Chelsea, the last team to win the FA Cup at the old Wembley, became the first team to claim the trophy at the new stadium when a 116th minute Didier Drogba goal sunk Manchester United. With a penalty shootout just four minutes away, the Ivorian netted the only goal of the game to secure the Blues their fourth FA Cup triumph, which will go some way to atoning for the relinquishment of their Premiership crown to the Red Devils.

The result also completed a 2006/07 double for Jose Mourinho's side, who edged out Arsenal to clinch the League Cup at the Millennium Stadium earlier this year.

First half comes alive
A capacity crowd, which included a who's who of former FA Cup final heroes, were in attendance to witness the world's oldest football competition return to its long-time setting. For only the third time in history, the traditional swansong to the English season pitted together the domestic league's champions and runners-up, however, despite the presence of the heavyweight pair, the fixture got off to an insipid start.

Indeed, the first third of the encounter entailed Manchester United and Chelsea trading faint jabs. Ten years ago, Roberto Di Matteo scored with just 43 seconds on the clock, the fastest ever FA Cup final goal, to put the Blues en route to a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough, and although the stretching Didier Drogba had their first sight on goal after two minutes, his header did not come close to making Edwin van der Sar work.

For their part, United were reduced to speculative, long-range efforts, but neither Paul Scholes or Wayne Rooney troubled Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech. Midway through the first half, Chelsea managed to get the spectators' pulses racing. Joe Cole's incisive burst from the edge of his own box led to Drogba receiving the ball inside his opponents' half. In turn, the Ivorian strode forward and unleashed a powerful, low drive which whizzed narrowly wide of Van der Sar's right-hand upright.

On the half-hour mark, the contest was sparked into life. Chelsea full-back Paulo Ferreira made a probing run down the right, cut inside, and fed the onrushing Frank Lampard inside the area. The England midfielder did well fire his shot back across goal, but Van der Sar, diving low to his right, was equal to it. Within minutes, Drogba cleverly created space for himself inside the penalty area before teeing-up Shaun Wright-Phillips, but the diminutive winger, whose father Ian Wright won two FA Cup winners' medals with Arsenal and was a losing finalist for Crystal Palace against Manchester United in 1990, skied his effort under pressure.

On 36 minutes, Lampard collected possession out on the left and when a cross seemed the more likely option, he thundered a shot goalwards that went narrowly over the bar, though Van der Sar appeared to have the danger covered. United responded with an offensive assault of their own. First, Essien needed to be alert to clear a menacing Giggs centre, then Scholes faked a 30-yard shot before dinking the ball over the Blues' rearguard for Rooney, who had strayed marginally offside.

As the half-time whistle neared, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had until that point been kept quiet by some assiduous marking, began to get more and more into the game, and after leaving his compatriot Ferreira in his wake, the 2006/07 Premiership's transcendent performer delivered a menacing cross, which the Chelsea defence did well to deal with.

Rooney tests Chelsea
If the first half had started slowly, the action was thick and fast at the front of the second. Rooney immediately took centre stage, picking up a loose ball and ghosting past Essien. However, instead of releasing Giggs, who had overlapped to his left into the penalty area, the 21-year-old cut inside and assumed shooting responsibility himself, but Cech palmed away his powerful drive.

On 55 minutes, it was again Rooney who presented the Blues' backline with a problem, his surging dart past two opponents almost culminating with a run on Cech's goal. In fact, Chelsea only succeeded in half-clearing the danger, and when the ball made its way to the feet of Scholes, he unfastened their defence with a sumptuous, chipped pass to Ryan Giggs, whose left-footed blast gave the capital club's watching support a nervy moment.

The momentum was swinging in United's favour and when Ronaldo sprinted down the left flank and delivered a teasing cross, a header by the leaping Terry was required to prevent the ball falling on to Rooney's head in between the Chelsea posts.

Lampard then earned the Blues a free-kick on the edge of the Red Devils' box after deceiving Scholes, and from the resulting set piece Drogba clipped the outside of Van der Sar's left-hand post. Soon after, Arjen Robben, who had replaced Joe Cole at the interval, utilised his pace to leave two adversaries for dead down the left, but his cross failed to find its target.

Rooney was next to challenge the deadlock. Another mazy dribble from the England forward took him past two defenders, but Cech expertly raced from his line to snatch the ball from his feet with the goal looming. After these frenetic exchanges, the action abated and for the remainder of the half, the two finalists cancelling each other out before referee Steve Bennett's whistle signalled that an extra 30 minutes would be needed.

Drogba emerges as the hero
The first period of extra time began with both Manchester United and Chelsea looking to press the action. Substitute Salomon Kalou injected some life into the Blues' attack, but Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand kept him under close guard.

With the first half of extra time approaching its conclusion, United spurned a great chance to take the lead. Rooney did well down the right and presented Giggs with a gilt-edged opportunity, but the Welshman failed to make a proper connection from just yards out and Cech smothered the loose ball on the goalline.

Kalou then burst towards the United area, but after being held up by Ferdinand, he curled a shot wide of the post. But moments later, with the game seemingly poised for a penalty shootout, it was another Côte d'Ivoire star who ensured that Chelsea won the FA Cup for a fourth time. Following a neat one-two with Lampard, Drogba beat Van der Sar to the ball to poke home the only goal and spark delerium among the Blues followers.