AXA FA Cup Final report by Chris Macrae
Aston Villa 0-1
Chelsea
Di Matteo - 73mins:
Dennis Wise and Chelsea made FA Cup history with the Blues
taking the last cup final at Wembley before the Twin Towers are
knocked down - and Wise producing a first by taking baby son
Henry up the steps with him to collect the trophy.
Roberto Di Matteo's goal earned Chelsea the FA Cup for the
third time in their history, and the second time in four seasons
when the same player scored the quickest cup final goal in
history against Middlesbrough.
The former Lazio man's winner was a personal nightmare for
the Aston Villa keeper David James.
The
England international has strived for many years to rid himself
of the 'Calamity James' tag. However, the cruel nomenclature
came back to stare him full in the face as he made a terrible
hash of Gianfranco Zola's 73rd minute free-kick.
He rose abvove a crowd of players, fumbled the ball into the
back of Gareth Southgate, and presented the Italian
international with a simple opening from five yards, which he
hooked home with glee.
In a game of precious few openings, it was always likely that
such an error would prove costly, and Villa can have few
complaints as they failed to create one clear-cut opening in
their first appearance the FA Cup Final for 43 years.
Chelsea kicked off and were soon knocking the ball around,
without really looking threatening, before Villa suddenly
decided to get serious, and issue a statement of intent. George
Boateng lunged in on Didier Deschamps, earning a 'calm down'
chat from referee Graham Poll.
George Weah,
starting in the absence of Tore Andre Flo, was looking lively,
resplendent in his 1970's white boots, but it was no surprise to
see space at a premium.
The first opening fell to Zola as he sped down the right,
clipped the ball in but it was headed clear by Gareth Southgate,
and Wise returned the volley with interest. James gathered
comfortably in his midriff.
Paul Merson then managed to deliver from the right, but
Leboeuf was alert to the danger and headed clear, before a long
pass from Gustavo Poyet aimed to pick out Gianfranco Zola but
James came racing out of his goal to hack clear.
Villa began to settle, but shortly after Gareth Barry was
booked for cutting down Mario Melchiot as he burst clear down
the right. The Dutchman, deputising for the injured Albert
Ferrer, returned the compliment moments later, and became the
second man in the book.
Alan Wright swung a decent cross from the left and Merson
reacted quickest but his right-foot volley drifted a couple of
yards over Ed De Goey's crossbar.
There was no great tempo or urgency in the play as the clock
went past the half-hour mark, and Villa were having little
problem containing Chelsea's ponderous build-up play, with
George Boateng and Ian Taylor relishing the midfield battle, and
Benito Carbone and Merson tackling back in determined fashion.
Surprisingly there were no changes at half-time, but four
minutes into the second period, Chelsea clicked into gear.
Zola sent Weah clear down the inside-right channel and the
Liberian striker did not break stride before unleashing a
stinging cross-shot that fizzed wide of James' right-hand
upright.
Moments later, the first real moment of controversy.
Leboeuf's attempted cross came straight back to Roberto Di
Matteo. The Italian's snap-shot from the left-hand corner of the
area was spilled by James, and Wise was on hand to tuck in the
rebound. However, the Blues celebrations were cut short by the
flag of the referee's assistant, who had correctly adjudged Weah
to have been offside, as he followed in, one yard ahead of Wise.
Boateng had a snap shot blocked by Wise's flying challenge at
the other end as the game suddenly showed signs of life. The
Chelsea captain then found his range, and a crunching challenge
released Zola on the right. His swinging cross found Weah in
space at the far post, but the Liberian's side-footed finish
flashed high and wide.
With 60 minutes gone, the pressure was on Villa for the first
time, as Chelsea, so stilted before the break, were suddenly
full of movement and trickery. Another clever Zola pass released
Weah in the area, but James was out quickly to smother the
attempted overhead flick.
Villa's next threat came from a central free-kick, but Dublin
could get no power on the header from Southgate's knock-back.
With 17 minutes
left, Chelsea did what they had not done all season - and scored
a goal against Villa.
Zola's free-kick from the left was fumbled by James, the ball
bounced off the hapless Southgate and fell to the feet of Di
Matteo, and he gleefully hooked the ball into the roof of the
net from five yards. It was the Italian's third goal in his last
four appearances for the Blues.
De Goey promptly mimicked James at the other end, but Carbone,
in space to the left of goal ten yards out, hurried his
left-foot shot and Leboeuf hacked clear. The Villa striker then
made way for Julian Joachim as Villa strived for a way back.
However, it was Chelsea who continued to dominate with Zola,
invigorated, seeing plenty of the ball, and Di Matteo and Wise
keeping a stranglehold on the Midlanders.
With time running out, Barry's left wing cross was expertly
hooked clear by Gus Poyet, and the Villa's man return ball was
headed tamely over by Ugo Ehiogu.
In the final minutes one last free-kick was hoisted into the
Chelsea area, with James lurking, hoping to atone for his
blunder.
Alas for the Villans, there was to be no dramatic finale, and
the cross, like most of their attacks all day, was repelled with
ease.
For Chelsea, deserved silverware at the end of a long season.
For Villa, after a 43-year wait, the pain of defeat will be
acute.
MATCH FACTS
Aston Villa: James, Barry, Southgate, Ehiogu, Wright (Hendrie
87), Boateng, Taylor (Stone 78), Merson, Delaney, Dublin,
Carbone (Joachim 78). Unused subs: Samuel, Enckelman.
Chelsea: De Goey, Babayaro, Leboeuf, Desailly, Melchiot,
Deschamps, Di Matteo, Poyet, Wise, Zola (Morris 90), Weah (Flo
87). Unused subs: Cudicini, Terry, Harley.
Referee: Graham Poll (Tring)
Goalscorer - Di Matteo (73 mins)
Booked - Boateng (A), Wise (C), Melchiot (C), Barrie (A),
Poyet (C)
Attendance: 78,217
Stats
Aston Villa Chelsea
GOALS 0 1
SHOTS ON TARGET 1 3
SHOTS OFF TARGET 5 3
BLOCKED SHOTS 7 0
CORNERS 5 1
FOULS CONCEDED 14 16
OFFSIDES 3 8
YELLOW CARDS 1 3
RED CARDS 0 0
POSSESSION 47% 53%
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