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LONDON - Didier Drogba scored an extra-time winner to give Chelsea a 1-0 victory over league champions Manchester United in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium this morning.
The Ivorian striker scooped the ball past United keeper Edwin van der Sar in the 116th
minute of a dour encounter that looked destined for penalties in front of a near 90,000 crowd.
Drogba's 33rd goal of the season denied United a Premier League and FA Cup double and gave Chelsea a second trophy after February's League Cup success against Arsenal in Cardiff.
It will also lift a club after a season in which injuries and speculation about the future of manager Jose Mourinho had dogged their attempts to win a third consecutive league title.
"After losing our league title in front of our owns fans this makes up for it," Chelsea skipper John Terry told the BBC. "It's fantastic, one of the best things I've ever experienced."
Mourinho, celebrated his first FA Cup triumph, said: "This (medal) I don't throw away because it means a lot. This is the first time for me, I've won every title in English football.
"The players deserve so much because the season has been so difficult."
Billed as the 'Dream Final' between the best two sides in English football and the world's richest league, much of it was a disappointment.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard had the only real chance of a stultifying first half, while United had the better of an improved second half with two chances falling to captain Ryan Giggs.
After years of hype, the first half in the new stadium was of a rare tedium. Both sides were happy to play 'keep ball' by passing it among their backlines and any creativity was soon stifled in midfield.
Wayne Rooney sent a speculative flick wide for United while Drogba, the Premier League's top scorer, was hopelessly off target with a long-range effort for the Blues.
The only chance fell to Lampard in the 31st minute, when defender Paulo Ferreira laid the ball off for him to swivel and strike a low shot that Edwin van der Sar blocked.
Chelsea were coming out of their shell, thanks to 20-year-old Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel, while United's Cristiano Ronaldo roused himself for a couple of runs.
Mourinho swapped Joe Cole for Arjen Robben for the second half to try an inject some more bite.
Instead, the first chance fell to United when a Rooney shot was parried by keeper Petr Cech and Giggs sent a follow-up effort wide.
Brilliantly picked out by Paul Scholes, Giggs then volleyed another chance over the top as United began to raise the tempo, though they needed the outside of the post to see off a Drogba free kick around the hour mark.
The final looked to have finally come to life, with Rooney and Robben trading runs through their opponents' defences, only to abruptly fall back into its torpor -- and extra time.
United fans thought the deadlock had ended just before the first 15 minutes were up when Giggs slid in to partially connect with a low Rooney cross and crunched into Cech, who had the ball. Though it then appeared to be forced over the line, no goal was given.
That feeling was shared by Chelsea supporters after substitute Salomon Kalou tore down the middle and sent a rasping shot just wide of the right-hand post.
But Drogba made no mistake, working a one-two with Lampard before beating Van der Sar to make Chelsea both the last Wembley winners at the old stadium and the first to triumph at its 800 million pound ($1.58 billion) successor.
- REUTERS
