On a pitch that would have been more suited for rallycross yesterday, John Terry and Frank Lampard held the FA Cup aloft, as Chelsea maintained their grip on the trophy, in a one-sided final at Wembley. Carlo Ancelotti’s men overcame a brave, if limited Portsmouth side 1-0, to add the FA Cup to their Premiership title success seven days ago. With it, he becomes the first Blues coach to land the double, even managing to achieve something that managed to elude the ‘Special One,’ Jose Mourinho. Well, now Ancelotti can have his own claims to that particular mantle.
Chelsea were firmly in command from the outset yesterday, and had it not been for a bit of luck, plus coming up against an in-form David James, could have turned the final into a routine Sunday training exercise. No less than FIVE TIMES did they hit the woodwork in the first half. Frank Lampard and John Terry were both thwarted, whilst Didier Drogba has a free-kick wonderfully turned onto the bar by the inspired James. Later in the exchanges, Drogba smacked the post again, then kicked at it in frustration, was this to be their day? It was made all the more galling by Salomon Kalou’s shambolic miss from 3 yards out. Ashley Cole set the chance up on a plate, but the unpredictable Kalou somehow smacked the crossbar with a gaping goal, a chance that to be honest, Stevie Wonder could have scored!
However, Avram Grant’s spirited Pompey side didn’t give in, and had it not been for inspired Cech reactions, denying Frederic Piquionne from close range, his side might have had an unlikely lead. Ten minutes into the second half, they squandered a golden opportunity to inherit the lead. Steve Finnan’s strong work down the right-hand side, fed through Aruna Dindane, who bamboozled and forced a careless lunge out of Chelsea departure-bound Juliano Belletti. Five weeks ago, Kevin-Prince Boateng has slotted away the decisive spot kick in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, but this time, the Ghanaian (responsible for ending Michael Ballack’s game in the first half), scuffed his kick horribly. Cech saved the poor penalty with his feet, and with it, went Pompey’s glory moment. Less than three minutes later, they were behind.
Papa Boupa Diop tripped Nicholas Anelka on the edge of the box, and Drogba, always deadly from set-pieces produced another moment of magic. His free-kick beat the disorganised Portsmouth wall, and just grasped out of James’s reach, striking the post. This time though, his accuracy was spot-on, as it struck the post and bounced in. The Ivorian was celebrating his seventh goal in an English cup final, and gave the Stamford Bridge the deserved edge. In the late stages, Michael Brown’s silly lunge on Lampard earned another penalty, but for once, Lampard cracked under the pressure and sent his kick wide, James not even been forced to save the kick. Lampard became the first player to actually miss a spot kick in the Wembley showpiece and it’s the first time in FA Cup Final history that two penalties haven’t been converted in normal time.
However, that couldn’t take the edge off Chelsea’s success, as their players celebrated for the second time in six days. They are the dominant force again in England and the question is, can they turn this into a sustained period of success….with one of two new acquisitions in the summer, there is a good chance of this happening. For Portsmouth, it’s the end of the FA Cup fairytale and the squad will break-up for pastures new, as will Grant, who despite his love and incredible affection with the passionate South Coast fans, looks set to take over the vacant West Ham United job. With the Fratton Park side still in administration, their future looks very bleak. For Chelsea, their future looks far more bright and promising.
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