Drogba clinches cup for Chelsea

Drogba winner
Didier Drogba struck the winner with only four minutes of extra time remaining as Chelsea ushered in the new ground just as they had left the old, with victory in the FA Cup final. Chelsea won the last final played at the old Wembley against Aston Villa FC in 2000 and then as now one goal was enough to decide it, allowing José Mourinho to claim the one domestic trophy that had eluded him since his arrival in England in 2004.

Little cheer
Prince William, president of the Football Association, officially declared the new stadium open, before the players walked out to a roar from the crowd of 89,926. Supporters, though, were given little to cheer early on as the match between England's top two sides failed to live up to its build up. Sir Alex Ferguson had expected Chelsea to come at his side like a "wounded animal" after relinquishing their hold on the Premiership title, but both teams preferred patience to a direct approach.

Frustrating afternoon
Chelsea, missing the injured Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko and Ricardo Carvalho, held the ball well but created little in the opening stages. It was also proving a frustrating afternoon for the champions. Wayne Rooney was flagged offside three times when well placed and Cristiano Ronaldo was initially kept in check by his compatriot Paulo Ferreira.

Lampard chances
Indeed it was the Chelsea right-back who provided the greater attacking threat on 30 minutes, bursting forward before feeding the on-rushing Lampard whose low shot was held by Edwin van der Sar. Moments later, Shaun Wright-Phillips skied over as both sides began to find their range. Ronaldo shot wide after collecting Scholes’s long pass then Lampard drove narrowly over.

Čech save
Chelsea's injury problems worsened when Joe Cole failed to appear for the second half. Their supporters cheered the introduction Arjen Robben, but it was United who seized the initiative. One minute after the restart Wayne Rooney worked room for himself and shot powerfully at goal. Petr Čech saved brilliantly diving to his right and recovered in time to palm away Ryan Giggs's follow-up, though the whistle had blown for offside.

Raised game
United were raising their game and on 56 minutes another raking pass from Scholes picked out Giggs whose first-time shot flashed over. Chelsea too were making chances. Drogba hit the outside of the post with a free-kick then Van der Sar palmed away from Robben, before another marauding Rooney run brought the United fans back to their feet. Belatedly the final had come to life, though neither side would find a way to goal in normal time.

Giggs close
Sir Alex showed his intention of winning the match without recourse to penalties when he replaced midfielder Darren Fletcher with striker Alan Smith, and Chelsea manager José Mourinho also freshened his attack by swapping Wright-Phillips for Salomon Kalou. Not until the 104th minute was a chance created, though, Rooney crossing low for Giggs whose shot was blocked by Čech.

Winning moment
In the second period of extra time Kalou dragged a shot wide on the break but, just as it looked as if a shoot-out would settle the final for the third successive year, Chelsea went ahead in the 116th minute. John Obi Mikel fed Lampard on the right and he put the ball into the path of the Ivorian, who touched his 33rd goal of the season past the advancing Van der Sar to spark the Chelsea celebrations and give the London club the trophy for the fourth time.