1997 FA Cup final
The 1997 FA Cup final was the 116th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium and was contested by Chelsea and Middlesbrough, the North East club appearing in its first FA Cup Final.
Chelsea won 2–0 to win the FA Cup for the second time, the first having come in 1970. It was also the club's first major trophy in 26 years.
It was the first major honour in the career of most Chelsea's players, but for Mark Hughes, it was the fourth time that he had featured in an FA Cup winning side. It was Middlesbrough's second defeat in a cup final in the 1996–97 season, and they were also relegated from the Premier League.
Road to Wembley
Chelsea
Home teams listed first.Round 3: Chelsea 3–0 W.B.A.
Round 4: Chelsea 4–2 Liverpool
Round 5: Leicester City 2–2 Chelsea
Quarter-Final: Portsmouth 1–4 Chelsea
Semi-Final: Wimbledon 0–3 Chelsea
Middlesbrough
Home teams listed first.Round 3: Middlesbrough 6–0 Chester City
Round 4: Hednesford Town 2–3 Middlesbrough
Round 5: Manchester City 0–1 Middlesbrough
Quarter-Final: Derby County 0–2 Middlesbrough
Semi-Final: Chesterfield 3–3 Middlesbrough
Match review
Chelsea took the lead just 43 seconds into the match, with Italian midfielder Roberto Di Matteo receiving the ball and firing it into the goal off the crossbar from 25 yards to record what was at the time the quickest ever goal in a Wembley FA Cup final, breaking Jackie Milburn's 42-year record.Middlesbrough's prolific striker Fabrizio Ravanelli limped off after 21 minutes, further diminishing his side's chances of victory. Late in the first half Gianluca Festa put the ball in the net for Middlesbrough, but the goal was controversially ruled out for offside. In a largely disappointing match, in which Chelsea were generally in control, Chelsea eventually added a second goal seven minutes from full-time with Eddie Newton steering the ball into the net from Gianfranco Zola's clever flick to seal a 2–0 win.