Wembley (AP) — Chelsea recovered after conceding the
fastest goal in FA Cup final history, beating Everton 2-1 Saturday to
win the trophy a fifth time.
Louis Saha put Everton ahead after
25 seconds at Wembley, but Didier Drogba tied the score in the 21st
minute and Frank Lampard delivered the winner with 18 minutes left.
Chelsea
won its first trophy in two years and gave manager Guus Hiddink the
perfect farewell before he resumes his job as coach of the Russian
national team.
"We were very tough and the team has showed after
a setback they react always, which is what I like," Hiddink said. "It
was one of the biggest, a big achievement: winning in the Mecca of
world football. The FA Cup is something you cannot believe."
On
the record goal, a header by Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel wasn't
cleared properly and Marouane Fellaini headed to Saha just inside the
penalty area. The France striker turned and smashed a shot past
goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Saha beat the previous quickest goal in a
Wembley final by 18 seconds and was five seconds quicker than the
winner Bob Chatt scored for Aston Villa in the 1895 FA Cup final, which
was played at Crystal Palace in south London.
The goal gave
Everton hope of a first trophy since the 1995 FA Cup. But Florent
Malouda collected Lampard's looping pass out of a crowd and sent in a
curling cross that the unmarked Drogba met with a header into the back
of the net.
It was Drogba's second FA Cup final — he scored the extra-time winner in Chelsea's 2007 victory over Manchester United.
Lampard
made it 2-1 from just outside the penalty area with a firm shot past
American goalkeeper Tim Howard, whose view was blocked by players in
front of him.
"I thought we were having our best spell when they
got their goal from Frank Lampard," Everton manager David Moyes said.
"He's a big player and he scores goals, and that's what he did."
The
victory could have been more convincing had Malouda been awarded a goal
in the 78th minute. His 30-yard shot hit the bar and bounced down, but
the referee could not tell whether the ball had gone over the line as
television replays indicated.
The Chelsea fans cheered each
player as he lifted the famous cup but reserved the loudest noise for
Hiddink, who coached the team on a temporary basis for four months.
Chelsea
and Everton played to scoreless draws in both their Premier League
games this season. Chelsea finished 20 points and two places above
Everton.
"It's been a great season, finishing fifth in the
Premier League and reaching the final, but it leaves a bitter taste,"
Everton midfielder Tim Cahill said. "But it's an experience I can take
forward in the coming years."