How Chelsea and Portsmouth reached the FA Cup Final
Portsmouth and Chelsea could hardly have had two more contrasting seasons.
One is in dire financial peril, relegated from the Premier League and braced to lose their best players and manager this summer; while the others were crowned Premier League champions last Sunday after scoring a record 103 league goals under a shrewd Italian tactician in his debut season at the club.
They do share at least one thing in common, however. Both will compete in what threatens to be the most one-sided FA Cup Final for years.
This is how they got there.
Chelsea
Third round. January 3rd 2010: Chelsea 5 Watford 0.
The Blues sent out a crystal-clear warning that they meant business to the remaining 63 teams in the FA Cup with a 5-0 demolition of Championship side Watford. Carlo Ancelotti’s men began their defence of football’s oldest trophy in style without the services of either Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka. Instead, it was 20-year-old striker, Daniel Sturridge, who stole the headlines with a brace. The Hornets’ John Eustace scored an unfortunate own-goal; while strikes from Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda completed the rout.
Fourth round. January 23rd 2010: Preston 0 Chelsea 2.
Another efficient performance saw Chelsea breeze past their second batch of opponents from the Championship in the fourth round. This time it was Darren Ferguson’s Preston who were put to the sword by the ruthless Premier League leaders. Goals from Anelka, and then that man again, Sturridge, secured the west-Londoners their place in the fifth round. This particular weekend proved especially fruitful for Chelsea, as rivals Manchester United were knocked out of the competition by League One’s Leeds United.
Fifth round. February 13th 2010: Chelsea 4 Cardiff City 1.
This was the match where the talismanic, powerhouse of a striker, Didier Drogba, made his season debut in the FA Cup. How Chelsea’s opponents, Cardiff, must have wished he’d been left at home again. It was the third consecutive time that the Premier League side had faced Championship opposition; and again, it was all too easy for them. Drogba scored one, assisted two others and proved a constant menace to the Bluebirds’ powerless defence. Michael Chopra may have scored an equaliser, but this merely spurred on Chelsea to step their performance levels up a notch. Michael Ballack, Sturridge and Salomon Kalou grabbed the other three goals to kill off Dave Jones’ side.
Quarter-finals. March 7th 2010: Chelsea 2 Stoke City 0.
Prior to kick-off in this quarter-final against Stoke City, Chelsea skipper, John Terry, had grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons after infamous revelations of his private life emerged in various national newspapers. However, the former England captain grabbed the second goal of the game in the second half to end this match as a contest. Lampard had given the hosts the lead on the 35th minute, but it was his teammate who would once again have his name splashed across the back – and front - pages.
Semi-finals. April 10th 2010: Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 3.
After suffering bitter disappointment in the Carling Cup Final, Aston Villa were determined to exorcise their demons with victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup semis at Wembley. They’d need to produce something memorable to overcome the formidable Blues, though. Sadly for their travelling supporters, that didn’t happen. For the majority of the match, Villa stood firm; but tiredness began to seep in and Chelsea duly capitalised. With 22 minutes of normal time remaining, Drogba opened the scoring to give Martin O’Neill’s side a real uphill struggle going into the final stages of the match. And before the final whistle had been sounded, Malouda and Lampard struck to ensure the scoreline flattered them.
For the third time in four years, Chelsea had reached the FA Cup Final.
Portsmouth
Third round. January 2nd 2010: Portsmouth 1 Coventry City 1.
By this stage of the season, Portsmouth were already in turmoil. Their players hadn’t been paid, the club were bottom of the league table and they struggled to get people through the gates for this third-round tie against Championship outfit Coventry. Those 11,000 who were brave enough to venture to Fratton Park were treated to an uneventful 1-1 draw. Kevin-Prince Boateng scored Pompey’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time to force a replay.
Third round replay. January 12th 2010: Coventry City 1 Portsmouth 2.
Portsmouth’s FA Cup run was literally seconds away from coming to a premature end at the Ricoh Arena back in January. Thanks to a headed own-goal from Stephen Wright, though, the cash-strapped south-coast club had been offered a timely lifeline. Avram Grant’s men went on to dominate extra-time; and the efforts paid off in the final minute of the 30 when Aaron Mokoena’s late header sealed the visitors a Fourth Round tie against Sunderland.
Fourth round. January 23rd 2010: Portsmouth 2 Sunderland 1.
Just two weeks earlier, it had been uncovered that Portsmouth midfielder John Utaka was earning a whopping £80,000 a week – an astronomical sum given the circumstances Pompey now found themselves in. However, the Nigerian forward went some way to justifying his huge wage – for that week at least – by scoring both goals in the struggling club’s 2-1 win over the Black Cats. In-form striker Darren Bent had given the visitors the lead, but Pompey mounted a superb comeback to seal an unlikely place in the Fifth Round.
Fifth round. February 13th 2010: Southampton 1 Portsmouth 4.
Issued with a winding-up order in the build-up to this derby against fierce rivals, Southampton, the future had never looked bleaker for Portsmouth. The Saints were unsympathetic, and were looking to capitalise on their adversary’s misfortune with a victory which would secure their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals. With dark clouds circling Fratton Park, only a win against Southampton would help shift some of the doom and gloom for the suffering Pompey fans. After a goalless first half, Portsmouth produced a fantastic team display, inspired by on-loan midfielder Jamie O’Hara, to hammer their foes by four goals to one.
Quarter-finals. March 6th 2010: Portsmouth 2 Birmingham City 0.
By the time their quarter-final tie against Birmingham had come round, Portsmouth had entered administration. Their subsequent nine point deduction meant that relegation was a foregone conclusion. Manager Avram Grant was determined to see his side advance to Wembley, though, and the troubled side grouped together to pull off a stunning victory over Alex McLeish’s side. Striker Frederic Piquionne was the hero of the afternoon, scoring a quick-fire brace to seal a trip to the national stadium. For the 2008 FA Cup winners, this was another tremendous chapter in their story of finding hope through adversity.
Semi-finals. April 11th 2010: Tottenham 0 Portsmouth 2 (AET).
Relegated with debts of over £120 million, there was to be a silver lining in Portsmouth’s black cloud of a season after all. A remarkable 2-0 extra-time victory over Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth at Wembley guaranteed Pompey a big payday on their return to Wembley for their second FA Cup Final in 24 months. On the slippery Wembley surface, both Spurs and Portsmouth experienced a tricky afternoon; but it seemed to merely help the south-coast club. A slip from Michael Dawson allowed Piquionne to break the deadlock after almost 100 minutes of football, before Boateng converted the crucial penalty with three minutes remaining.
Against all the odds, Pompey had defied the doubters, and will aim to do so again this Saturday when they face-off against the mighty Premier League champions, Chelsea.
Can relegated Pompey really complete the fairytale and lift the historic trophy on the hallowed Wembley turf this Saturday?
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