Picture of the day – April 14

Wembley’s 133 metre-high arch began its ascent into the London skyline in north-west London, on this day in 2004.

The arch, a milestone in the construction of the new stadium, took around six weeks to raise. However, earlier it had been declared unsafe to lift into position until some minor rectification works had been carried out.

It was not the only thing which did not go to plan – the new-look Wembley was scheduled to open in 2006 but did not host its first match until May the following year.

After Prince William had performed the opening ceremony and the Red Arrows flown over the arch, Manchester United and Chelsea took to the pitch for the FA Cup final.

The contest did not live up to the occasion, finishing goalless after a largely uninispiring 90 minutes before Didier Drogba won the trophy for the Blues with an impressive goal towards the end of extra-time.

The venue has since gone from strength to strength, successfully hosting a variety of different sporting events.