Observer:
Frank Lampard delivers FA Cup delight for Chelsea despite Everton's dream start
Chelsea 2 Drogba 21, Lampard 72 Everton 1 Saha 1
Paul Wilson at Wembley
Everton scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history, but were not strong enough to hold off Chelsea for the 89 minutes and 35 seconds that remained, Frank Lampard's elegantly struck second-half winner deservedly providing Guus Hiddink with a well-earned leaving present.
This is the first trophy Chelsea have won since Jose Mourinho signed off his silverware account with victory against Manchester United here two years ago, and as the outstanding Florent Malouda was unlucky to be denied a third goal with a shot that bounced down from the crossbar and over the line, there was no case for arguing that they were not worthy winners.
Everton brought the best support – it is quite a feat outsinging your rival supporters to a Z-Cars theme that has no words – but had to be content in the end with soaking up the rousing Cup final atmosphere their fervour had gone a long way to creating. Even the Chelsea cheers as the Cup was raised were muted, one appreciatory roar for Hiddink apart, whereas had it been Everton going up the steps the din would have been a danger to passing aircraft.
But Chelsea have seen a few trophies and finals in the past few years – they know the drill. While Everton could not quite rise to the occasion in the manner of their magnificent fans, they had a good go and did not let anyone down.
Hiddink took so long to emerge from the dressing room afterwards there was speculation he might have changed his mind about leaving, but no. "I apologise for the delay," he said. "We've all just been having a nice farewell dance party. This is almost the perfect farewell, though I must say it would have been even better had we been in the other final a few days ago. It is not just that I wanted to be in Rome, but I would love to have played Manchester United and I never got the chance. I am glad to have won this trophy before leaving, though. This club must win some silverware every season."
Everton did not just get off to the best possible start, they got off to the best Cup final start ever, Louis Saha's goal after 25 seconds beating Roberto di Matteo's 43-second opener in 1997 and finally settling an ancient argument about a goal thought to have been scored between 30 and 40 seconds in 1895. There is no question that Saha now has the quickest ever, hitting a left-foot shot on the turn past Petr Cech from the edge of the area after Chelsea had failed to clear the first Steven Pienaar cross from the left.
No one was expecting that, though Everton were hampered in their attempts to hang on to their lead by the inability of Saha and Marouane Fellaini to hold the ball in forward positions, meaning that Chelsea kept coming forward, and Tony Hibbert's unequal contest with Florent Malouda. The Everton right-back had already been struggling to contain the winger when he was booked for a cynical foul in the eight minute. That made his life even harder, though it did not excuse his continued wandering out of position.
It was no great surprise when Chelsea got back on terms midway through the first half, still less that Malouda was the provider. Found by Frank Lampard in plenty of space on the left, he sent over the sort of cross that Didier Drogba thrives on, the centre-forward easily muscling out an earthbound Joleon Lescott to give Tim Howard no chance with a close-range header.
David Moyes sensibly replaced Hibbert with Lars Jacobsen after Everton made it to the interval without further damage, and pulled Fellaini back into midfield, where he had proved more effective, to allow Tim Cahill to get farther forward. Everton enjoyed their best spell after that and the game was quite open for a while, with Saha missing an excellent chance from a Leighton Baines cross in the 67th minute. Drogba went close from Malouda three minutes later at the other end.
Lampard stumbled then recovered to settle the issue with a left-foot drive from outside the area that just eluded Howard's dive, before Malouda missed a relatively simple chance following outrageous crossfield passing between Drogba and Ashley Cole, then "scored" with an astonishing 35-yard shot that hit the bar to bounce behind the line and then out undetected by anyone until the next break in play provided the tell-tale replays.
Either Malouda or Lampard would have been a better choice as man of the match than Cole – certainly the French winger's case would have been unanswerable had his goal been spotted – while it was typical Lampard to use Wembley and the last match of the season to notch his 20th goal of the campaign, the fourth successive season he has reached that total. "He wins big games," a disappointed but resigned David Moyes said. "We spoke about him beforehand and I thought we played him really well, but he still popped up with the winner just as we were getting a foothold in the game."
Once Chelsea were ahead, they were careful not to invite Everton back into the game, with John Terry and Alex defending stoutly and the whole team being too smart to give away the free-kicks and corners their opponents needed to launch balls into their area. A caution for Lampard for diving late on was the game's only controversy. The Chelsea player certainly seemed to be looking for a penalty, though Pienaar appeared to have made some contact and a card might have been harsh.
Not a classic Wembley contest perhaps, and it was clear to even the most optimistic Merseysider that Everton might have peaked too early. "We got a great start, but it seemed to inspire Chelsea more than us," said Moyes, still waiting for his first win against the London side. "We found them a little bit too much for us, they were the better team. I very much wanted to beat Guus Hiddink – he has only been here three-and-a-half months and I didn't want to let him win a trophy easily, but I congratulate him."
Still, a final with the fastest goal in the event's history and another Geoff Hurst moment was considerably better than some of the dross that has been served up lately. And Carlo Ancelotti will not now be judged against coaches who won nothing, but against a man who revitalised a club in under four months.
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Independent:
Lampard defines true class that sinks dogged Everton
Chelsea 2 Everton 1: Hiddink ends his stay with trophy as Chelsea shrug off letting in fastest goal
By Steve Tongue at Wembley
Yellow was the colour at a brilliantly sunny Wembley yesterday as Chelsea, in their second strip, deservedly won the FA Cup after the shock of conceding the fastest goal in the 137-year history of the final. Louis Saha's stunning effort after 25 seconds was the high point of the afternoon for Everton by a long way, one that they rarely threatened to approach. Chelsea were level within 20 minutes through Didier Drogba's header, and Frank Lampard, second only to Florent Malouda as their leading performer, won an enjoyable game that would almost certainly have touched headier heights were it not for the debilitating heat.
Like father like son. In 1980 Frank Lampard snr had scored one of his rare goals to beat Everton in a semi-final replay, then claimed a winners' medal for West Ham as underdogs in the final against Arsenal. There was to be no victory against the odds or recent history here. There rarely is these days in the final, which has been won 19 times in 22 years by one of the acknowledged big four clubs.
So Everton, fifth in the Premier League, superbly supported on the day but dogged rather than inspirational, sought in vain a first victory in 23 games against Chelsea, 21 of them under David Moyes. They had a weak link in Tony Hibbert at right-back, targeted throughout the 45 minutes he was allowed on the pitch; all the more so once he had been booked early on for a cynical foul on the outstanding Malouda. Apart from allowing Saha one threatening header in the second half, John Terry and Alex were untroubled in defence, allowing Ashley Cole, who has now won five winners' medals, plenty of scope for supporting Malouda down the left. In midfield Lampard had help-mates in Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, the latter preferred to Michael Ballack.
In temperatures that touched 41 degrees C at pitch level, Petr Cech would have been delighted that his captain won the toss, enabling him to defend the one penalty area in the shade, but before the goalkeeper had time to reflect on his good fortune there was a ball to be picked out of the net. When Steven Pienaar, supplied by Leighton Baines and just onside, knocked over a cross from the left, it was not dealt with and the tall Belgian Marouane Fellaini produced a more telling header than any defender, nodding down for Saha. The former Manchester United and Newcastle man, who missed four previous Cup finals for various reasons, hit a superb left-foot shot as the ball sat up for him and Cech was not close to saving it. As well as arriving in barely half the time of Roberto di Matteo's Cup final effort for Chelsea in 1999, the speed of it all even eclipsed the quickest final goal on record, by one Bob Chatt of Aston Villa as long ago as 1895.
Would Chelsea sulk and go into their shell? Not a bit of it. Hibbert received his yellow card as Malouda went past him and from then on a constant stream of passes was sent diagonally into the area behind him. Drogba pulled one of them back for Michael Essien, in the position from which he hit his stunning goal against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge; this shot had similar power but less accuracy.
Before a quarter of the tie had been completed, an equaliser arrived from an entirely predictable source. Nicolas Anelka and then Lampard moved the ball to the left once more, where Malouda had time to measure a cross. Drogba reacted better than any of the four lurking Everton defenders. Joleon Lescott was outjumped by the Ivorian, thus extending a remarkable run at Wembley: a goal in every one of his five appearances here.
As well as replacing Hibbert with Lars Jacobsen for the second half, Moyes swapped Tim Cahill and Fellaini, who had been the further forward of the two. It was past the hour-mark before Cech was given work to do, holding Cahill's drive without difficulty. Everton did, however, enjoy a period of more sustained possession, something they had not been granted at any earlier stage. At the height of it, Saha lost all the yellow-shirted defenders to head a fine cross by Baines narrowly over the bar.
With 18 minutes to play, however, Lampard's moment arrived. Anelka moved the ball forward to him in what looked an innocuous position some 30 yards from goal. One deft turn left Phil Neville lurching the wrong way and with his supposedly weaker foot, the England midfielder hit a wonderful shot that Tim Howard touched but could not stop.
Malouda, twice, could have ensured a more relaxed final spell for Guus Hiddink's men. He chipped over after a neat move then hit a magnificent drive from 35 yards off the underside of the bar that television replays indicated was over the line before Howard grabbed it. Whether the assistant referee should have seen that, even in the shaded goal, was debatable. Fortunately it did not matter. Nor did Lampard's harsh yellow card for simulation when he went down over Pienaar's outstretched leg; nor Anelka's miss in added time when sent clear by the excellent Lampard.
"Lucky Guus" as his Dutch nickname has it? Not yesterday. Lucky Chelsea to have obtained his services for even three months.
Attendance: 89,391
Referee: H Webb
Man of the match: Malouda
Match rating: 7/10
Man-for-man marking: Chelsea
PETR CECH 6/10
Caught cold by Saha's record- breaking goal. From then on he must have been hot in his helmet. Came out bravely to dive at the feet of Everton forwards. But still looks as dodgy as his awful orange shirt when he comes for crosses. Easy save from Cahill.
JOSE BOSINGWA 7/10
Dangerous on the overlap. The Portuguese also did the donkey work in defence even though he had his hands full up against Pienaar and Baines. Brilliant run in second-half stoppage time was ended only by ugly foul by Baines, a yard outside the penalty area.
ALEX 7/10
The big Brazilian was never quite happy with the aerial threat of Fellaini. Fortunately for him, the Belgian spent most of the match helping out his over-worked defence. Sadly, we never got a sight of his howitzer free-kicks.
JOHN TERRY 7/10
Chelsea's collosus at the back. After a sloppy opening minute, Terry led Chelsea to a memorable victory. His spirit typifies the side. The captain's distribution at times was not as accurate as it should be.
ASHLEY COLE 8/10
Proved he is England's best left-back with an energetic shift. Chelsea's history man fluffed a wonderful chance just before half-time, hitting a monstrous slice into the crowd. Now has five winners' medals, equalling the all-time record, and at 28 he has plenty of time to add several more to his collection.
JOHN OBI MIKEL 6/10
Picked ahead of Germany's captain Michael Ballack, and repaid the manager's decision with a solid performance. Booked for dissent in the second half following a foul on Saha. Rarely gave the ball away, which used to be his Achilles heel.
MICHAEL ESSIEN 6/10
Not quite his usual powerhouse self. Performed his defensive duties with the diligence and energy we have come to expect but rarely imposed himself on the game. Dodged a booking after a nasty foul on Fellaini. Withdrawn after an hour for Michael Ballack who was quietly efficient.
FRANK LAMPARD 8/10
What a goal. Slipped, but recovered in an instant to score from 25 yards. Orchestrated Chelsea's comeback. Mercilessly exploited Hibbert's unease with a conveyor belt of pin-point passes to Malouda. It was a particularly brilliant pass to Malouda in the 20th minute that led to Drogba's equaliser. Was booked late on for diving.
NICOLAS ANELKA 7/10
Amazing work-rate from the Frenchman. Few players who have just won the Golden Boot will have done as much "dirty work" as Anelka. A totally unselfish performance from the man with more clubs than Tiger Woods. Attempted lob dropped over the bar from 20 yards. Fired over in stoppage time.
DIDIER DROGBA 7/10
Great theatre, as always. At his best to rise powerfully above Lescott to score with his head after 20 minutes. Still managed plenty of rolling around on the Wembley turf in mock agony. Surely enough to convince Roman Abramovich to keep him this summer.
FLORENT MALOUDA 9/10
Not since the days of Sir Stanley Matthews has a winger enjoyed so much freedom at Wembley. Great cross for Drogba's goal. Robbed of a goal when explosive shot from 30 yards hit bar and appeared to bounce over the line.
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Mail:
Chelsea 2 Everton 1: Lampard's stunner wins FA Cup for departing manager Hiddink
By Rob Draper
Frank Lampard, one of the men Guus Hiddink has come to rely on most in his all too brief reign at Chelsea, provided the finishing touch to the Dutchman's extraordinary four months in charge.
Lampard's glorious 72nd-minute strike captured the FA Cup for the fifth time in Chelsea's history and ensured that Hiddink can return next week to Russia - and his day job - with mission accomplished. Hiddink, who intriguingly talks about maintaining his links with Chelsea in the future, embraced his assistant, Ray Wilkins, as the final whistle blew at Wembley.
Within seconds Chelsea supporters lifted their voices to acclaim their temporary manager's achievements with their most popular refrain of the moment: 'Guus Hiddink: We want you to stay!'
Later, as the FA Cup was presented, they would reserve their loudest cheer for the Dutchman, as Wilkins beckoned the reluctant manager to take his place in the limelight and lift the trophy.
As for David Moyes' Everton and their admirable supporters, there was honour and dignity in defeat and a small piece of history claimed by Louis Saha, who gave this compelling final the most dramatic start ever witnessed in the competition's 137-year history.
Just 25 seconds had registered on the clock when Saha eclipsed the record of 42 seconds for the quickest goal in an FA Cup final, coincidentally scored by Chelsea's Roberto Di Matteo against Middlesbrough in 1997.
Chelsea had started at a lackadaisical pace, as though the sunshine had put them in the frame of mind for one of those meaningless pre-season friendlies.
When the kick-off found Steven Pienaar in space on the left, the South African swung in a cross to test the mettle of the Chelsea defence and although Alex headed smartly away, no-one seemed prepared to challenge for the second ball.
The distinctive mop of Marouane Fellaini rose above all challenges to direct the ball to the feet of Saha and the Frenchman's instincts did not desert him; he swung at the ball and fairly lashed it past Petr Cech.
Chelsea looked stunned as the Everton half of the stadium erupted, in almost equal bewilderment.
This was a start no-one could envisage, certainly not a supremely confident Chelsea team. Yet, they quickly regrouped, slowly but surely gaining a grip on the game, Florent Malouda probing at the empty spaces in front of and behind Tony Hibbert.
The Liverpudlian earned himself a booking on eight minutes for tripping the Chelsea winger and worse was to follow on 21 minutes.
The ball was worked out wide to Malouda, who was granted time and space on the left to place his cross exactly where he required, curling away from goalkeeper Tim Howard's reach yet perfectly placed for a rampaging Didier Drogba, who outmuscled Joleon Lescott to direct his header into the net.
For Hibbert the afternoon disintegrated. Both Malouda and Ashley Cole caroused past him, almost at will, and the latter should have scored on 44 minutes when, having slipped past the Everton right-back again, he managed to slice his shot wide from eight yards when confronted with Howard. Unsurprisingly, poor Hibbert was withdrawn by Moyes at half-time and replaced by Lars Jacobsen.
Chelsea, though, were establishing a physical grip on the game, both legitimately in the power of Lampard and John Obi Mikel in midfield and illegitimately in the case of Michael Essien, who had almost cut Fellaini in two on 23 minutes with a brutal challenge which somehow escaped a booking from Howard Webb.
Come the second half, the game bristled with aggression. Bookings for Phil Neville and Mikel characterised an increasingly unruly midfield battle.
Tim Cahill, who had switched positions with Fellaini to a more advanced midfield role, took it upon himself to wrestle Mikel to the ground in an effort to obtain the ball. Clearly neither team was ready to capitulate.
Although Chelsea appeared to be winning the struggle, a fine chance fell to Saha on 66 minutes. Leighton Baines crossed but the Frenchman, having risen above the defence, directed his header over the bar.
Chelsea, though, are one of the least likely teams to wilt in the energy-sapping sunshine.
After 72 minutes substitute Michael Ballack, introduced on the hour for Essien, worked the ball to Nicolas Anelka, who in turn found the formidable Frank Lampard lurking some 25 yards out from goal.
Neville sensed the danger and attempted to clip the ball away but the Chelsea man stumbled through the challenge before unleashing a ferocious shot goalwards.Howard got his hands to the strike but such was its power that he could only feel the brief sting of pain to his fingertips as the ball ripped into the net.
Chelsea deserved to consolidate the win when Malouda beat Howard from 30 yards, the ball bouncing down and out off the crossbar. Replays showed it had gone over the line, but that was difficult to discern in real time.
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Telegraph:
Chelsea 2 Everton 1: By Duncan White at Wembley Stadium
Even in triumph he was modest, dignified. Having climbed the 107 steps, Guus Hiddink seemed almost reluctant to lift the trophy, but ushered on by Ray Wilkins he took the adulation of the Chelsea support, a flourish that brought to a glorious end a whirlwind affair between the Dutchman and this club. Once he got going though, amid the champagne spray, the emotions poured out and the wise man of world football celebrated with childish enthusiasm. “He's a great manager and a great man," said Frank Lampard, who scored the spectacular winning goal. "It's a great send-off for him and we're delighted to give him a trophy.”
As ever, Lampard was exceptional. He has played with metronomic excellence in a season when Chelsea have often lacked stability and it was fitting that he scored such a fine winning goal, his 21st of another productive campaign. Drogba again scored in a big game at Wembley – he scored here in the semi final against Arsenal and when Chelsea won in 2007 – but it was Lampard who was the difference, his expertly judged passes releasing the rampant pair of Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda on the Chelsea left. “We wins big games,” was David Moyes’ pithy assessment.
Everton dared to dream There was no doubt that this was a big game for Everton, whose supporters The pre-match pessimism took all of 25 seconds to be dispelled. This was supposed to have been a dull, attritional game but Everton soon saw to it that this would be an open, compelling final. Stephen Pienaar picked up the ball on the left and sent in an in-swinging cross that John Obi Mikel failed to properly head clear. Fellaini got his head to the follow-up and with John Terry having let Saha pull away from him, there was a chance. With Mikel closing, Saha set himself and whipped a volley in at the near post, Cech unsighted by his defenders. Saha had earned his place in FA Cup folklore and set up a cracking final.
Chelsea’s response to that stunning setback was emphatic. Florent Malouda managed to get in behind Tony Hibbert on seven minutes and the Everton full back tripped him. Howard Webb produced the yellow card. Whether he feared being sent off, was carrying an injury or was just plain overwhelmed by the occasion, Hibbert’s game went to pieces.
Malouda and Cole surged down the Chelsea left at will and with Hibbert being given negligible protection by Leon Osman in front of him, chance followed chance. Tim Howard managed to make a key intervention with Cole pushing into the box, and Malouda sent in a couple of ominous crosses.
So thoroughly did Malouda have the beating of Hibbert that he even tried the old playground favourite of pushing the ball one side of the full back and scooting round the other. Humiliating for Hibbert that it nearly came off.
No surprise then that the equaliser came down the Chelsea left. Nicolas Anelka drifted in from the right, leaving the ball for Lampard who chipped it delicately to Malouda out wide. Hibbert and Osman stood rooted, giving Malouda all the time he needed to steady himself. The France winger’s cross was met by Drogba, leaping above Joleon Lescott, and his powerful header was simply unsaveable. It was a superbly executed piece of centre-forward play: Drogba had tracked across the box, just out of Lescott’s eye-line before cutting back across.
It didn’t get any better for Hibbert. When Marouane Fellaini’s tackle looped off Malouda, he was caught on his heels, Cole sprinting in behind him. The Chelsea full-back was wild with his attempt to finish, though. Moyes feared he would get sent off and replaced him with Lars Jacobsen at half-time.
It was from excellent work by Leighton Baines, the left back, that Everton almost re-took the lead midway through the second half. The Everton left-back had started pushing forward encouragingly and when he got the opportunity to cross he delivered an outstanding cross, all pace and bend, that Saha contrived to head over the bar. What a chance for the French striker.
There was an element scrappiness creeping into Chelsea’s player, so Hiddink decided to send on Michael Ballack, who had heavily strapped his calf, for Michael Essien. The Ghanaian was having a poor game and had been fortunate to escape without a card for a pretty brutal foul on Fellaini in the first half. Chelsea were continuing to exploit their left wing and almost got a second when Malouda’s driven cross clipped Fellaini and hit Drogba, going behind.
Chelsea were pushing and probing, with Lampard at the hub of their best work. With 18 minutes to go, Anelka fed the ball into Lampard’s feet and the England midfielder shimmied right to try and make space for a shot. Phil Neville, ever alert, swept across to try and block but over-ran it as Lampard cut back. For a moment Lampard lost his footing but he popped straight back up and hit a fading shot with his left foot that Howard got gloves to but couldn’t keep out.
Lampard was imperious, a minute later giving Malouda a clear sight of goal with disguised pass. Malouda shot over and should, in fact, have been flagged offside. If he benefited he was unfairly denied a wonderful goal just minutes later. Picking the ball up midway in the Everton half he teed himself up and hit a superb long-range shot that arched over Howard hit the bar and bounced over the line before spinning back out. The linesman, probably as surprised as Howard by Malouda’s audacity, was far from ideally positioned and the ‘goal’ was not given.
Everton rallied and prepared for one last assault on the Chelsea goal. Moyes sent on James Vaughan for the tiring Saha and the substitute was soon in the thick of it, sprinting down the left and floating a cross to the far post. Cech had to stretch to is limit to push the ball away from the waiting Cahill. But their spectacular start aside, Everton could never quite get on top of Chelsea.
“We deserved to be in the final and have performed ever so well over the course of the season but Chelsea were just a hurdle too much for us today,” Moyes said. “They were the better team and used the conditions better than us. But then If Chelsea had gone into the game without Drogba, Terry and Lampard, would it have given us a big lift? A better chance? I think it would. We have gone in without Yakubu, Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta and they are the equivalent of those players.”
So, Moyes will take a break before returning doggedly to his Sisyphean task, trying to break the top four Premier League hegemony on budget, incrementally pushing Everton beyond even their own expectations. “We reached the semi final last year, the final this year. Next year we need a trophy.”
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The Sunday Times
Frank Lampard hands Guus Hiddink perfect parting gift
Chelsea 2 Everton 1
Jonathan Northcroft at Wembley Stadium
AND SO Guus Hiddink got what he wanted. Sunshine, champagne spray at Wembley and a “beautiful ending” to his three-and-a-half months with
Chelsea. His parting gift ensured he will forever be cherished by the club of which he has been temporary manager since February. Not only is the FA Cup football’s most holy hunk of silverware, this was Chelsea’s first trophy since Jose Mourinho and perhaps now they can finally move on from the Portuguese demagogue whose shadow was such that his 2007 dismissal was still being picked over on newspaper back pages yesterday.
Chelsea’s next manager can now start the job in the manner Hiddink left — on his own terms. Carlo Ancelotti is favourite to be appointed, but some qualities of the Blues seem destined to remain constant regardless of who is their boss. Frank Lampard’s ability to influence matches is prime among these and after Louis Saha invigorated the occasion with the quickest ever FA Cup final goal, Lampard decided it with one of the greatest, following Didier Drogba’s equaliser.
After seeing the sweet embrace of ball by net after his shot beat Tim Howard, the midfielder ran to the corner flag and jigged his way around it, mimicking the goal celebration of his father, Frank Lampard Sr, when scoring the winner for West Ham against Everton in a 1980 FA Cup semi-final.
This was a fair result, not least because minutes after Lampard made it 2-1 a refereeing mistake denied Chelsea when Florent Malouda “scored” with an even better strike, a Scud missile of a shot that dipped and wobbled over Howard before exploding off the underside of the bar and coming to earth beyond the goalline. The ball bounced back out and Howard Webb’s assistant referee, believing the ball had not crossed the line, declined to signal a goal.
A score of 3-1 would have been about right. Everton’s commitment was supreme, David Moyes’s tactical set-up was clever and players such as Saha, Joleon Lescott, Phil Neville and Steven Pienaar played at or near to their maximum. But they had needed Chelsea, with resources so superior, to have an off-day and Chelsea didn’t. It was poignant to see Mikel Arteta in a suit, not a strip. Had he, Phil Jagielka and Yakubu not been injured, it might just have been different.
Both sets of supporters were marvellously lusty. Everton’s had waited a long time for an occasion of this size but received instant gratification. Their team’s blade was on Chelsea’s jugular immediately. From the kick-off, Moyes’s midfield worked their way into an attacking position and Pienaar sent in the first of several penetrating crosses he was able to deliver. John Mikel Obi headed weakly, and Alex failed to clear as Marouane Fellaini rose to challenge him. The ball dropped towards the the penalty spot and there, Saha connected perfectly with a left-footed volley to leave Petr Cech sprawling. Everton were ahead with 25 seconds gone. Saha’s goal was the fastest in FA Cup final history, beating one scored by the talkative-sounding Bob Chatt, 30 seconds into this fixture in 1895.
Hiddink had unveiled the only selection surprise, starting with Mikel instead of Michael Ballack so Chelsea could use two holding midfield players against Fellaini and Tim Cahill. The parts played in the goal by both Mikel and Fellaini made this seem a mistake but the next 89 minutes and 35 seconds vindicated the Dutchman. Neither could get on the ball for long and with Everton unable to hold possession upfield, they retreated into their defensive third.
Chelsea flooded forward. Hiddink had also detailed Malouda and Nicolas Anelka to drop off before striking at Everton with pacy runs from deep and Moyes’s full-backs suffered, especially Tony Hibbert. With 21 minutes gone sustained Chelsea pressure was rewarded when Anelka came deep to find Lampard, who spread the ball nicely to Malouda. The Frenchman’s perfect cross curved into Everton’s area for Drogba to outmanoeuvre Lescott and head home. Lampard put one close from distance and Ashley Cole botched an opportunity when Malouda’s ball ricocheted off Fellaini into his path.
Moyes’s men were defending tenaciously. Neville lost possession but hounded Drogba to win it back, Pienaar pressured Anelka into running the ball out for a goal-kick when trying to tee up a shot and even Saha, the lone striker, was glimpsed in the left-back position.
The question was: Could Everton keep it up? Temperatures down on the pitch were touching 40 degrees and their manager did not think so. In the first half, Moyes stood in his technical area waving his players forward in vain. At half-time Hibbert, neutered as a tackler since an early booking, was replaced by Lars Jacobsen, an experienced Dane. Cahill and Fellaini swapped places so the Australian could play off Saha. For a while it worked, Everton got forward more and Saha had a sight of goal but headed over from 10 yards.
Then Lampard struck. Ballack, on for Essien, slipped a pass to Anelka, who found Lampard near the rim of Everton’s penalty area. Neville strained sinew to get back but Lampard checked inside him , slipping as he did so. Yet up he sprang and with his left foot caught the ball’s sweet spot, sending it scorching away from Howard who, despite getting both hands on the orb, could only push it into his net.
Lampard was subsequently booked for trying to win a penalty with a sneaky dive but this only slightly tarnished his afternoon. He was prominent among the Chelsea performers, yet did not outdo Cole, who plucked a ball from Drogba out of the air with an outrageously skilful touch and was justifiably named man of the match.
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, gave John Terry the old trophy and Hiddink was invited to be the last to hold it, but graciously insisted he raise it jointly with Ray Wilkins, his assistant. He is gone but not forgotten and, after some dreary recent finals, the pageant and quality of yesterday’s will also last in the memory.
CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Essien (Ballack 61min), Mikel, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Malouda
EVERTON: Howard, Hibbert (Jacobsen h-t), Yobo, Lescott, Baines, Osman (Gosling 83min), Neville, Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini, Saha (Vaughan 77min)
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NOTW:
CHELSEA 2, EVERTON 1
From DAVID HARRISON at Wembley
WHEN the full heat of a pressure-cooker FA Cup final was at its most fierce, the coolest heads around belonged to Frank Lampard and Guus Hiddink.
Wembley Stadium sizzled in temperatures touching 100 degrees but the Chelsea midfielder and his stop-gap manager stepped outside the glare. And they entered the zone where only true winners survive.
Lampard's stunning goal was a strike worthy of settling the very greatest game. Hiddink's calm and considered appraisal of a match which was only briefly out of their reach was just as telling.
Weaker teams would have wilted after Louis Saha gave Everton the lead after an astonishing 25 seconds - the fastest goal in FA Cup final history.
But once Didier Drogba had levelled the scores, Chelsea were never going to let the final slip from their grasp - not with Lampard driving them on and turning up the heat a few notches higher.
His goal was his 20th of the season, the sixth successive campaign he has reached that milestone. A cause for celebration and Lampard tore a page out of the family scrapbook to commemorate the moment.
He danced a jig around the corner flag, just as his dad Frank Snr did when he scored the winner for West Ham against Everton in the semi-final of the same competition 19 years ago.
It was a place in the sun that Lampard deserved - not that his career has ever been hidden in the shadows.
The league meetings between the two clubs had resulted in drab goalless draws but any fears that this would turn into another sorry, scoreless stalemate were blown away within a minute. That's how long it took for Saha to grab the opener.
Once a Red crock but now a battling Blue, the former Manchester United striker won the vote from boss David Moyes to make the Everton starting line-up.
The decision was inspired. The Toffees boss gambled on the impact of the French striker outweighing his suspect injury record and was rewarded with a start that was beyond the wildest dreams of the Merseysiders.
Chelsea failed to deal with Steven Pienaar's cross from the left and when Marouane Fellaini returned John Obi Mikel's headed clearance into the penalty area, Saha thumped his left-foot volley past Petr Cech.
Though they were stunned by such an instant blow, Chelsea soon stirred themselves into life.
They were helped by an invitation from Everton to attack the space on the right side of their defence which opened up like a swinging barn door. Full-back Tony Hibbert was booked for a seventh-minute foul on Florent Malouda and thereafter seemed reluctant to get within touching distance of any Chelsea man who ventured into his territory.
The thought of a second yellow card seemed to grab the defender by the throat and paralyse him with fear. Hiddink was soon alert to the opportunity and switched the whole point of his team's attack to that side of the field.
Several openings were wasted until the 21st minute when Hibbert again stood off Malouda, who had time to look up and deliver the perfect cross for Drogba.
The striker muscled aside Joleon Lescott and sent a powerful header into the net - his fifth goal in as many domestic finals for Chelsea. The whole of Everton's strategy was being undermined by the frailty of their right flank.
And it was happening under the nose of Moyes who was screaming at Hibbert and Leon Osman from his technical area to shut out the danger.
His pleas went unanswered and just before the interval Hibbert was missing again as Ashley Cole charged into the penalty area. The England full-back had the options of a pass to Drogba or a shot at goal but he wastefully sliced his effort wide at the near post.
It was to be Hibbert's last part in the game. Moyes chose to replace him with Lars Jacobsen at the interval in an act of mercy as much as a tactical switch.
The occasion had got to the Everton man and the strength- sapping sunshine began to take its toll on players of both sides as the second half slowed temporarily to a crawl.
But an injection of pace by Nicolas Anelka brought the final back to the boil. Released by Lampard's pass his lobbed attempt was just too high.
There was a burst of energy too from Everton when Saha's header from Leighton Baines' cross flew over the top. But Lampard delivered the game's most decisive act with his 72nd-minute goal.
Turning inside Phil Neville, he momentarily lost his footing but regained his bearings to unleash a left-foot shot of power and precision.
Keeper Tim Howard managed to get two hands to the ball but the force of the effort took it into the net.
Malouda fired another good chance over the bar from Lampard's pass and the Chelsea wideman almost uprooted the goal frame with a thundering shot from 30 yards in the 79th minute.
It struck the bar and bounced down, much too quick for anyone to see with the naked eye whether it had crossed the line. Half the length of the pitch away, Hiddink raised his arms in celebration of a goal.
TV replays showed the Dutchman was right and the officials wrong in not giving it. He does not miss much this stand-in Chelsea manager but they are certainly going to miss him.
At the final whistle, Hiddink embraced coach Ray Wilkins, shook Moyes warmly by the hand and hugged each of his players.
He then took his turn to hold the trophy aloft and for that brief moment you knew the Cup was in its rightful hands.
The calm and self-assured coach had completed his mission with Chelsea, leaving them with silverware and stability - the things they had lacked before his arrival.
Then it was on to his next task and the challenge of taking Russia to World Cup glory. It was goodbye from him. Farewell but not forgotten.
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