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1997 FA Cup final

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1997 FA Cup final
Match programme
Event1996–97 FA Cup
Date17 May 1997
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchRoberto Di Matteo
RefereeStephen Lodge (South Yorkshire)
Attendance79,160
1996
1998

The 1997 FA Cup final was the 116th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium and was contested by Chelsea and Middlesbrough, the North East club appearing in its first FA Cup Final.

Chelsea won 2–0 to win the FA Cup for the second time, the first having come in 1970. It was also the club's first major trophy in 26 years.

It was the first major honour in the career of most Chelsea's players, but for Mark Hughes, it was the fourth time that he had featured in an FA Cup winning side (having played on the winning Manchester United teams of 1985, 1990 and 1994).[1] For Middlesbrough, it was a second final defeat of the 1996–97 season (having lost the League Cup Final to Leicester City the previous month), to go with their controversial relegation from the Premier League.

Road to Wembley

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Chelsea

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Home teams listed first.

Round 3: Chelsea 3–0 W.B.A.

Round 4: Chelsea 4–2 Liverpool

Round 5: Leicester City 2–2 Chelsea

Replay: Chelsea 1–0 Leicester City

Quarter-Final: Portsmouth 1–4 Chelsea

Semi-Final: Wimbledon 0–3 Chelsea

(at Highbury, London)

Middlesbrough

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Home teams listed first.

Round 3: Middlesbrough 6–0 Chester City

Round 4: Hednesford Town 2–3 Middlesbrough

Round 5: Manchester City 0–1 Middlesbrough

 

Quarter-Final: Derby County 0–2 Middlesbrough

Semi-Final: Chesterfield 3–3 Middlesbrough

(at Old Trafford, Manchester)
Replay: Middlesbrough 3–0 Chesterfield
(at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield)

Match review

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Chelsea took the lead just 43 seconds into the match, with Italian midfielder Roberto Di Matteo receiving the ball and firing it into the goal off the crossbar from 25 yards to record what was at the time the quickest ever goal in a Wembley FA Cup final (Louis Saha broke this record 12 years later in the 2009 final after just 25 seconds, coincidentally against Chelsea, though Chelsea won the match 2–1), breaking Jackie Milburn's 42-year record.[2] Middlesbrough's prolific striker Fabrizio Ravanelli limped off after 21 minutes, further diminishing his side's chances of victory. Late in the first half Gianluca Festa put the ball in the net for Middlesbrough, but the goal was controversially ruled out for offside. In a largely disappointing match, in which Chelsea were generally in control, Chelsea eventually added a second goal seven minutes from full-time with Eddie Newton steering the ball into the net from Gianfranco Zola's clever flick to seal a 2–0 win.[3]

Match details

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Chelsea2–0Middlesbrough
Di Matteo 1'
Newton 83'
Report
Attendance: 79,160
Chelsea
Middlesbrough
GK 30 Norway Frode Grodås
RWB 2 Romania Dan Petrescu
CB 6 Scotland Steve Clarke
CB 5 France Frank Leboeuf Yellow card
CB 20 England Frank Sinclair
LWB 17 England Scott Minto
CM 11 England Dennis Wise (c)
CM 16 Italy Roberto Di Matteo Yellow card
CM 24 England Eddie Newton Yellow card
CF 10 Wales Mark Hughes
CF 25 Italy Gianfranco Zola downward-facing red arrow 89'
Substitutes:
GK 13 England Kevin Hitchcock
DF 8 England Andy Myers
FW 9 Italy Gianluca Vialli upward-facing green arrow 89'
Manager:
Netherlands Ruud Gullit
GK 25 England Ben Roberts
RB 14 Republic of Ireland Curtis Fleming
CB 5 England Nigel Pearson (c)
CB 18 Italy Gianluca Festa Yellow card
LB 17 Wales Clayton Blackmore
RM 10 Brazil Juninho Paulista
CM 8 England Robbie Mustoe downward-facing red arrow 29'
CM 6 Brazil Emerson
LM 20 England Phil Stamp
CF 11 Italy Fabrizio Ravanelli downward-facing red arrow 24'
CF 21 England Craig Hignett downward-facing red arrow 74'
Substitutes:
DF 4 England Steve Vickers upward-facing green arrow 29'
DF 7 Slovakia Vladimír Kinder upward-facing green arrow 74'
FW 9 Denmark Mikkel Beck upward-facing green arrow 24'
Manager:
England Bryan Robson

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Replay required if scores still level.
  • Three named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Where are they now? Chelsea's 1997 FA Cup winners". FourFourTwo. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  2. ^ "ROBERTO'S QUICKIE MAKES ROBBO SICKIE!; Blue heaven in 43 seconds". The People (London). 18 May 1997. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Blue what a scorcher!". Sunday Mirror. 18 May 1997. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
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