2007 FA Cup final

2007 FA Cup final
Event2006–07 FA Cup
After extra time
Date19 May 2007
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchFrank Lampard (Chelsea)
RefereeSteve Bennett (Kent)
Attendance89,826
2006
2008

The 2007 FA Cup final was played on Saturday, 19 May 2007 between Chelsea and Manchester United. It was the 126th FA Cup Final and the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium.[1] Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 thanks to an extra-time goal from Didier Drogba,[2] completing a domestic cup double for the Blues in the 2006–07 season, as they had already won the League Cup Final in February. Manchester United were favourite for winning a double of their own as they had recently beaten Chelsea to the Premier League title two weeks earlier. The game was widely considered to be a disappointment by pundits and fans alike.[3][4][5] As a result of Manchester United and Chelsea having already been guaranteed qualification for the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup entry for the FA Cup winner/runner-up went instead to the highest positioned Premier League team who had not already qualified for Europe: Bolton Wanderers.

The match had an attendance of 89,826, the largest for an FA Cup Final since Wimbledon's famous 1–0 win over Liverpool in the 1988 final, when 98,203 attended. Chelsea became only the third club to complete the domestic cup double – Arsenal did it in 1993 and Liverpool in 2001. It was their fourth FA Cup triumph, and their first under the management of José Mourinho. They had won the last FA Cup final at the old Wembley Stadium seven years earlier.

  1. ^ Bose, Mihir (16 October 2006). "Wembley to host 2007 FA Cup final". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  2. ^ "FA Cup final – Chelsea 1–0 Man Utd". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 May 2007. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
  3. ^ "BBC pundits on the FA Cup final". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  4. ^ Wilson, Paul (20 May 2007). "The two best teams in England but not much to shout about". London: Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Most Boring Cup Final in History". BBC 606 Fans forum. Retrieved 20 May 2007.