive competition, we felt we had to do something," he says.
"When I saw that Super Bowl trophy being handed over last night by none other than Tagliabue, it did my heart good," Mr. Nichols said, referring to Paul Tagliabue, the National Football League commissioner.
Nascar sent the Harley J. Earl Daytona 500 Perpetual Trophy from Florida to Indianapolis so it could be displayed with Indy's famous Borg-Warner Trophy through Monday — rekindling images of the America's Cup trophy being unbolted from its longtime home in Rhode Island.
