Chelsea 2 Middlesbrough 0
Outcome: Lost
Date: 5/17/1997
Manager: Bryan Robson
Attendance: 79160
Competition: FA Cup Final
Played at: Wembley
Goals:
| Goals | Time | Assists |
Team
| Player | Yellow | Red | Subbed |
| Ben Roberts | |||
| Gianluca Festa | |||
| Curtis Fleming | |||
| Nigel Pearson | |||
| Clayton Blackmore | |||
| Robbie Mustoe | |||
| Phil Stamp | |||
| Emmerson | |||
| Craig Hignett | |||
| Juninho | |||
| Fabrizio Ravanelli |
Subs
| Player | Yellow | Red | Subbed |
| Steve Vickers | |||
| Vladimir Kinder | |||
| Mickel Beck |
Generated by AI
Match Identification
Most likely match: Chelsea 2–0 Middlesbrough, FA Cup Final, 17 May 1997, Wembley Stadium, London (attendance: 79,160; referee: Stephen Lodge).
Match Report
Chelsea settled the 1997 FA Cup Final with a blistering start and a controlled finish, beating Middlesbrough 2–0 at Wembley.
1’ (Chelsea 1–0): Chelsea struck almost immediately. Roberto Di Matteo drove forward and unleashed a long-range effort that flew in off the underside of the crossbar inside the opening minute, setting the tone and forcing Middlesbrough to chase the game from the outset.
21’ (Middlesbrough setback): Middlesbrough’s problems deepened when striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, a key attacking outlet, was forced off injured, disrupting their plan and reducing their threat up front.
First-half incident (disallowed goal): Middlesbrough thought they had equalised before the interval when Gianluca Festa put the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside, a decision that became one of the match’s major talking points.
With Chelsea generally able to manage the game’s tempo after taking the lead, Middlesbrough struggled to create sustained pressure, while Chelsea looked comfortable defending and waiting for moments to break.
83’ (Chelsea 2–0): The cup was effectively sealed late on. Gianfranco Zola created the opening with a clever flick, and Eddie Newton finished from close range to make it 2–0 and put the final beyond Middlesbrough.
Late change: Chelsea introduced Gianluca Vialli for Zola in the closing minutes as they saw out the win.
Chelsea Line Up
Manager: Ruud Gullit
Formation: 3-5-2 (wing-backs) (exact tactical shape not consistently listed in official box summaries; roles below reflect listed positions/usage).
| Pos | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Frode Grodås | |
| CB | Steve Clarke | |
| CB | Frank Leboeuf | Booked |
| CB | Frank Sinclair | |
| RWB | Dan Petrescu | |
| LWB | Scott Minto | |
| CM | Dennis Wise (c) | |
| CM | Roberto Di Matteo | Goal; booked |
| CM | Eddie Newton | Goal; booked |
| CF | Mark Hughes | |
| CF | Gianfranco Zola | Subbed off (late) |
Substitutes used: Gianluca Vialli (on for Gianfranco Zola, 89’).
Unused subs (known): Kevin Hitchcock (GK), Andy Myers (DF).
Match Statistics
Detailed team statistics (possession, shots on target, corners, fouls, etc.): Unknown from the accessible official/primary match summaries retrieved for this report. The available sources reliably confirm the scoreline, goals, key incidents (Ravanelli injury, disallowed Festa goal), bookings, attendance, referee, and substitutions, but do not provide a full statistical table for possession/shots/corners/fouls for this final.