The first FA Cup Final to be played at the New Wembley Stadium was always going to be a talking point, but even more so when the two sides playing turned out to be Chelsea and Everton - largely due to one factor. Armando Fontana had left Stamford Bridge in highly acrimonious circumstances back in January, and Everton was now his seventh club in eight years.
“What were the previous five?” Dinky asked me, on the morning of the final.
“Well, we signed him from Real Madrid, he spent two years there,” I said, “Before that, he was at Milan, and the season before he was in the Juventus side which lost to Milan in the Champions League Final. Before that, he was in the Bayer Leverkusen side which lost the Champions League Final in 2002, and before that he spent two years at PSG.”
I thought of two lines from Derpy's poem.
“How greatly I adore you, how everything I've done,
Was just so I could give you your own moment in the sun.”
“Everything he's done at Everton has been solely to get a Champions League side to come calling in the summer,” I continued, “I'm actually amazed that Moyes has allowed it. You know he snubbed Bayern because they only got into the UEFA Cup?”
“It's been a long wait,” Kick Off said, “But after six years away, the FA Cup Final is back at Wembley. In a few hours, the fans of Chelsea and Everton will converge on the stadium for what we hope will be a game to remember…”
“So why are we taking the tube?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Because there's only one real way to get to Wembley,” I replied, “And you'll find out soon enough.”
The tube train arrived at Wembley Park station and the three of us disembarked. We exited the station and Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped as she got her first look at Wembley Stadium - and Wembley Way.
The stadium was even more impressive when there were spectators in it, and even to those watching on television, such as Derpy, Twilight and Lyra in the Traveller's Rest, it looked spectacular.
“So, fifteen minutes before we get underway,” Kick Off said, “And as always, we now have the FA Cup Final hymn.”
Almost as one, the crowd in the stadium rose as the two singers began a tradition dating back eighty years.
“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide…”
“FA Cup Final day is always a special day,” Kick Off said, as the two teams walked out onto the pitch, “Especially when the final is back where it belongs, and it's extra special when there's a treble on the line as well.”
“Yes, but there is one man who would just love to spoil it,” Full Time added, “Fontana's departure is well known, and little did Chelsea know that they'd be seeing him again.”
“We'll see how this goes in a moment,” Kick Off continued, “But first, the British national anthem.”
Once again, the crowd stood almost as one.
“God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen.
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!”
And then, the whistle sounded and the FA Cup Final was underway.
Chelsea attacked almost instantly, and it became clear that the Everton defence would be in for a long afternoon. Two minutes into the match, Robben got away down the left, and his cross was cleared by the Everton back line. In the seventh minute, the ball was worked into the box, but Drogba was flagged for offside.
The game then settled down, with Everton beginning to find their feet after Chelsea’s initial salvo. The Blues still looked more likely to score, though, and in the 23rd minute, Drogba was played in by Ballack. The Ivorian was forced wide and sent a cross in looking for Gudjohnsen, but his cross was caught by Howard.
“Well, a little under half an hour gone,” Kick Off said, as Nuno Valente intercepted a pass from Lampard, “But there’s been no real sign of any Everton attack…”
That, however, promptly changed. Just after the half hour, Phil Neville took the ball down the left and managed to outmuscle Essien before crossing into the area. Carvalho headed the ball clear, but Fontana, from 25 yards, managed to lob the ball over Petr Cech to give Everton the lead.
“Oh, look at that!” Kick Off exclaimed, as Derpy looked up at the ceiling and Twilight put a wing around her, “Fantastic goal by Fontana, and has he come back to haunt his former club?”
Chelsea attacked straight from the restart, and Robben got down the left, beating Hibbert before sending in a cross. Drogba’s initial volley was saved by Tim Howard, but he pounced on the volley to equalise almost immediately.
“An instant response from Chelsea!” Kick Off exclaimed, “What a cross from Robben, and Drogba was there to get to the loose ball and level things up immediately! Moyes is furious with his defence for not picking up Drogba, he is a man you cannot afford to give a chance!”
Chelsea had learned from falling behind, and now marked Fontana out of the game, cutting off Everton’s supply lines.
With a minute of the first half left, Robben got down the left again, sending in a cross which Drogba volleyed over the bar.
“We should be in front,” I said, as the teams left the pitch at half time, “We gave Fontana too much space-”
“To be fair, nobody knew he had that in his locker,” Rainbow Dash countered.
“-And that was a golden chance just before the break.”
The second half, however, was marked by staunch defending on the part of both sides. With 25 minutes to go, Mourinho took Makelele off for Joe Cole, looking to increase Chelsea’s attacking options.
“Still nothing separating the two sides with ten minutes remaining,” Kick Off said, “But Everton have had more of the game in these last five minutes, as Osman passes to Arteta…”
Arteta moved the ball back to Phil Neville, who sent in a diagonal cross to Fontana, who fired the ball high over the bar, only to be flagged for offside anyway.
With five minutes left, Joe Cole got down the right, and played in a cross. Drogba controlled the ball, and fired it home from close range to give Chelsea the lead.
“And Drogba has surely won it for Chelsea!” Kick Off shouted, as the Chelsea end erupted, “Didier Drogba, with a close range finish, puts the Blues in front with five minutes to go!”
The last five minutes ticked down almost agonisingly slowly, but with just under two minutes to go, a cross from Osman was caught by Cech, who looked to start a counter. Robben got down the left and sent in another cross to Drogba, who volleyed the ball into the net to secure the game and win the FA Cup.
Chelsea 3-1 Everton (Drogba 33, 85, 90; Fontana 31)
“There goes the final whistle, and Chelsea complete the double!” Kick Off exclaimed, “Didier Drogba scores a hat-trick in the first FA Cup Final at the New Wembley, and Chelsea have the last laugh against their former striker! They’ve won the Premier League, they’ve now won the FA Cup, and there is still the Champions League Final coming up…”
“I reckon that’s the last the Premier League has seen of Fontana, unless Fergie, Rafa or Wenger take leave of their senses,” I said, as the Everton players collected their runners-up medals, “I suspect he’ll go back to Spain, maybe Valencia.”
“And Chelsea, who won the last FA Cup final at the Old Wembley, win the first FA Cup Final at the New Wembley,” Kick Off said, as the Chelsea players lifted the FA Cup, “Their first FA Cup in seven years, Jose Mourinho’s first FA Cup too. It’s part two of the double...it could even be part two of the treble!”
“This is what’s going to happen with the Champions League Final,” I said, as I put Dinky to bed that night, after we’d watched the highlights of the FA Cup Final, “Rainbow Dash will be arriving on Tuesday morning, and we’ll fly out to Athens in the afternoon.”