Didier Drogba and John Terry made history as Chelsea withstood a late Liverpool onslaught to seal their fourth FA Cup final victory in six seasons yesterday with a 2-1 win at Wembley.
A goal in each half from Ramires and veteran striker Drogba clinched a narrowly deserved win for Chelsea, with substitute Andy Carroll scoring for Liverpool.
The win saw Chelsea skipper Terry enter the record books as the first man to captain one side to four victories in the competition, having already lifted the famous trophy in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Terry’s landmark was also matched by another milestone for Drogba, whose second-half effort made him the first man to score in four FA Cup finals.
The defeat denied Liverpool the opportunity to end a largely disappointing season with a second piece of silverware following their League Cup triumph over Cardiff in February.
However, after controlling much of the game, Champions League finalists Chelsea were made to work hard for their win, and Carroll was denied what would have been a dramatic 82nd-minute equaliser when his close-range header was parried onto the underside of the crossbar by Petr Cech.
Carroll wheeled away to celebrate, thinking the ball, had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and his assistants remained unmoved.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said he initially believed Carroll had equalised but did not dwell on the issue afterwards.
“I thought it went in but if it hasn’t then give the officials the credit they deserve,” he said.
Chelsea dominated a poor Liverpool side throughout a poor first half that saw the Merseysiders struggle to get into the game.
Liverpool midfielders Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson were largely anonymous, all too often leaving captain Steven Gerrard overwhelmed.
Chelsea, meanwhile, looked comfortable for most of the match, with Frank Lampard and Jon Obi Mikel screening the back four against an impotent Liverpool attack.
The Blues took the lead on 11 minutes through a Ramires strike that owed everything to poor play from Liverpool.
The rangy Brazilian shrugged off his man with ease and then took advantage of shoddy goalkeeping from Pepe Reina to lash home at the near post.
Liverpool might have got back into the match almost immediately, only for Branislav Ivanovic to thwart Craig Bellamy’s fierce volley on 14 minutes with a gutsy block.
Yet that was as good as it got for Liverpool for the remainder of the half but they started the second half more purposefully, with Gerrard producing one surging run into the box and Stewart Downing looking lively down the flank.
Chelsea, however, delivered a hammer blow on 52 minutes when Drogba pounced, rifling home a low left-foot shot after being picked out in space by Lampard.
Liverpool responded immediately by bringing on Carroll but it was Chelsea who continued to look the more threatening of the two sides.
Drogba lashed a volley into the side netting but then the momentum shifted dramatically when Carroll pulled one back for Liverpool.
He pounced after Jose Bosingwa’s clearance ricocheted into his path, wrong-footing Terry to fire high into the net.
It was all Liverpool thereafter, with the Reds galvanised by the presence of Carroll in the front line.
Luis Suarez forced a low save from Cech on 73 minutes before Carroll headed just over three minutes later.
Carroll was then denied his headed equaliser eight minutes from time but although Liverpool pressed they were unable to find a way through a resolute Chelsea rearguard.
Arsenal held 3-3
Arsenal’s bid for a top-four finish suffered a major setback as Steve Morison’s late goal earned Norwich a deserved point in a six-goal thriller at the Emirates.
Yossi Benayoun’s early opener put Arsene Wenger’s side on course in the only Premier League match played yesterday.
But with Norwich having gone ahead through Wes Hoolahan and Grant Holt, a double from Robin van Persie seemed to have won it for the hosts before Morison stunned the home crowd with a smart finish five minutes from time.
Results and standings
Premier League
Arsenal 3
Benayoun 2; Van Persie 72, 80;
Norwich City 3
Hoolahan 12; Holt 27; Morison 85;
HT: 1-2. Att: 60,092.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Man. City | 36 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 88 | 27 | 83 |
| Man. United | 36 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 86 | 33 | 83 |
| Arsenal | 37 | 20 | 7 | 10 | 71 | 47 | 67 |
| Tottenham | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 63 | 40 | 65 |
| Newcastle | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 55 | 46 | 65 |
| Chelsea | 36 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 62 | 41 | 61 |
| Everton | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 47 | 39 | 52 |
| Liverpool | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 43 | 38 | 49 |
| Fulham | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 48 | 49 |
| West Brom | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 41 | 47 | 46 |
| Sunderland | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 44 | 43 | 45 |
| Swansea | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 43 | 49 | 44 |
| Norwich | 37 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 50 | 66 | 44 |
| Stoke City | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 34 | 50 | 44 |
| Aston Villa | 36 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 36 | 50 | 37 |
| Wigan | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 38 | 60 | 37 |
| QPR | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 40 | 63 | 34 |
| Bolton | 36 | 10 | 4 | 22 | 42 | 73 | 34 |
| Blackburn | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 47 | 75 | 31 |
| Wolves | 36 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 38 | 79 | 24 |
Playing today
Aston Villa vs Tottenham - 15.00
Bolton vs West Brom - 15.00
Fulham vs Sunderland - 14.00
Man. United vs Swansea - 17.00
Newcastle vs Man. City - 14.30
QPR vs Stoke City - 15.00
Wolves vs Everton - 15.00
Tomorrow
Blackburn vs Wigan - 21.00
Next fixtures
Tuesday: 21.00 Liverpool vs Chelsea.
Sunday: 16.00 Chelsea vs Blackburn Rovers; Everton vs Newcastle; Man-chester City vs QPR; Norwich City vs Aston Villa; Stoke City vs Bolton; Sunderland vs Manchester United; Swansea vs Liverpool; Tottenham vs Fulham; West Bromwich vs Arsenal; Wigan vs Wolves.
League One
Bournemouth 1 - Preston 0
Charlton 3 - Hartlepool 2
Chesterfield 2 - Brentford 3
Exeter 2 - Sheffield Utd 2
Huddersfield 2 - Yeovil 0
Leyton Orient 2 - Rochdale 1
MK Dons 0 - Walsall 1
Notts County 4 - Colchester 1
Oldham 2 - Carlisle 1
Sheffield Wed. 2 - Wycombe 0
Stevenage 3 - Bury 0
Tranmere 1 - Scunthorpe 1
Final standings: Charlton (p) 101; Sheffield Wed. 93 (p); Sheffield United 90 (p/o); Huddersfield 81 (p/o); MK Dons 80 (p/o); Stevenage 73 (p/o); Notts County 73; Carlisle 69; Brentford 67; Colchester 59; Bournemouth 58; Tranmere, Hart-lepool, Bury 56; Preston, Oldham, Yeovil 54; Scunthorpe 52; Walsall, L. Orient 50; Wycombe (r) 43; Chesterfield (r); Exeter (r) 42; Rochdale (r) 38.
League Two
Accrington 0 - Crawley 1
Wimbledon 3 - Shrewsbury 1
Bradford 0 - Swindon 0
Burton Albion 1 - Barnet 2
Crewe 2 - Aldershot 2
Dagenham 4 - Bristol Rovers 0
Gillingham 2 - Morecambe 0
Hereford 3 - Torquay2
Plymouth 1 - Cheltenham 2
Port Vale 3 - Oxford 0
Rotherham 1 - Northampton 1
Southend 2 - Macclesfield 0
Standings: Swindon (p) 93; Shrewsbury (p) 88; Crawley (p) 84; Southend (p/o) 83; Torquay (p/o) 81; Cheltenham (p/o) 77; Crewe (p/o) 72; Gillingham 70; Oxford 68; Rotherham 67; Aldershot 66; Port Vale 59; Bristol Rovers, Accrington 57; Morecambe 56; Wimbledon, Burton 54; Bradford, Dagenham 50; North-ampton 48; Plymouth, Barnet 46; Here-ford (r) 44; Macclesfield (r) 37.