Drogba lands the DoubleBlues see off plucky Pompey in Wembley showpiece
Last updated: 15th May 2010
Didier Drogba was the hero for Chelsea as they added the FA Cup to their Premier League crown with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth.The Pompey goal led a charmed life throughout an entertaining first half at Wembley, with Chelsea left wondering what they had to do to force a breakthrough.
Frank Lampard saw a swerving effort clip the outside of a post before Salomon Kalou somehow contrived to hit the bar from six yards out with the goal gaping.
John Terry then headed against the woodwork and Drogba hit the bar with a stinging free-kick, which cannoned down onto the line after David James got a hand to his 30-yard drive.
Drogba poked a low effort onto the outside of the post as the half drew on but the two sides went into the interval level, much to Pompey's relief.
For all their opportunities, the Blues almost fell behind 10 minutes into the second half as Aruna Dindane was felled in the box by Juliano Belletti.
Kevin-Prince Boateng took responsibility from the spot, but saw a tame drive kept out by the feet of Petr Cech.
Chelsea then made Pompey pay for their wastefulness from 12 yards shortly before the hour mark when Drogba lashed a dipping free-kick into the back of the net off the inside of the post.
The Blues should have wrapped things up and given themselves breathing space two minutes from time, but Lampard uncharacteristically scuffed a penalty past the post after he had been felled by Michael Brown.
Given the financial straightjacket they find themselves in, this was likely to be Pompey's last major final for quite some time.
FrustrationThat certainty, at the end of a campaign where you are £135million in debt, in administration, have had nine points deducted, been relegated, not been paid your wages on time on numerous occasions and seen players sold at a moment's notice, probably generated a devil-may-care attitude within the Portsmouth squad.
Frederic Piquionne brought a staggering reaction save out of Cech and Dindane failed to make clean contact as he tried to turn home Piquionne's cut-back as Pompey started brightly.
By any standards, these were glorious openings which Portsmouth might have had cause to regret if it were not for the fact that Chelsea were enduring frustrations of their own so great Drogba ended the half beating a post in total frustration at his side's inability to get the ball past it.
Within this flurry of activity came a contender for the best save ever seen in a cup final, and that miss.
Chelsea's victory will save Kalou extreme ridicule, but he knows his own contribution is going to be replayed so often he will never escape.
Lampard had already flashed a shot against a post and Chelsea were on top when Ashley Cole, the first man to win the famous old trophy six times, drove deep into the Pompey box, completely outpacing Aaron Mokoena.
Fabio Capello would not have been the only one to admire his sublime cross, which completely took David James out of the game and presented Kalou with a four-yard tap-in.
The Chelsea fans were already on their feet, arms aloft in triumph, when Kalou's side-footed effort soared skywards and thudded against the bar.
For a moment or two, the stadium was completely silent, as if unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. The eruption of noise from the Portsmouth end confirmed the reality.
Within a couple of minutes Terry had glided a header against the bar, but that was nothing compared to the free-kick Drogba curled towards the top corner later on.
Somehow, James managed to reach it. His touch was only faint but it was enough to push the ball onto the bar and down, smack bang onto the goal-line.
BacklashSo, when Drogba fired a low effort against the post four minutes from time, little wonder the offending upright suffered the backlash.
For once, a half had been completed with no-one mentioning the pitch.
An odd colour it might have looked but it was not restricting the entertainment value, which included a penalty 10 minutes after the restart.
Introduced for Michael Ballack, who had been the subject of a vicious first-half tackle from Boateng, Belletti had not quite got his bearings.
And when Dindane nipped past him, the Brazilian lunged in and sent him sprawling.
After all that had gone before, the entire stadium had the sense this was the moment that would give the underdogs the trophy. Except Boateng had not read the script.
So bad was his effort that Cech, having gone down early, had time to make the readjustment required and boot it clear,
Within three minutes, Drogba converted his magnificent free-kick and the dream was over.
Had Lampard scored when he was bundled over in the box by Brown two minutes from time, Chelsea would have deserved it.
He did not. It was that type of extraordinary game.
http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3268967,00.html
