2007 FA Cup Final: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

The footage

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2007

The match report

Chelsea won the 126th FA Cup final on Saturday 19 May 2007, beating Manchester United 1-0 after extra time in the first final played at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Didier Drogba scored the only goal in the 116th minute, four minutes from the end of extra time, in front of a crowd of 89,826. It was the first final at Wembley since 2000, the competition having spent six seasons at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while the ground was rebuilt.[1][3]

The occasion was built up as the reopening of the competition's home. The FA named Prince William as chief guest, the Red Arrows flew past, and local schoolchildren paraded the colours of the clubs that had won the cup at the old Wembley, at a stadium whose rebuilding was reported to have cost 757 million pounds. What followed, the BBC's report concluded, was a game from the two best sides in the country that is unlikely to live long in the memory.[4][1][3]

The first half set the tone. A cagey opening produced plenty of offside flags and little else, and the first shot on target of the new Wembley era did not arrive until the 31st minute, when Paulo Ferreira's run and pass gave Frank Lampard a first-time shot that Edwin van der Sar saved low. Both teams looked heavy-legged after long seasons, and a pitch that had looked immaculate at kick-off began to cut up.[3][1]

Jose Mourinho surprisingly withdrew Joe Cole at half-time and sent on Arjen Robben. The second half brought the final's first landmarks: Ryan Giggs volleyed Paul Scholes's pass just over on 57 minutes, Scholes became the first player booked at the new Wembley two minutes later for a foul on Lampard, and Drogba's free-kick on the hour hit the outside of the post. Petr Cech saved at Wayne Rooney's feet, Claude Makelele and Nemanja Vidic were booked late on, and the match reached the end of 90 minutes still goalless.[1][3]

Extra time produced the moment the final is still argued about. In the 104th minute Rooney crossed along the six-yard line and Giggs arrived at the back post. His connection was not clean, Cech stopped the ball on the line, and Giggs's momentum carried him sliding into the goalkeeper, forcing him and the ball just over the line. No goal was given. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed afterwards that it should have been a penalty and that the ball being over the line only made it worse; Cech himself admitted the ball was behind the line, but said it would have been a foul anyway.[1][6][5]

With penalties looming, the goal came in the 116th minute. John Obi Mikel threaded the ball through to Drogba, who played a one-two with Lampard that took out three United defenders, beat van der Sar to the return pass and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper and inside the post. It was his 33rd goal of the season. Salomon Kalou, Ferreira and Ashley Cole were all booked in the remaining minutes before the whistle confirmed Chelsea as winners.[1][3][7]

The win gave Chelsea a fourth FA Cup and completed a domestic cup double, the League Cup having been won against Arsenal in Cardiff that February with two Drogba goals. It also completed Mourinho's set of English domestic trophies in his three years at the club, and made Chelsea only the third club to win both domestic cups in the same season, after Arsenal in 1993 and Liverpool in 2001. The FA's own match page records that the winning club received 1,000,000 pounds.[1][3][12][14]

For United the defeat ended hopes of a fourth league and cup Double. They had already been confirmed as Premier League champions a fortnight earlier, and Ferguson put the performance partly down to tiredness after the number of games his players had played, singling out Cristiano Ronaldo, the season's outstanding player, among those who looked spent.[6][13][10]

How the match unfolded

1. 3'Didier Drogba heads over the first chance of the match.[1]
2. 22'Space opens up for Drogba and he carries the ball forward before shooting wide of Edwin van der Sar's goal from 25 yards.[1]
3. 31'The first shot on target of the new Wembley era: Paulo Ferreira runs into the box from the right and slides the ball into Frank Lampard, whose first-time shot is saved low by van der Sar.[1][3]
4. 45'Half-time. Goalless, with both sides looking heavy-legged after long seasons.[3][1]
5. 46'Chelsea make a half-time substitution, Arjen Robben replacing Joe Cole.[1][3]
6. 47'Wayne Rooney's solo effort is beaten away by Petr Cech. Ryan Giggs follows up on the rebound and Cech saves again, though the flag was up for offside.[1]
7. 57'Paul Scholes picks out Giggs with a lofted pass and the United captain volleys just over the bar from the corner of the six-yard box.[1]
8. 59'Scholes becomes the first player booked at the new Wembley, for a foul on Lampard.[1][3]
9. 60'Drogba's free-kick around the outside of the wall is hard and low but hits the outside of the right-hand post.[1]
10. 64'Rooney beats Michael Essien on another powerful run into the box and Cech saves well at his feet.[1]
11. 84'Claude Makelele is booked for a late foul on Scholes. Nemanja Vidic follows him into the book a minute later for tugging at Lampard.[1]
12. 90'Two minutes into stoppage time Vidic flicks Giggs's free-kick over the bar, and Steve Bennett blows for the end of normal time with the final still goalless.[1]
13. 92'Extra time. Alan Smith replaces Darren Fletcher for United; two minutes later Salomon Kalou replaces Shaun Wright-Phillips for Chelsea.[1]
14. 104'The incident the final is still argued about. Cristiano Ronaldo plays wide to Rooney, whose cross along the six-yard line finds Giggs arriving at the back post. Giggs's connection is not clean, Cech stops the ball on the line, and Giggs's momentum sends him sliding into the goalkeeper, forcing him and the ball just over the line. No goal is given.[1]
15. 105'Alan Smith is booked.[1]
16. 108'Chelsea take off their first substitute: Robben hobbles off and Ashley Cole comes on.[1]
17. 110'Scholes's long ball finds Rooney inside the box and Cech is down well again to deny him.[1]
18. 112'United make a double change: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaces Giggs and John O'Shea replaces Michael Carrick. Scholes takes the captain's armband.[1]
19. 114'A sublime touch from Drogba puts Kalou running at the United defence, but his curling shot from 20 yards goes wide.[1]
20. 116'GOAL. Drogba plays a neat one-two with Lampard which takes out three United defenders on the edge of the area, beats van der Sar to the return pass and lifts the ball over the goalkeeper's head and inside the post.[1][3]
21. 119'Kalou is cautioned for an altercation with van der Sar.[1]
22. 120'Ferreira is booked for a foul on Ronaldo, and Ashley Cole becomes the final's seventh and last booking in added time before the whistle confirms Chelsea as winners.[1]

Match facts

Date

Saturday 19 May 2007

Venue

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance

89,826The figure printed by the Football Association's own match page and carried by BBC Sport, ESPN and 11v11. The BBC's preview and report round the crowd to 90,000 in prose.[1][3]

Referee

Steve Bennett (Kent)[2][1]

Scorers

Didier Drogba 116'[1][3]

Half-time

0-0

Competition

2006-07 FA Cup

Where they played

Both sides as they lined up. Choose any player to read what they did in this final.

Select a shirt for that player's note.

Route to the final

Line-ups

Trivia and detail

• The BBC's report kept a 'Wembley cup final firsts' box for the new stadium's first final: first shot on target after 31 minutes (Lampard), first substitution at 46 minutes (Robben for Joe Cole), first booking at 59 (Scholes) and first goal at 116 (Drogba).[3]
• Chelsea were also the last club to win the FA Cup at the old Wembley, in 2000, which made them the last winners at the old stadium and the first at the new one.[3][7]
• Steve Bennett had already been to the FA Cup final twice in other roles, as a linesman in 1995 and as fourth official in 2001. His assistants this time were Peter Kirkup of Northamptonshire and Dave Bryan of Lincolnshire, and the fourth official was Howard Webb of Sheffield and Hallamshire.[2]
• The unused substitutes were Carlo Cudicini and Lassana Diarra for Chelsea, and Tomasz Kuszczak and Patrice Evra for Manchester United, according to the FA's own team sheet.[1]
• Both clubs had played more than 60 matches in the season by the day of the final, which the BBC's report blamed for the heavy-legged football on show.[3]
• Manchester United's route to the final was played entirely against Premier League opposition: Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Reading, Middlesbrough and Watford. Two of those ties needed replays.[11][14]
• The Guardian's minute-by-minute writer was unimpressed with what he saw, describing both sides as playing the most stultifying of 4-5-1 systems. This record draws Chelsea as 4-3-3 and United as 4-4-1-1; the disagreement is recorded in the uncertainties below.[8]
• The crowd of 89,826 was the largest at an FA Cup final since 1988.[13]

How well do you know the 2007 final?

Five questions. Every answer is sourced from the material on this page.

1. Who scored the winning goal in the 2007 FA Cup final?

   Didier DrogbaFrank LampardSalomon KalouArjen Robben
   Answer

   Didier Drogba. In the 116th minute Drogba played a one-two with Lampard, beat Edwin van der Sar to the return pass and lifted the ball over him and inside the post.[1][3]

2. Why was the 2007 final a first for Wembley Stadium?

   It was the first FA Cup final played at the rebuilt stadiumIt was the first final played under the new Wembley roofIt was the first Wembley final to go to extra timeIt was the first final Prince William attended as FA president
   Answer

   It was the first FA Cup final played at the rebuilt stadium. The final returned to Wembley after a seven-year absence during which the stadium was rebuilt and the final was played in Cardiff. Chelsea, the last winners at the old Wembley in 2000, became the first winners at the new one.[3][4]

3. What happened in the 104th minute of the final?

   Ryan Giggs's momentum carried Petr Cech and the ball over the line, but no goal was givenCristiano Ronaldo had a goal disallowed for offsideDidier Drogba hit the post with a free-kickPaul Scholes became the first player booked at the new Wembley
   Answer

   Ryan Giggs's momentum carried Petr Cech and the ball over the line, but no goal was given. The FA's own timeline records that Giggs slid into Cech and forced him and the ball just over the line, with no goal given. Cech later admitted the ball was behind the line but said it would have been a foul anyway.[1][5]

4. Who did Chelsea beat in that season's League Cup final to set up their domestic cup double?

   ArsenalTottenham HotspurLiverpoolEverton
   Answer

   Arsenal. Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 in Cardiff in the 2007 League Cup final, Drogba scoring both goals, and completed the cup double at Wembley that May.[12]

5. What was the attendance at the first final at the rebuilt Wembley?

   89,82690,00084,16398,203
   Answer

   89,826. The FA's own match page records 89,826, the figure also carried by BBC Sport, ESPN and 11v11. It was the largest FA Cup final crowd since 1988.[1][3]

What is not settled

Honesty matters more than tidiness. These details are contested or unrecorded, and we have not guessed at them:

• The minute of the winning goal. The FA's own timeline, BBC Sport, 11v11, ESPN and Wikipedia all record 116; the Guardian's minute-by-minute report logged it at 115. We publish 116 and keep the disagreement visible.
• Salomon Kalou's introduction is timed at 94 minutes by the FA's own timeline and the Guardian, but at 93 by BBC Sport, 11v11 and Wikipedia. We publish the FA's figure.
• The booking minutes differ by one between the FA's timeline and Wikipedia's match box: Scholes at 59 or 58, Makelele at 84 or 83, Vidic at 85 or 84. We publish the FA's figures throughout.
• The 104th-minute incident is not settled as a matter of opinion, though the facts are on record. The FA's own timeline states the ball went just over the line and no goal was given; Sir Alex Ferguson claimed a penalty for Michael Essien's part in it; Petr Cech said the ball was behind the line but it would have been a foul anyway. Whether either decision was correct is recorded as contested, not resolved.
• Man of the match. Wikipedia's infobox names Frank Lampard but cites no source, and no official or contemporary announcement of the award could be found, so this record does not name one.
• Broadcast. The BBC's own pages confirm its coverage of the final; the claim that Sky Sports also showed it live rests on a Wikipedia list that carries a citation-needed tag, so it is not claimed here.
• The formations. The Guardian's correspondent wrote that both sides played 4-5-1. This record draws Chelsea as 4-3-3 and Manchester United as 4-4-1-1, following the standard positional record; the disagreement is noted here.
• No footage has been verified for this final yet, so the television shows no signal rather than an unchecked embed.

How we know

Every claim on this page is tied to a numbered source below. These are the contemporary records behind it, each one fetched and matched word for word before publication rather than taken on trust:

• The FA's official 2007 final page, 19 May 2007, via the Internet Archive: scoreline, team sheet, officials, attendance, prize fund and minute-by-minute timeline · The Football Association
• The FA's announcement of the final's match officials, April 2007, via the Internet Archive · The Football Association

Where a primary record and a modern account disagree, we show both rather than choosing the tidier number.

Sources

1. Chelsea 1-0 Man United (official match page, minute-by-minute and team sheet) · The Football Association
2. Bennett chosen for Final · The Football Association
3. Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United · BBC Sport
4. FA Cup final set for Wembley return · BBC Sport
5. Mourinho treasures FA Cup medal · BBC Sport
6. We were denied penalty - Ferguson · BBC Sport
7. FA Cup Final memories: Drogba wins it at the new Wembley · Chelsea FC
8. Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (minute-by-minute report) · The Guardian
9. Chelsea v Manchester United, 19 May 2007 · 11v11
10. Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (match page) · ESPN
11. England FA Challenge Cup 2006-2007 · RSSSF
12. Sky Sports Vault: Carling Cup final, Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal, 2007 · Sky Sports
13. 2007 FA Cup final · Wikipedia
14. 2006-07 FA Cup · Wikipedia

Elsewhere in the encyclopedia

These two clubs have met in a final before

• 2018 Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

Other finals involving these clubs

• 1979 Manchester United: Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
• 2004 Manchester United: Manchester United 3-0 Millwall
• 2005 Manchester United: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
• 2009 Chelsea: Chelsea 2-1 Everton
• 2010 Chelsea: Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth
• 2012 Chelsea: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Other finals at Wembley Stadium

• 2008 Cardiff City 1-0 Portsmouth
• 2009 Chelsea 2-1 Everton
• 2010 Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth
• 2011 Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
• 2012 Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
• 2013 Wigan Athletic 1-0 Manchester City

Elsewhere on WhatChan