Liverpool won the FA Cup for the seventh time, beating West Ham 3-1 on penalties after the teams drew an epic final 3-3 after extra time.

Liverpool keeper Jose Reina saved three of the four West Ham penalties he faced, becoming their hero after handing West Ham two goals with errors earlier in the match.

One of the greatest of all the 125 FA Cup finals was taken into extra time by a stunning last-minute 30-metre shot by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, equalising for the second time in the match.

"It was an unbelievable game but we had that never say die attitude and we stuck in there," Gerrard said.

"We always knew if it went to penalties we had a really good chance, we felt he was the better keeper with penalties."

West Ham had gone ahead when Jamie Carragher turned a low cross into his own goal after 20 minutes and went 2-0 up eight minutes later when Dean Ashton pounced after Reina spilled a Matthew Etherington shot.

Djibril Cisse pulled one back with a neat volley after 32 minutes and Gerrard, whose pinpoint pass led to that goal, levelled with a thunderous shot in the 54th as both teams poured everything into attack.

Just when it appeared that West Ham had lost its impetus as well as the lead, the Hammers suddenly regained the advantage from an unexpected source in the 64th minute.

Fullback Paul Konchesky attempted a long lofted cross from the left but the ball caught out Reina and curved into the top corner.

West Ham's fans were singing to acclaim their first FA Cup triumph since 1980 until Gerrard's brilliant intervention one minute into stoppage time.

Of his goals Gerard said: "I just wanted to get good contact on the first but the second one was just a dream goal. It was a dream goal and a dream day."

There were few chances in extra time as injured and exhausted players dropped all over the pitch, but Reina needed to produce an acrobatic save to tip a Nigel Reo-Coker flicked header against the post in the 119th minute.

It then became the second successive FA Cup final to be decided on penalties - and Liverpool's second major final to be decided that way after a 3-3 draw.

Last May they came from 3-0 down to force a 3-3 draw with AC Milan in the Champions League final before winning on spot kicks and with a record of eight wins from nine previous shootouts they were favourites.

Dietmar Hamann gave Liverpool the early advantage with the first penalty before Bobby Zamora saw his kick brilliantly saved at full length by Reina.

Sami Hyypia then saw Shaka Hislop save his weak effort before Teddy Sheringham made it 1-1 from the spot.

The 40-year-old became the third oldest man to play in the final when he came on as an 85th minute substitute.

Gerrard then put Liverpool 2-1 ahead in the shootout before Reina saved Konchesky's shot.

John Arne Riise blasted Liverpool 3-1 up leaving Anton Ferdinand needing to score to keep it alive. He did not manage it and the drama was finally over with Liverpool's fans and players going wild with delight at the end of a momentous occasion.

Reina described the final as "an absolutely crazy game."

"It was a really bad performance from me in the game but keepers need to live a small line between mistakes and the saves and all I had to do was keep going," he said.

West Ham captain Reo-Coker said: "I think we deserved to win that.

"We worked fantastically hard, I can ask nothing more from the players.

"It was a marvellous Cup final, we gave all we could give. I hope everyone associated with West Ham is proud, we gave it our all."

West Ham manager Alan Pardew said: "It felt like a defeat when the third goal went in but we rallied and had the biggest chance of extra-time.

"We had to dig in, this was a top team we were playing but I really felt we were going to win it. Only a 35-yard smasher from Gerrard was going to change that."

One consolation for West Ham, promoted from the second division a year ago, is that it will go into next year's UEFA Cup despite losing as Liverpool are already in the Champions League qualifiers courtesy of the club's third-place finish in the Premier League.

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