View source for 1997 FA Cup final

{{Short description|Association football championship match between Chelsea and Middlesbrough, held in 1997}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{For|the women's event|1997 FA Women's Cup final}}
{{Infobox football match
|                   title = 1997 FA Cup final
|                   image = 1997 FA Cup Final programme.jpg
|              image_size = 200px
|                 caption = Match programme
|                   event = [[1996–97 FA Cup]]
|                   team1 = [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
|        team1association = 
|              team1score = 2
|                   team2 = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]
|        team2association = 
|              team2score = 0
|                 details = 
|                    date = 17 May 1997
|                 stadium = [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]]
|                    city = London
|      man_of_the_match1a = [[Roberto Di Matteo]] 
| man_of_the_match1atitle = 
|      man_of_the_match1b = 
| man_of_the_match1btitle = 
|                 referee = [[Stephen Lodge (referee)|Stephen Lodge]] ([[Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association|South Yorkshire]])
|              attendance = 79,160
|                 weather = 
|                previous = [[1996 FA Cup final|1996]]
|                    next = [[1998 FA Cup final|1998]]
}}
The '''1997 FA Cup final''' was the 116th final of the [[FA Cup]]. It took place on 17 May 1997 at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] and was contested by [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] and [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]], the [[North East England|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 FA Cup final|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 (having played on the winning [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] teams of [[1985 FA Cup final|1985]], [[1990 FA Cup final|1990]] and [[1994 FA Cup final|1994]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Where are they now? Chelsea's 1997 FA Cup winners |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/where-are-they-now-chelseas-1997-fa-cup-winners |website=FourFourTwo |access-date=5 September 2020 |date=17 May 2017}}</ref> For Middlesbrough, it was a second final defeat of the [[1996–97 in English football|1996–97 season]] (having lost the [[1997 Football League Cup Final|League Cup Final]] to [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] the previous month), to go with their [[1996–97 FA Premier League#Relegation controversy|controversial relegation from the Premier League]].

==Road to Wembley==
{|width=100%
|width=50% valign=top|

===Chelsea===
''Home teams listed first''.

'''Round 3:''' Chelsea 3–0 [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|W.B.A.]]

'''Round 4:''' Chelsea 4–2 [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]

'''Round 5:''' [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] 2–2 Chelsea

:'''''Replay:''' Chelsea 1–0 Leicester City''
'''Quarter-Final:''' [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] 1–4 Chelsea

'''Semi-Final:''' [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]] 0–3 Chelsea 
::(at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]], London)
|width=50% valign=top|

===Middlesbrough===
''Home teams listed first.''

'''Round 3:''' Middlesbrough 6–0 [[Chester City F.C.|Chester City]]

'''Round 4:''' [[Hednesford Town F.C.|Hednesford Town]] 2–3 Middlesbrough

'''Round 5:''' [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] 0–1 Middlesbrough
:&nbsp;

'''Quarter-Final:''' [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] 0–2 Middlesbrough

'''Semi-Final:''' [[Chesterfield F.C.|Chesterfield]] 3–3 Middlesbrough 
::(at [[Old Trafford]], [[Manchester]])

:'''''Replay:''' Middlesbrough 3–0 Chesterfield''
::(at [[Hillsborough Stadium]], [[Sheffield]])
|}

==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 ([[Louis Saha]] broke this record 12 years later in the [[2009 FA Cup final|2009 final]] after just 25 seconds, coincidentally against Chelsea, though Chelsea won the match 2–1), breaking [[Jackie Milburn]]'s [[1955 FA Cup final|42-year record]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ROBERTO'S+QUICKIE+MAKES+ROBBO+SICKIE!%3b+Blue+heaven+in+43+seconds.-a061133570
|title= ROBERTO'S QUICKIE MAKES ROBBO SICKIE!; Blue heaven in 43 seconds.|date=18 May 1997|work=The People (London)|access-date=21 November 2012 }}</ref>
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 (footballer)|Eddie Newton]] steering the ball into the net from [[Gianfranco Zola]]'s clever flick to seal a 2–0 win.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Blue+what+a+scorcher!%3b+CHELSEA+(1)+2%3b+Di+Matteo+1%2c+Newton+83+BORO+(0)...-a061141480
|title= Blue what a scorcher!
|date=18 May 1997|work=Sunday Mirror|access-date=21 November 2012 }}</ref>

==Match details==
{{footballbox
|date = 17 May 1997
|time = 15:00 [[Western European Summer Time|BST]]
|team1 = [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
|score = 2–0
|report =[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717033658/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1997.htm Report]
|team2 = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]
|goals1 = [[Roberto Di Matteo|Di Matteo]] {{goal|1}}<br />[[Eddie Newton (footballer)|Newton]] {{goal|83}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], London
|attendance = 79,160
|referee = [[Stephen Lodge (referee)|Stephen Lodge]] ([[Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association|South Yorkshire]]) }}

{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Football kit
 | pattern_la = 
 | pattern_b  = _chelsea9697h
 | pattern_ra = 
 | pattern_sh = _chelsea9697h
 | pattern_s  = 
 | leftarm    = 1C2E84
 | body       = 1C2E84
 | rightarm   = 1C2E84
 | shorts     = 1C2E84
 | socks      = FFFFFF
 | title      = Chelsea
}}
|{{Football kit
 | pattern_la = 
 | pattern_b  = _middlesbrough9697h
 | pattern_ra = 
 | pattern_sh = 
 | pattern_s  =
 | leftarm    = FF0000
 | body       = FF0000
 | rightarm   = FF0000
 | shorts     = FFFFFF
 | socks      = FF0000
 | title      = Middlesbrough
}}
|}

{| width="100%"
|valign="top" width="50%"|
{| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|colspan="4"|
|-
!width="25"| !!width="25"|  
|-
|GK ||'''30'''||{{fbaicon|NOR}} [[Frode Grodås]] 
|-
|RWB||'''2''' ||{{fbaicon|ROU}} [[Dan Petrescu]] 
|-
|CB ||'''6''' ||{{fbaicon|SCO}} [[Steve Clarke]] 
|-
|CB ||'''5''' ||{{fbaicon|FRA}} [[Frank Leboeuf]] || {{yel}}  
|-
|CB ||'''20'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Frank Sinclair]]
|-
|LWB||'''17'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Scott Minto]]
|-
|CM ||'''11'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Dennis Wise]] (c)
|-
|CM ||'''16'''||{{fbaicon|ITA}} [[Roberto Di Matteo]] || {{yel}}
|-
|CM ||'''24'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Eddie Newton]] || {{yel}}
|-
|CF ||'''10'''||{{fbaicon|WAL}} [[Mark Hughes]]
|-
|CF ||'''25'''||{{fbaicon|ITA}} [[Gianfranco Zola]] || || {{suboff|89}}
|-
|colspan=4|'''Substitutes:'''
|-
|GK ||'''13'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Kevin Hitchcock]] 
|-
|DF ||'''8''' ||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Andy Myers]]
|-
|FW ||'''9''' ||{{fbaicon|ITA}} [[Gianluca Vialli]] || || {{subon|89}}
|-
|colspan=4|'''Manager:'''
|-
|colspan="4"|{{fbaicon|NED}} [[Ruud Gullit]]
|}
|valign="top"|[[File:Chelsea vs Middlesbrough 1997-05-17.svg|300px]]
|valign="top" width="50%"|
{| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
|colspan="4"|
|-
!width="25"| !!width="25"|  
|-
|GK ||'''25'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Ben Roberts (footballer)|Ben Roberts]]
|-
|RB ||'''14'''||{{fbaicon|IRL}} [[Curtis Fleming]]
|-
|CB ||'''5''' ||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Nigel Pearson]] (c)
|-
|CB ||'''18'''||{{fbaicon|ITA}} [[Gianluca Festa]] || {{yel}}
|-
|LB ||'''17'''||{{fbaicon|WAL}} [[Clayton Blackmore]]
|-
|RM ||'''10'''||{{fbaicon|BRA}} [[Juninho Paulista]]
|-
|CM ||'''8''' ||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Robbie Mustoe]] || || {{suboff|29}}
|-
|CM ||'''6''' ||{{fbaicon|BRA}} [[Emerson (footballer, born 1972)|Emerson]]
|-
|LM ||'''20'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Phil Stamp]]
|-
|CF ||'''11'''||{{fbaicon|ITA}} [[Fabrizio Ravanelli]] || || {{suboff|24}}
|-
|CF ||'''21'''||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Craig Hignett]] || || {{suboff|74}}
|-
|colspan=4|'''Substitutes:'''
|-
|DF ||'''4''' ||{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Steve Vickers (footballer)|Steve Vickers]] || || {{subon|29}}
|-
|DF ||'''7''' ||{{fbaicon|SVK}} [[Vladimír Kinder]] || || {{subon|74}}
|-
|FW ||'''9'''||{{fbaicon|DEN}} [[Mikkel Beck]] || || {{subon|24}}
|-
|colspan=4|'''Manager:'''
|-
|colspan="4"|{{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Bryan Robson]]
|}
|}
{| width=100% style="font-size: 90%"
| width=50% valign=top|
'''Match rules'''
*90 minutes.
*30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
*Replay required if scores still level.
*Three named substitutes.
*Maximum of three substitutions.
|}

==See also==
* [[Blue Day (Suggs song)|Blue Day]] (Chelsea song, with [[Suggs]]) 
* [[Let's Dance (Chris Rea song)|Let's Dance]] (Middlesbrough song, with [[Bob Mortimer]]) 
 
==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071113225033/http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=259037 Game facts] at soccerbase.com

{{FA Cup Finals}}
{{1996–97 in English football}}
{{Chelsea F.C. matches}}
{{Middlesbrough F.C. matches}}

[[Category:1996–97 FA Cup|Final]]
[[Category:FA Cup finals]]
[[Category:Chelsea F.C. matches|FA Cup Final 1997]]
[[Category:Middlesbrough F.C. matches|FA Cup Final 1997]]
[[Category:1997 sports events in London|FA Cup Final]]
[[Category:May 1997 sports events in the United Kingdom|FA Cup Final]]